Dutch Apple Tart (Appeltaart)
Dutch Apple Tart (appeltaart) is made with a brown sugar cookie crust & a simple apple filling. This authentic recipe is from my Dutch mother-in-law.
My husband moved from The Netherlands to the US after college and every once in a while he craves a taste of home.
This recipe is based on one that my husband xeroxed from his mom’s old cookbook. To adapt it for the US kitchen I converted the metric measurements to cups and ounces and used ingredients available to American bakers.
Otherwise, the recipe is very similar to how my mother-in-law made it since, probably, the 1950s.
How Dutch Apple Tart is different than American Apple Pie:
A Dutch Apple Tart is different than an American Apple pie, and it’s definitely not what most Americans call a Dutch Apple Pie. What is known in America as Dutch Apple Pie is an apple pie with a crumb topping.
Dutch Apple Tart has a cookie-type crust and is baked in a spring form pan rather than a pie pan. The filling is simply apples with sugar and a little cinnamon. There’s no thickener in the filling so the juices are reabsorbed into the apples and the crust as it cools.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Apples – A firm apple that doesn’t fall apart when baked works best. Granny Smith is a good option that is widely available.
- Sugar – The Dutch recipe calls for a type of sugar that we don’t get here in the US, so this recipe uses a mixture of brown and granulated sugar to get a similar result.
- Bread Crumbs – The Dutch would use “beschuit”, which is a type of dry rusk toast to soak up the juice from the apples. This recipe employs dry bread crumbs for the same purpose.
How to make Dutch Apple Tart (appeltaart)
See the recipe card for detailed measurements and instructions.
- Combine the dry ingredients with lemon zest in a mixing bowl.
- With the mixer running, add the butter and mix until it looks like crumbs.
- Add the egg.
- Mix until the dough comes together.
- Divide the dough into 2/3 and 1/3 pieces and refrigerate until firm.
- Toss the sliced apples with sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll the larger portion of dough to fit a 9″ springform pan.
- Fit the dough into the pan. If the soft dough breaks apart just piece it back together, ensuring there are no gaps in the dough.
- Sprinkle dry bread crumbs into the pan.
- Pour the apples into the pan.
- Roll the smaller portion of dough to a 10″ by 14″ rectangle. Cut the dough into 1″ strips.
- Lay the strips in a lattice pattern over the apples. You can weave the lattice or simply lay them in a criss-cross pattern. Either way it bakes up with a pretty top.
- Cut the dough from the sides to be level with the top.
- Brush the tart with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Bake until the apples in the center are tender.
Pastry Chef tips for making a great Dutch Apple Tart:
- You may want to adjust the amount of sugar in the filling based on your taste and the flavor of your apples.
- The crust comes together like a cookie dough. It may be quite soft right after mixing so it’s best to chill it before rolling. The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen for a month.
- There’s a good chance the dough will break apart as you transfer it to the pan. It’s fine to just smoosh it back together to fill the pan.
Storage
The tart is best the day it’s baked, but keeps well for 2-3 days at room temperature. Leftovers can be refrigerated for a week or frozen for up to a month. I like to microwave a slice for just 10-15 seconds to warm up the apples a little.
As they say in Holland, “eet smakelijk”!
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Dutch Apple Tart (Appeltaart)
Ingredients
Tart Dough
- 15 oz all purpose flour (3 cups, see note)
- 4 oz granulated sugar (½
cup) - 4 oz light brown sugar (½ cup)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 lemon (finely grated zest)
- 10 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 large egg (whisked)
Filling/Assembly
- 3 pounds tart apples (peeled and cored)
- 5 oz granulated sugar (½ cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 oz dry bread crumbs (¼ cup)
- 1 large egg (whisked for egg wash)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Liberally butter a 9" spring form pan.
Make the Dough
- Combine 15 oz all purpose flour, 4 oz granulated sugar, 4 oz light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon table salt and finely grated zest from 1 lemon in a mixing bowl. With the mixer running, toss in 10 oz unsalted butter and mix until thoroughly combined. With the mixer running, add 1 large egg and mix just until it forms a dough.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead together if there's any loose flour left. Split the dough into 2 uneven pieces, ⅔ and ⅓. Wrap the dough and chill it for at least a hour for it to firm up.
- Roll the ⅔ portion of the dough into a 16" round. Lift the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll over the pan. The dough may break apart but you can just piece it together to line the pan.
