Rustic Apple Pie Recipe with a Brown Sugar Crumble

This Rustic Apple Pie Recipe is an easy apple tart with a pie crust made from scratch. The homemade pie crust is buttery and flaky, and it’s sturdy enough to hold up to the Dutch apple pie filling. This pretty rustic apple tart is such a simple dessert for the fall season. 

Recipe For Rustic Apple Pie

While I adore a classic apple dutch pie, I happen to love this rustic tart version. It’s the simpler, unpretentious version of an apple pie. The slightly less sophisticated version, but still just as inviting and delicious. 

Traditional apple pie is the recipe I save for holiday parties and other special occasions, as it can be a little bit time consuming. But an apple rustic pie is one of those recipes I keep in my back pocket for those moments when I need a last minute dessert that is no-fuss and no-frills, but will still wow a crowd.

Plus, there’s truly nothing like the aroma of cinnamon spiced apples and buttery, flaky pie crust baking in the oven. It’s heavenly and perfectly comforting, and when the craving for an apple dessert strikes, this rustic apple galette is the dessert hero we all need. 

Why You’ll Love This Rustic Apple Pie Tart As Much As I Do: 

• Easy: A pie tart, fruit galette, or rustic pie is relatively all the same thing: a flaky pie crust filled with sugared and spiced fruit, and baked in the oven in a free-form fashion. No pie dish. No double pastry crust. Just simple ingredients baked to perfection. 
• Dutch Apple Pie Topping: There’s nothing like apples and brown sugar, so I opted to turn this apple pie tart into a dutch apple tart. The apple pie has a brown sugar crumble baked on top, which adds extra texture and sweetness to the overall apple dessert. 
• Apples: First things first, you do not need to peel the apples for an apple galette. You simply take the sliced apples, mix in the sugar and spices, and place them in the center of the pie dough. Of course, if you prefer, feel free to peel your apples for apple pie.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

You need just a few ingredients to make this easy dutch apple pie. Let’s get down to it.

Apple Tart Crust:

• All Purpose Flour
• Salt
• Unsalted Butter: I prefer unsalted butter because I prefer having control over the salt content in my baked desserts.
• Ice Water

Apple Filling:

• Large Apples: You can use many different types of apples for apple pie. I prefer to use honeycrisp apples, but you can use granny smith apples, fuji apples, pink lady apples, etc.
• Dark Brown Sugar: I prefer to use dark brown sugar for apple pie recipes, because it has a richer molasses flavor. Of course, you can substitute light brown sugar. 
• Granulated Sugar
• Ground Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Allspice 
• Lemon Juice: Lemon juice keeps the apples from turning brown, and adds a nice brightness to the overall flavor.
• All Purpose Flour: This is used as a thickening agent for the apple filling. This is an apple pie recipe without cornstarch, as there’s enough flour to keep the apple filling from being runny.

Dutch Apple Pie Crumble:

• Unsalted Butter
• All Purpose Flour
• Brown Sugar
• Ground Cinnamon

How To Make This Rustic Apple Pie Recipe From Scratch:

Pie Crust: Combine flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. With a pastry blender (pastry cutter), a fork, (or even a standing mixer or food processor), cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. Work the butter into the dough until the cold butter is the size of peas, resembling coarse crumbs. Mix ice cold water in with butter mixture until a dough begins to form. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and form the dough into a disc. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.

Apple Filling: Mix the apple slices, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, flour, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Allow the filling ingredients to sit for about 15 minutes. 

Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the mixture. Work the butter into the mixture until combined and crumbs form. 

Dough: Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out your dough into a large circle, about 1/8” – 1/4” thick. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Assembly: Spread the apple mixture in center of dough, leaving about a 1 1/2-inch – 2-inch border around the crust. Next, flip the edges of the dough over. Use a pastry brush to brush egg wash on the edges of the crust. If desired, use raw turbinado sugar to sprinkle sugar on the edges of your pie crust. Lastly, sprinkle dutch crumb topping all over the prepared apples.

Bake: Bake the apple tart until the brown sugar crumb is golden brown, the pie crust is golden brown, and the filling is bubbling. 

Storage Tips:

• Room Temperature: You can keep this baked apple tart at room temperature for a couple of days, as long as the pie is completely covered or in an air-tight container. 
• Fridge: Or, you can store it in the fridge, in an airtight container, or covered well with plastic wrap. 

Variations:

Let’s talk about what you can do to change this rustic apple tart recipe up if you want to. 

