Caramel Dutch Apple Pie with Brown Butter

This caramel Dutch apple pie with brown butter streusel is a classic fall dessert. Crisp autumn apples are baked with brown sugar, apple pie spice, and salted caramel sauce and topped with toasty brown butter streusel to amplify the caramelized flavor. It is without a doubt one of the best apple pies ever!

It’s no secret that I wholeheartedly and firmly stand with Team Pie. When done correctly, the buttery crust, flaky layers, and spiced flavors just get me. Bourbon caramel pecan pie? Brown butter strawberry crumble pie? Pumpkin custard pie with cardamom? Count me, I’m there.

On the other hand, there is an entire sector of people who think they don’t like pie. And I can’t say I blame them because while apple pie is arguably one of the best desserts, they also have the ability to just absolutely blow. Soggy, flavorless pies are downright depressing, but I am so convinced that if you have a *really* good pie, it is completely life-changing.

Luckily, through a tedious process of trial-and-error, and using lots of tips I learned as a trained pastry chef, I have developed an apple pie that no one can say no to. Let’s make it!

This apple pie is ridiculously good

I never even knew Dutch apple pie existed until I learned about it in pastry school and made approximately 6,000 mini versions of them. But, it wasn’t until recently that I made another 6,000 to perfect my recipe. And here it is, folks! Let’s talk about it.

• The caramel apple pie filling is the perfect mix of juicy and jammy.
• We’re making brown butter streusel (which basically tastes like unsweetened caramel) to boost the caramel flavor in this pie.
• The pie is tart, buttery, caramelized, decadent, and flaky.
• It’s a lovely dessert for holidays, dinner parties, or cozy autumn nights.

Ingredient notes

For the pie

• Pie Dough – a good pie crust makes a huge difference here. This is my best pie dough recipe – it’s absolutely amazing! But you can also use store-bought if you like.
• Apples – I use a mix of Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, and/or Granny Smith.
• Lemon juice – to help prevent the apples from browning too much and to add a little brightness.
• Brown sugar – this will add to the caramel flavor in the filling!
• Flour – a bit of all-purpose flour will thicken the pie filling while keeping it nice and juicy.
• Cornstarch – this will also thicken the filling, giving it a jammy texture.
• Spices – a mix of cinnamon, apple pie spice, and cardamom will give the pie those cozy autumn flavors.
• Kosher salt – just a pinch to offset the sweetness of the filling.
• Egg – the egg wash will make the crust nice and golden-brown!
• Caramel sauce – you can go with salted or unsalted depending on your tastes. I use salted! Also, feel free to go either store-bought or homemade. I usually just stop by my local candy shop to get a jar of caramel or opt for a higher quality variety at the grocery store.

For the streusel

• Butter – we will brown unsalted butter to add to the caramelized flavor in the pie.
• Flour – all-purpose flour will work as the base for this streusel.
• Brown sugar – to add sweetness and complement the brown butter.
• Cinnamon – just a dash of cinnamon to give the streusel extra flavor.
• Kosher salt – a bit of Kosher salt keeps the topping from being too sweet.

Best apples for pie

Because we’re using both brown sugar and caramel in the filling, you’ll want to go with apples that are a bit tart. But a touch of sweetness is still important! These are some of my favorites.

• Honeycrisp – super crisp, excellent flavor, and they hold up well in the oven. This is my desert island apple and my go-to when it comes to baking.
• Pink Lady – these apples are both sweet and tart. Plus, they retain some good texture even when they’re baked.
• Braeburn – crispy, yet juicy, and they have a flavor that goes along perfectly with apple pie spice.
• Granny Smith – the classic “apple pie apple”. They are crisp, firm, and great for baking.
• Gala – when firm, these make good baking apples! They’re easy-to-find, sweet, and won’t get mealy in the oven.

Let’s make this recipe

Prep the pie dough

1. On a floured surface, roll the chilled pie dough until it’s about 1/8” thick.
2. Then, roll the dough over a rolling pin and unroll it into a deep 9” pie dish.
3. Crimp the edges of the dough. Refrigerate while you prepare the streusel and filling.

For the crispiest crust, use a metal pie dish! It’ll transfer heat better than ceramic which makes for a nice brown crust. But don’t worry, ceramic will also work! The bottom may not be as crisp but it’ll still get browned. Also, go for a deep dish, because there’s lots of apples in this filling!

Brown the butter

1. Next, brown the butter. Melt the butter over medium low heat.
2. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the butter has brown bits on the bottom and smells nutty.
3. Immediately pour the butter into a bowl and let it cool slightly.

Mix up the streusel

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Use a fork to stir the mixture until there are no clumps.
2. Add the brown butter to the flour mixture.
3. Then, use a fork to stir the streusel until it’s crumbly and there are no dry streaks. Set aside for later.

Slice the apples

1. First, use a vegetable peeler to peel the apples. (This step is totally optional!)
2. Next, cut the apples into 1/4ths around the core. Discard the cores.
3. Lastly, thinly slice each chunk of apple into 1/8” slices.

First, let me say that this pie is a bit juicy. I like it that way! But, if you want a jammy pie, replace the flour in the filling with cornstarch. You also need to make sure the pie cools for at least 4 hours so the filling has time to set completely. Otherwise, the juices will seep out.

Make the filling & bake

1. In a large bowl, toss the apple slices and lemon juice to keep them from browning.
2. Then, add the brown sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, apple pie spice, cardamom, and salt. Toss to combine.
3. Brush the bottom of the pie crust with two layers of egg wash.
4. Then, spoon the pie filling into the crust. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the apples and top the pie with the streusel.
5. Bake the pie at 400°F (204°C) for 45-50 minutes until the crust is a deep golden brown and your kitchen smells like heaven.
6. Lastly, let the pie cool completely, slice, and serve with ice cream and more caramel sauce.

Topping ideas

You can serve this pie on its own, or you can add some toppings to make it extra special! Here are some of my favorites ways to serve this pie.

• Add a scoop of vanilla or butter pecan ice cream.
• Drizzle the pie with extra caramel sauce.
• For crunch, add toasted pecans on top.

Make-ahead & storage tips

Pie is the ultimate make-ahead dessert. To make this pie ahead of time, just bake it 1 day in advance. I actually prefer to make pie the night before because the longer the pie sits, the more flavorful it’ll taste!

If you have leftovers, cover the pie plate with a cake dome or cover it loosely with tin foil. Let it sit at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or, you can store the pie in the fridge for up to 5 days. Make sure to let it come to room temperature for about an hour before serving.

Tips from a pastry chef

• Cut the apples uniformly to ensure that they all bake evenly. I like to slice apples about 1/8-1/4” thick but you can go thicker if you want more of a bite.
• If the pie warms up, pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes or so before baking. This will just help really firm up any butter chunks in the pie dough so it’s nice and flaky.
• Make sure you bake the pie long enough! The filling should be bubbling (so it gets jammy) and the crust should be a deep golden brown. Even if it looks done, let it have another 5-8 minutes to really crisp up that crust!
• Let the pie cool completely before serving, at least 4 hours. I know it’s torture but it really helps firm up the filling so it cuts nicely!

If you make this recipe, I would love if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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Recipe originally posted on November 22, 2021.