A doctored apple pie mix is nestled inside an all butter pie crust and topped with a glorious browned butter crisp that is sure to satisfy all your apple browned butter desires.
It's July, which means apple desserts are in full swing! This perfect browned butter apple crisp pie starts with an all-butter pie crust and is filled with a doctored premade apple pie filling. It is topped with the most incredible golden browned butter crisp, and you are absolutely going to love this combination! Top it with my homemade vanilla bean ice cream, lightly sweetened whipped cream, or enjoy it as is. You can serve it straight from the fridge, though I prefer it slightly warm. Let's make it.
What you’ll need to make this browned butter apple crisp pie:
All purpose flour
Salt
Granulated sugar
Salted butter
Cold water
Dark brown sugar (light or golden would work too)
Old fashioned oats
Ground cinnamon
Ground nutmeg
Apple pie filling (I like lucky brand)
Pure vanilla extract
The crust
This perfect all-butter pie crust has been a staple in my repertoire for several years now. It is composed of five simple ingredients: all-purpose flour, salt, granulated sugar, cold salted butter, and cold water. I placed my crust in the fridge and didn't use it until the following day, and let it thaw for about 30 minutes before rolling it out. This crust is best slightly chilled so it doesn't become sticky when you work it into the pan or into different shapes for those adorable pie crust "cookie" toppers.
In a standing mixer or by hand, combine your flour, salt, and sugar. Work the chunks of butter into the mixture with the paddle attachment (or with a pastry cutter if working by hand) until it resembles wet sand. Add the cold water and mix until a nice dough forms. The dough should not be sticky whatsoever and should be solid to work with even before chilling. I want to stress that you do not need to chill the dough, but I find it easier to make pie crust the evening before or even a couple of days prior to making the pie. It is one less step in the baking process on the day of, and this pie crust will remain great in the fridge for at least a week.
To make the red and blue stars, like on the pie in the photo, simply remove two small balls of dough slightly larger than a golf ball each. Using whatever food coloring you prefer, color each dough ball until the depth of color that you desire is reached. I use two drops each of American colors, blue and red food coloring. Roll your dough out onto a floured surface and press your cookie cutters into the dough, creating the shapes you desire. For the rest of your dough, roll it out until it is about 12 inches in a rough circle. Press it into your pie pan, trimming the edges as desired, and set it aside when you make the filling.
The browned butter crisp topping
This crisp topping is unique in that it starts with a nice golden-brown butter. Browned butter has an aromatic and flavorful quality that only comes from browning it to a deep golden amber.
Begin by mixing all of your dry crisp ingredients together. Set this aside. Now it is time to brown the butter.
While the actual browning of the butter is fairly simple, you will want to keep a close eye on it and be cautious because it can get bubbly and very hot.
Place your butter in a saucepan on the stove over medium to high heat. Once it fully melts, stay close. Whisk the butter as it bubbles and browns, and watch to be sure that beneath the foamy butter that rises, your butter isn't starting to burn. This should take no more than one to three minutes, depending on your burner temperature. Remove the brown butter from the heat. Reserve one tablespoon for the filling. Immediately pour the rest of the butter it over your dry crisp ingredients. Mix well until a nice crisp topping forms, and no dry ingredients remain unmixed. Set this aside while you prepare your filling.
The filling
This incredible apple pie uses Lucky Leaf's premade apple pie filling, and I absolutely love their brand of fruit fillings. They are made with wholesome ingredients and cut the bake time of each pie down by quite a bit, with no one being the wiser that your pie is only "semi" homemade!
Place all of the pie filling ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix to combine. Put your apple pie filling into the prepared crust, spooning it around to ensure it is evenly distributed within the crust. Crumble your crisp topping all over the apple pie filling and top it with any pie crust cookies that you made.
Bake your pie at 350°F for 45 minutes, checking it at the 30-minute mark to ensure that the top isn't browning too quickly. I baked mine uncovered for 30 minutes and then covered it for the remaining 15. It turned out perfectly golden on top, and the pie was completely cooked all the way through, including that amazing buttery crust. Allow the pie to cool completely before cutting into it, as this is a bit more crumbly of a pie and needs time to firm up. (I cut mine a bit too soon, and it was absolutely delicious but fell apart a little bit. If you aren't worried about your pie falling apart, you can dig in after about an hour!)
