Apple Streusel Pie
Apple pie is delicious, but this apple streusel pie is delicious and gorgeous. I mean, do you see that apple spiral?
She is a stunner. Also, this beauty comes together easily, with just a little time taken to lay out your apple slices into the perfect rose shape.
If you love a scoop of ice cream with your pie, might I recommend this simple rosemary froyo for the perfect flavor pairing?
Whether your Team Apple-Pie-Should-Be-Warm or *gasp* Team Apple-Pie-Should-Be-Cold, this pie is sure to impress any guest.
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APPLE STREUSEL PIE
You’ll make an easy butter pie crust and top it with a quick streusel made of flour, oats, brown sugar, and salted butter. Spiral thin slices of apples on top and dust with a little cinnamon before baking.
For that final gloss and a touch of sweetness, brush with a quick apricot glaze for a pie worthy of blue ribbons!
How to shape apple slices like a rose: Cut your slices thin, so they’re easier to bend and cook evenly. Then, working from the outside to the center, lay your dipped slices individually, one overlapping the next, working in a circle until your spiral is formed.
INGREDIENTS
- Flour: Forms the structure of both the flaky pie crust and buttery streusel layer.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor of the crust and balances the sweetness of the filling.
- Unsalted butter: Creates a tender, flaky pie crust.
- Cold water: Helps bring the pie dough together while keeping the crust flaky.
- Old-fashioned oats: Add texture to the streusel layer.
- Brown sugar: Sweetens the streusel and adds rich flavor.
- Salted butter: Binds the streusel together while adding flavor.
- Sugar: Sweetens the apple filling and helps draw out the apples’ juices.
- Lemon juice: Makes the apples pop and balances sweetness.
- Apples: Create the fruit-filled centerpiece of the pie.
- Cinnamon: Adds warm spice and classic apple pie flavor.
- Apricot jam: Gives the apples a glossy finish and subtle fruity shine.
Why do the bottoms of the apples need trimmed? You want to measure the height of your apples against the streusel filling so the tops of your slices don’t stick above the crust. If they do, they’ll dry out faster and are more likely to burn when baking.
HOW TO MAKE APPLE STREUSEL PIE
Start by making your homemade pie crust…
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut or rub the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand with small butter pieces remaining throughout.
Add the ice-cold water and stir just until the dough begins to come together, then gently press it into a ball. Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it to an even ⅛-inch thickness.
Carefully peel back the parchment paper from both sides to loosen the dough before transferring it to a 9-inch pie dish. Press the dough gently into the bottom and sides of the pan, trimming away any large excess pieces if needed.
Fold the remaining overhang underneath itself to create a thicker pie crust edge. Crimp the edges using your fingers to form a decorative border around the crust.
Place the prepared pie crust in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to prevent shrinking and keep the crust flaky during baking.
Blind bake your pie crust…
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Prick the bottom and sides of your chilled crust with a fork to prevent puffing.
Line the crust with crinkled parchment paper, fill with pie weights, and blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights, then return the crust to the oven for an additional 6 minutes until the bottom looks dry and lightly set.
Let the blind baked pie crust cool completely before adding the filling.
Prep your oat streusel and apples…
Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. To make the streusel layer, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, and a dash of cinnamon until the mixture forms small chunky crumbles.
In a small pot, combine the water, lemon juice, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until the sugar dissolves, then let the syrup cool slightly so it is warm but not hot.
Assemble your apple streusel pie…
Spread the streusel evenly into the cooled pie crust, creating a buttery base beneath the apples. This hidden streusel layer adds texture and rich caramel flavor to the pie.
Thinly slice the apples into half-moons, trimming the bottoms if needed so the slices sit below the crust line. Dip the apple slices into the lemon syrup and gently shake off any excess liquid before arranging them.
Starting from the outer edge of the pie, arrange the apples in overlapping circles to form a tight spiral pattern. Continue working inward until you create an apple rose in the center, filling any gaps with extra slices to keep the design compact as it bakes.
Bake your homemade apple pie…
Lightly dust the top of the apples with cinnamon for classic warm apple pie flavor. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the apples are slightly softened but still hold their shape.
Remove the apple streusel pie from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. Warm the apricot jam with a splash of water until smooth and brushable, then gently glaze the apples for a glossy finish.