• Nuts: You could easily add chopped walnuts or chopped pecans to the brown sugar crumb topping. 
• Dried Fruit: Add in raisins, golden raisins, or currants. Apples and raisins pair very together, and raisins add an extra punch of sweetness to any apple recipe. 
• Crumb Topping: Additionally, you can leave the dutch crumb topping off this rustic apple pie and bake it with the apples exposed. 
• Pie Dough: Try this Cream Cheese Pie Dough too!

Can I Make This Apple Tart With Store Bought Crust?

Absolutely! I do prefer homemade apple pie with homemade pie crust, because homemade is just extra flaky and buttery. However, you can easily substitute with a pre-made pie crust (one that you roll out). 

Easy Apple Pie Recipe Toppings:

• Caramel Sauce: You can use jarred caramel sauce, or a homemade version to drizzle on the pie after it’s baked. Or, try this Pecan Praline Sauce on top. It’s rich and gooey and a nutty caramel sauce.
• Ice Cream: Is there anything better than apple pie a la mode? A scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is the perfect accompaniment. 
• Whipped Cream: Or, top with homemade whipped cream! If you’re feeling really extra, top with all three.

After Making This Rustic Pie, Make These Apple Recipes Next:

• Cinnamon Roll Dutch Apple Pie Recipe – This apple pie has a cinnamon roll crust and a brown sugar crumb topping. Decadence at its finest!
• Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie – Apple butter adds an extra richness to classic pumpkin pie!
• Apple Cheddar Pie – The salty cheese gives this apple pie recipe an added depth of flavor, pairing extremely well with the sweet apples.
• Apple Hand Pies – Mini apple pies with a cinnamon glaze! Flaky pie crust with apple filling that are portable!
• Apple Cobbler – If you can’t have apple pie, apple cobbler (with flaky biscuits!) is the next best thing.

Final Tips and Tricks:

• Cold Butter: Make sure that your butter is very cold when you make the pie dough and the crumb cake topping. Cold butter makes for a very flaky crust.
• Apples: You can peel the apples or leave the apple peels on. It’s up to you. For an apple galette, I prefer to keep the peels on because it’s easier. 
• Crust: You can use store-bought crust if you’re in a punch. 
• Apple Pie Spice: Lastly, you can use apple pie spice instead. I suggest using 1 tsp of apple pie spice + 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. You can use all apple pie spice, but I always like to add extra cinnamon. 

5 from 3 votes

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Rustic Apple Pie Recipe

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

1 hr 10 mins

 

This Rustic Apple Pie Recipe is an easy apple tart with a pie crust made from scratch.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: rustic apple pie

Servings: 8 Slices

Author: Michelle

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 4-5 Tbsp ice water

Filling:

• 3 large apples, thinly sliced (I used honeycrisp)*
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp all purpose flour

Crumb Topping:

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Extra:

• Egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tbsp water or milk)
• raw turbinado sugar

Instructions

Pie Crust:

1. Combine flour and salt together, in a large bowl. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. (Additionally, you can use a standing mixer or a food processor.)
2. Next, add in water, 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring after each addition. It’s ready when the dough begins to come together (you’re looking for dough that sticks together when touched, but isn’t wet).
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and form the dough into a ball or a disc, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Filling:

1. Combine apples, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, ground cloves, lemon juice, and flour together.
2. Let the apple mixture sit for about 15 minutes.

Crumb Topping:

1. In a small bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut the butter into the flour mixture until crumbs form.

Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
2. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large circle, about 1/8” or 1/4” thick. Transfer the pie dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Spread prepared apples over the pie crust, leaving a 1 1/2-inch - 2-inch border of pie crust. You can place all the apples in the center of the dough, spreading into an even layer, or you can be more precise and overlap the apples in a circular pattern (think concentric circles).
4. Flip the edges of the pie crust over on top of the pie filling.
5. Use a pastry brush to brush the edges of the crust with egg wash. If desired, sprinkle turbinado sugar on the edges of the crust.
6. Lastly, sprinkle the dutch crumb topping over the top of the apples.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the pie is golden brown and the apple filling is bubbling.
8. Allow to cool a bit before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Recipe Notes

*I used honeycrisp apples, but you can use any sturdy apple you like, such as granny smith apples, fuji apples, etc.
*Also, you can peel the apples or leave the peels on the apples.

Recipe first published 2015. Updated 2022.

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