Dutch Apple Pie (Appeltaart)

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Traditional Dutch apple pie (appeltaart) with a sky-high crumbly crust, spiced apple filling and topped with fresh whipped cream. 

What is Dutch Apple Pie?

Dutch apple pie (appeltaart) is widely popular in the Netherlands. Every bakery, restaurant or cafe serves Dutch apple pie with fresh whipped cream and a good cup of coffee. It is served for a mid-morning or afternoon treat and is great for any occasion or gathering. With its tall crumbly crust, thick apple filling and a large dollop of whipped cream, it’s no wonder it is the preferred dessert in the Netherlands. In fact, any time I offer to bake for my husband’s colleagues the request is always the same…apple pie. So if you happen to be in the Netherlands, be sure to order a slice of appeltaart. However, you don’t have to travel that far to get a taste of this wonderful Dutch apple pie.

A typical Dutch apple pie (appeltaart):

• has a tall, thick, sweet crumbly crust
• baked in a spring form pan
• filled high with loads of cinnamon apples
• has a lattice pie top

Dutch apple pie varies from American apple pie in a number of ways. It’s baked in a spring-form pan, has a thicker filling and the crust is not flaky but more of a crumbly (almost cookie like) crust. And the “Dutch apple pies” served in the United States, while I’m sure tasty are not very Dutch.

How to Make a Dutch Apple Pie

Every family has their own recipe for Dutch apple pie. My Dutch language teacher shared her tips and tricks to making the perfect appeltaart. To make the Dutch apple pie, you follow these steps:

• Make the dough
• Chill the dough
• Divide the dough into 3 parts
• Prepare the filling
• Cover the pan with the dough
• Sprinkle oats over the bottom of the pie dough
• Add the apple filling
• Add the lattice dough to the top of the filling
• Bake

Dough Tips

When working with the dough, make sure that it stays cold. After making the dough, chill it for at least 30 minutes in the fridge. As you work with it, the dough will become warmer. If for instance the dough gets too warm when you are trying to create the lattice top, pop it back into the fridge for a bit and start again once the dough is cooled.

There are two techniques I tried when filling the pie pan with the dough. Either one is fine but I preferred pressing it into the pan. Some days my kitchen is extremely hot and the rolling technique was challenge as the dough warmed up. If you notice that your dough is too sticky, you can always just add a sprinkle of flour (about a tablespoon at a time).

• Pressing into the pan: Divide the dough into three parts. Use one part of the dough to cover the bottom of the pan by pressing it into the pan with your hands. Use the second part to press it along the sides of the pan. Just keep working it into the pan until you get a consistent layer around the pan. Use the last part to roll out, cut strips and form the lattice top.
• Rolling the dough: Roll the dough out to about 11-12 inches diameter and about 1/4 inch thick. Then lay the dough into the springform pan and gently press it into the bottom and sides. Use a knife to cut off any excess dough. Re-roll the excess dough out to the same thickness, cut strips, and form the lattice top.

Lattice Pie Crust

To make the lattice pie crust, you roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick and cut long strips about 1.5 centimeters wide. Then place the strips crosswise over the cake in a grid shape. With the extra strips of dough, you can place a strip all along the edge of pie. Don’t worry about getting too fancy with the lattice. The lattice top is just leaving space so that air can get into the pie and thoroughly cook the apples.

If you want to get fancy with your basket weaving, Sally’s Baking Addiction has a great tutorial on making a lattice pie crust.

Tips and Troubleshooting

Runny apple pie. Under cooked apples. Soggy bottoms. I get it. Apple pies can be a pain. After many failed attempts and a lot of researching, let me spare you some agony.

• Pick the right apples – Choosing the right apples matters. Typically you want to use a sweet and sour apple. For this recipe, I used Jonagold apples. When I lived in the U.S., I used a mix of Honeycrisp apples and one Granny Smith apple. You want an apple that can stand the heat of baking without turning into mush, but also ones that soften while cooking. I’ve used certain varieties that no matter how long I baked them, the apples remained firm. You may have to play around with the variety of apples but these are the ones that have worked for me.
• Let the filling sit for a bit – The whole point of this is to reduce the juice that is going into the pie. If you just throw all the filling in the pie and bake it right away, there will be too much moisture coming off the apples. The easiest way I have found is to simply let the filling sit for a bit. Cut your apples, add the spices and sugars and set it aside for at least 30 minutes. You’ll see the juice at the bottom of the bowl. I add the apple filling to the pie and discard the juice.
• Cover the bottom with quick oats – To help prevent a soggy bottom, you sprinkle a bit of quick oats before adding the filling. They help soak up the moisture from the apples.
• Check the apples for doneness – While it’s baking, you’ll want to check the apples to see if they are done. You can use a toothpick to prick the apples. If it goes through the apples fairly easy, you know it’s done. If they are hard as a rock, simply bake it for another 15 minutes and check it again.

For more apple pie tips, check out King Arthur’s article on how to prevent runny apple pie.

My oldest son picking Jonagold apples at a Dutch apple farm in Zeeland.