Serve this straight from the refrigerator or warmed up slice by slice. Top it with homemade vanilla bean ice cream that can be found in this blog for Browned Butter Peach Crisp Cheesecake.
The dietary substitutions
I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either used and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.
As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of gluten or dairy. As this recipe contains no eggs, it is easily made vegan as well.
Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is a wonderful all-purpose sub, and it’s cup for cup, so use the same measurements as you would all-purpose flour.
If you want to ensure that your oats are gluten free, Bob’s Red Mill makes a certified gluten free old fashioned oat as well.
Miyokos butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change.
If you loved this browned butter apple crisp pie, I’d be so grateful for you to leave a 5 star rating + review.
Tag @heathershomebakery on Instagram if you upload a pic too, because I want to see your creations.
Lastly, post this recipe to any of your boards by tapping the Pinterest icon and clicking on your favorite photo. Save and enjoy!
XO,
Heather
PS- check out these other crisp-topped goodies:
Browned butter blueberry crisp
Browned Butter Apple Crisp Pie
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- ⅔ Cup Salted Butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 5-6 Tablespoons Cold Water
For the Browned Butter Crisp Topping:
- ¾ Cup Salted Butter, browned (reserve 1 Tablespoon for the filling)
- ¾ Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed (light or golden is fine too)
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ Cup All Purpose Flour
- ¾ Cup Old Fashioned Oats
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
For the Filling:
- 2 21-Ounce Cans of Apple Pie Filling (I used Lucky Brand)
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 1 Tablespoon Browned Butter (reserved from the crisp topping)
Instructions
- For the Crust: In a standing mixer or by hand, combine your flour, salt, and sugar. Work the chunks of butter into the mixture with the paddle attachment (or with a pastry cutter if working by hand) until it resembles wet sand. Add the cold water and mix until a nice dough forms. The dough should not be sticky whatsoever and should be solid to work with even before chilling. I want to stress that you do not need to chill the dough, but I find it easier to make pie crust the evening before or even a couple of days prior to making the pie. It is one less step in the baking process on the day of, and this pie crust will remain great in the fridge for at least a week.To make the red and blue stars, like on the pie in the photo, simply remove two small balls of dough slightly larger than a golf ball each. Using whatever food coloring you prefer, color each dough ball until the depth of color that you desire is reached. I use two drops each of American colors, blue and red food coloring. Roll your dough out onto a floured surface and press your cookie cutters into the dough, creating the shapes you desire. For the rest of your dough, roll it out until it is about 12 inches in a rough circle. Press it into your pie pan, trimming the edges as desired, and set it aside when you make the filling.
- For the Crisp Topping: Begin by mixing all of your dry crisp ingredients together. Set this aside. Now it is time to brown the butter.While the actual browning of the butter is fairly simple, you will want to keep a close eye on it and be cautious because it can get bubbly and very hot.Place your butter in a saucepan on the stove over medium to high heat. Once it fully melts, stay close. Whisk the butter as it bubbles and browns, and watch to be sure that beneath the foamy butter that rises, your butter isn't starting to burn. This should take no more than one to three minutes, depending on your burner temperature. Remove the brown butter from the heat.
- Reserve one tablespoon for the filling. Immediately pour the rest of the butter it over your dry crisp ingredients. Mix well until a nice crisp topping forms, and no dry ingredients remain unmixed. Set this aside while you prepare your filling.
- For the Filling: Place all of the pie filling ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix to combine. Put your apple pie filling into the prepared crust, spooning it around to ensure it is evenly distributed within the crust. Crumble your crisp topping all over the apple pie filling and top it with any pie crust cookies that you made.Bake your pie at 350°F for 45 minutes, checking it at the 30-minute mark to ensure that the top isn't browning too quickly. I baked mine uncovered for 30 minutes and then covered it for the remaining 15. It turned out perfectly golden on top, and the pie was completely cooked all the way through, including that amazing buttery crust.
- Allow the pie to cool completely before cutting into it, as this is a bit more crumbly of a pie and needs time to firm up. (I cut mine a bit too soon, and it was absolutely delicious but fell apart a little bit. If you aren't worried about your pie falling apart, you can dig in after about an hour!).
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