Author Notes
Dutch apple pie on its own is glorious, but when you combine it with a pecan praline and a hand-twirled top crust, you're sure to be the talk of the table when you bring this pie out. If the hand-twirled crust isn't your style, then roll out a plain-top crust, or skip it and instead use your favorite streusel crumble topping recipe to finish this pie. —melomel
Test Kitchen Notes
I'm a total fan of this one. It is a pie for those that love apple pie, and praline, and can't decide between which to have. I am not a big fan of too many nuts in my desserts, but this one I can totally dig. I ended up needing an extra tablespoon of whiskey to bring the crust together, on top of the 1/3 cup that the recipe suggests. But be careful if baking with kids that like to eat batter -- this raw dough is an alcoholic’s dream. Wowzers. Also, the crust is tough to twist & turn into that special decorative crust -- it is UBER flaky. It was a bit tough to roll out, but it came out beautifully when baked. I only needed to cook my apples for 3 minutes before they softened. All in all, a buttery-sugary-flaky crust, paired with a layer of praline, and then a healthy dose of apple pie. Winner, winner -- skip the turkey dinner, I wanted more pie! —DeannaMarie
Ingredients
- Pie Crust
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2 1/2 cups
all-purpose flour
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2 teaspoons
sugar
-
3/4 teaspoon
salt
-
1 cup
cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (keep in the freezer until ready to use)
-
1/3 cup
whiskey (or use equal amount of ice water), plus an additional 1 to 4 tablespoons as needed
- Filling (the first 4 ingredients listed below) and Praline (the rest)
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2 pounds
Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
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1 1/2 pounds
Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
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1/4 cup
sugar
-
1/2 teaspoon
cinnamon
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1/8 teaspoon
salt
-
2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
-
1/4 cup
heavy cream
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2/3 cup
hazelnuts, chopped medium-fine
-
6 tablespoons
brown sugar
-
6 tablespoons
unsalted butter, at room temperature
-
1/2 teaspoon
salt
-
2 teaspoons
vanilla
-
1/2 teaspoon
cinnamon
Directions
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For the pie dough, pulse together flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.
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Blend in butter by dropping a cube at a time into the food processer, just until most of the mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps.
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Drizzle 1/3 cup whiskey over the mixture and pulse a few times until incorporated.
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Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more whiskey 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until just incorporated, then test again. Do not overwork the dough, or the pastry will be tough.
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Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. With the heel of your hand, smear the dough once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat.
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Gather dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one, and press into a ball. Divide in half and form into 2 disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
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For the pecan praline, place all praline ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
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Once the pie dough has chilled, grease a pie plate and roll out the bottom crust. Fit it into the plate, trimming the edge, folding it under, and then pinching it into a fluted design. Place the bottom crust into the fridge to chill for 40 minutes.
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For the filling, combine the peeled, cored and sliced apples in a large mixing bowl with the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Toss to combine.
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Heat the butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat until the foaming subsides. Add the apple mixture and cook with the lid on for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Remove the lid and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until the apples have softened. Place a colander over a large bowl and drain the apples, shaking a bit to get as much juice drained as possible. Set the apples aside.
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Return the juices to the dutch oven and add the heavy cream. Heat the mixture over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring. Continue cooking and stirring the juice/cream mixture until it's thick enough that a wooden spoon leaves a trail in the mixture. This should be about 5 minutes.
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Heat the oven to 375° F. Prep a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (this will help catch any drips).
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To assemble the pie, first press the hazelnut praline into the bottom crust. Spoon in the filling, then spoon the cream mixture over top. You may have extra.
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For the top crust, roll out the second disk of dough into an oblong shape and cut long pieces approximately 1/4-inch wide to form ribbons.
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Twirl the pieces into designs of your choice. When you need to add on to a strip, moisten both its end and the end of the new strip.
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Optional: Sprinkle the finished top crust with cinnamon sugar.
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Place the pie on the parchment-paper lined pan, then into the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Check the pie, then bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the top crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
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