Let the pie cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
3 reasons you’ll love this apple streusel pie
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- You will bake this crust twice, once to blind bake and set it in its form and again to bake the apples. For the first bake, you want it just baked so it’s no longer “wet” looking but not yet overly golden, since it will color more on the second bake.
- Make sure to slice your apples as even as you can and thin, to make forming your apple rose easier. Once you get to the center, slice even thinner so you can really pack in those apple slices!
- Don’t skip the apricot gloss! The apples will dry a little as they bake, so the apricot brushover on top gives the perfect finish before serving.
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
This apple streusel pie can be stored covered at room temperature for up to a day or in the fridge for up to four days. I prefer it served at room temperature, so I recommend taking it out 30-minutes to an hour before serving!
MORE APPLE RECIPES
- Easy Apple Butter
- Apple Cinnamon Scones
- Single Baked Apple with Cinnamon Oat Filling
- Pumpkin-Shaped Apple Puff Pastry
- Scrap Apple Pie
Equipment
- 9" Pie Dish
- Parchmen Paper
- Baking weights I use uncooked rice
- Rolling Pin
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Small pot
- Pastry Brush
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 4 tbsp cold water
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup old-fashioned oats
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 4 tbsp cold salted butter cubed
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 medium apples sliced into half-moons
- Cinnamon for dusting
- 1 tbsp apricot jam
Instructions
- In a bowl, stir together your flour and salt. Cut or rub your butter into your dough until you have a sand-like consistency.
- Add in your water (I like to put a few ice cubes in a glass before filling it with cold water to make sure it’s extra cold), stir together, and then compress the dough into a ball. See notes below if you have a food processor!
- Place your dough between two large pieces of parchment paper, and roll to ⅛” thickness – making sure your dough is an even thickness throughout.
- Gently peel the parchment back from the top layer, lay it back onto the dough, flip all of it over, and repeat with the bottom (now top) layer of parchment.
- Removing one side of the parchment, carefully lay that side face down into a 9-inch pie dish and remove the top layer of parchment
- Carefully shift the dough to ensure it is laying flat within the pan and along the sides. If you have more than an inch excess, use a butter knife to cut away an extra and save for later.
- Tuck under the remaining excess dough around the edges, to form your crust
- Make a peace sign with your pointer and middle fingers on one hand, place along the edge of your crust. With the pointer finger of your other hand, pointing toward the center of the peace sign, pull back the dough in the center of your fingers. This will form a crimp. Repeat along the edge of your crust until complete.
- Place your pie dish with the crimped crust in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F
- Once chilled, remove your pie dish from the fridge and prick the bottom and sides of your crust with a fork to prevent the crust from puffing when you bake. Crinkle a piece of parchment paper and lay it carefully in your dish before pouring in your baking weights.
- Blind bake your chilled crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the parchment paper and baking weights. Return to the oven to bake an additional 6 minutes, until the inside of your crust is no longer wet looking. Cool completely before adding your filling
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Make your streusel by combining the flour, oats, light brown sugar, cold butter, and a dash of cinnamon. Mix briefly with your hand and then rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a tiny boulder-like consistency (you want it a little chunky). Pour into your cooled crust and spread into an even layer
- In a small pot, add your water, lemon juice, and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool so it’s warm, not hot
- Thinly slice the apples – hold a slice up in the crust, on top of the streusel, to see if you need to trim off a little of the bottom (you don’t want them to stick out above the crust)
- Place slices into the lemon syrup and turn to coat evenly, shake off any excess liquid as you pull out each slice
- From the outside edge working towards the center, place slices in a circle, with a slight overlap from one to the next. You’ll end up with a large spiral once you’re done. Once you get to the center try to slice even thinner (in half) and curve/roll as can to form a tiny rose of sorts. After you’ve made your spiral, go back and fill in any gaps with extra apples – you want to pack them in so the spiral stays tight as it bakes!
- Dust the tops of the apples lightly with ground cinnamon – I sift the cinnamon over to make sure it’s very fine!
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. The apples should be lightly softened but still intact when you touch them (carefully!)
- Remove your pie and set aside to cool
- In a pot, heat your apricot jam with a splash of water on low until it loosens and forms a brushable gel/liquid, stirring as needed. Carefully brush the gel over the tops of your apples while warm
- Let your pie cool for at least 30 minutes before eating
- Enjoy!