Assemble the Tart
- Cut 3 pounds tart apples into quarters and slice each quarter into ¼" thick slices. Toss the sliced apples with 5 oz granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Sprinkle 1 oz dry bread crumbs into the bottom of the tart shell and then pour the apples over the bread crumbs. The pan will be about ⅔ – ¾ full.
- Brush the inside of the tart shell from the apples up with egg wash. Roll the remaining ⅓ portion of the dough into a 10" x 14" rectangle. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into 1" wide strips. Arrange the strips in a lattice pattern over the apples. You don't need to actually weave the lattice, just lay the strips on top of each other. Trim the excess dough and brush the top of the crust with egg wash. Sprinkle the top of the tart with granulated sugar.
- Place the pan onto a baking sheet and bake for about 1 ¼ hours until the apples in the middle are tender and the juices are bubbling. Cool completely in the pan.
- To unmold the tart, run a knife around the edge to make sure the crust isn't sticking and then release the pan.
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8 Oct 2017:RE: DUTCH APPLE TART (APPELTAART
)
I just came across this recipe while searching the internet for an apple tart and this recipe sounds Wonderful:) I’m interested in knowing the purpose putting bread crumbs on the bottom crust before adding the filling.
Cheers, Mary Anne
Hi Mary Anne. The bread crumbs will absorb some of the juice released from the apples as they bake. It’s to keep the bottom crust from getting soggy. It’s a really good recipe. I hope you try it.
Hi all. I read the recipe and oma’s recipe called for BESCHUIT not bread crumbs. Perhaps you can’t get beschuit in the States either? It would serve the similar purpose though.This is a Dutch round rusk. Basterd suiker is soft brown sugar, not icing sugar. Tastes more like it has molasses in it. This is why it is called BASTERD because it has not been refined. Like the sense of humour?
I will certainly be trying it. Sounds great. My sister loved the apple turnovers in the Netherlands and made up her version which are extremely simple. Even I made them successfully.
Would you like the recipe?
No, we don’t get beschuit so that’s why I used breadcrumbs to absorb the juice.
Hi Eileen, wouldn’t the breadcrumbs be soggy instead? Thank you.
I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking. The breadcrumbs absorb some of the apple juice and kind of meld into the apples. Since there is no thickener in the filling (like flour or corn starch) this prevents the bottom crust from becoming soggy.
Greetings Eileen — I have made the apple taarts countless times and have frozen them after baking — they turn out beautifully —- I just thaw them at room temp . —- have a nice day —- Ann
That’s great to know, Ann. Thanks for taking the time to tell us that freezing works.
Net als aan de zuidkant van de grens kan je hier in Canada ook bastersuiker niet krijgen. Voor ALLES dat ik bak maak ik basterdsuiker
door kristalsuiker even door de oude elek. koffiemolen fijn te malen. Idee?
Hi Gerard, I’m answering in English because my Dutch is not that great (I had my husband make sure I was translating your comment correctly). Also, answering in English allows my American and British readers to benefit from your comment.
So, what you’re describing sounds like what we call “superfine” sugar here in the US. I think in Britain it’s called castor sugar. When I was doing this recipe I asked my husband what the equivalent was for basterdsuiker but he didn’t know. He’s not a baker and didn’t know about superfine sugar. Yes, using a coffee grinder or food processor to grind regular granulated sugar into superfine sugar is a great way to do it.
My husband also said that bastersuiker comes in both white and brown forms. That’s why I used a combination of white and brown sugar for this recipe.
Thanks for your input and “Daag”!!
I made this Apple tart and it was delishous and im sure i Will make this again
I originaly comes from Holland and love THE taste snd texture of this appel taart
Thanks fir sharing and hope you dont mind me to share it with others
Thanks, Theresia. I’d love you to share the recipe as long as you link back to my blog. Glad you liked the tart. It’s one of my favorites.
This looks delicious! Do you think I could make this now and freeze it for Christmas.?
Hey Kath, I’ve never frozen the tart after baking so I can’t say for sure, but my guess is that it would be a little worse for the wear after freezing. Probably a soggy crust and apples. If you want to work ahead it might work to freeze the unbaked, assembled tart. My way to work ahead would be to make the dough and freeze it and then put it together and bake the day before. Let me know how it works out if you try it.