Apple Butter Pie

5 from 2 votes

Apple butter pie is a great pumpkin pie alternative for Thanksgiving dinner. It's made just like an easy pumpkin pie from scratch, with an all butter crust you make in a food processor.

Prep Time45

Cook Time1 20

Total Time2 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 456kcal

Author: Janice Lawandi

Equipment

Ingredients

Easy all butter pie dough

258 grams bleached all-purpose flour
1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
10 mL granulated sugar
173 grams unsalted butter cut into cubes, cold
83 mL cold water

Egg wash

1 large egg(s)
5 mL water
1 pinch Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

Apple butter pie filling

3 large egg(s)
100 grams light brown sugar
60 mL pure maple syrup
480 grams apple butter
5 mL ground cinnamon
2.5 mL ground ginger
1.25 mL ground nutmeg
0.625 mL ground cloves
1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
188 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)

Metric - US

Instructions

All-butter pie crust

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour with the salt and sugar. Add the butter and pulse to form a coarse crumble with butter lumps.
Add the water, and pulse to combine. You can continue to run the processor to form a ball of dough or do this on your work surface by hand.
Divide the dough into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour.
Roll out the first disk of dough to about a 12 inch diameter disk or so on a floured surface with a rolling pin. Transfer to a metal pie plate and make sure to work the dough into the corner edges of the pie plate. Trim the edges and place the pie shell in the fridge.
Roll out the second disk of dough to a very long rectangle that is about 15 inches long and ⅛ inch thin. Cut thin strips of dough, then braid the strips together, three at a time.
If you don't want a braided edge, you can cut out some leaf shapes (or apple shapes!) with the dough instead.

Egg wash

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with the water and salt.
Brush the edges of the chilled pie shell with the egg wash, then press the braids (or cutout shapes) to the brushed edges to stick them onto the edge. You can weave the ends of the braids together for a seamless look.
Place the pie shell in the fridge and chill for 20 minutes.
Make sure you have the bottom oven rack set at the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 425 ºF (220 °C).
Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
Bake the pie crust for 20 minutes until the edges are set.
Remove the pie shell from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Carefully lift off the parchment with the pie weights. Set aside. Put the pie shell back in the oven and continue to bake for another 3–5 minutes until the bottom looks dry and set. The edges will be a light golden brown.

Make the filling and bake the pie

Drop the oven temperature to 375 °F (190 °C).
In a large bowl, whisk together all the apple butter pie filling ingredients. When the pie shell has chilled, carefully pour the pie filling into the shell.
Place the pie in the oven and bake until the edges of the filling are set but the centre still jiggles a little (this takes 35 to 45 minutes). The crust will be deep golden brown and the pie filling will finish setting as it cools.
Place the baked pie on a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Optionally, you can stencil the top with a decorative pattern using a doily and a dusting of icing sugar

Notes

For the pie crust, I used a Cuisinart 11-cup food processor. I quite like it. You can find it on Amazon.
I like to bake my pies in a metal pie dish, like this dark metal pie plate available on Amazon or a USA pie pan (my new favourite pie pan!). The metal is a good heat conductor so the pie crust heats up fast and bakes to a lovely golden brown colour.
Par-baking the pie crust before filling with the apple butter pie filling ensures the crust is properly baked and golden brown on the bottom.
I used Eden organic apple butter for the filling, which you can find on Amazon or at organic food stores in Canada. If you are in the US, you might have an easier time finding Musselman's apple butter on Amazon, but note that Musselman's apple butter may be sweeter.
This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
To achieve the look you see in the photos, I stencilled a lace pattern onto the surface of the pie by gently placing a piece of lace on the surface of the pie and dusting it generously with powdered sugar.

Nutrition