Such a simple recipe – such a beautiful flavor. Apples and cinnamon and a bit of sugar and a crust that you literally pour over the top of the apple glory and you are in heaven. Did you know that heaven was so easily accessible?
When we were in Sweden last summer, they had the most beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables. I went nuts over what was available at the street markets and roadside stands. See these strawberries? There was a farmer selling these berries along the roadside by his farm. They were the most amazing strawberries I have ever eaten. I can only imagine what the fresh apples would have tasted like if we had been there in the Fall. Sweet and juicy and perfect for Swedish apple pie, I am certain.
It is definitely NOT strawberry season in the U.S. right now, nor in Sweden. Apple pie season, though, is right now. Along with pumpkin pie. And pecan pie.
You know, I was just thinking – is it ever not apple pie season in America? We have that saying, “As American as apple pie”. Often, apple pie is featured in photos of The Fourth of July. I think that the only month that might be questionable for apple pie is August because we tend to focus on peaches (at least in my part of the country).
Although we try to claim apple pie as our own and tell tales of Johnny Appleseed, America isn’t the originator of apple pie or apples. But we love them, yes we do. We just love them.
Swedish apple pie is another way to love them. This pie is so easy to make, especially since it makes its own crust. Simply peel and slice the apples, sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar, pour the “crust” mixture over the top and bake for an hour. Ta-da! Swedish apple pie.
If you are pie-making challenged, this is the pie for you. Honestly, it could not be any more simple. A reader gave me the heads up about Swedish Apple Pie on my post about Swedish Almond Cake, another seriously easy dessert to make. I sort of had my doubts about how the pie would turn out and I couldn’t believe that it could possibly be so easy.
My reader was absolutely right. This pie comes together super fast. The longest part is the baking for an hour. You will be both rewarded and tormented for that hour, however, because of the incredible smell that will permeate your house.
Tips and Tricks
The Apples. Using a variety of baking apples is a big flavor plus for this pie. Each type of apple brings something to the party. I used one each of four different varieties: Jonagold, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Gala. Each apple tastes and behaves a little differently. Together, they provide a rich, full, appley flavor.
The level of the apple slices in the pie dish should be a little below the rim of the dish. Definitely do NOT mound them above the rim. As a matter of fact, don’t mound them at all. The pie works best when the apples are relatively level, without apple ends poking up through the crust.
Sugar. I experimented with the amount of sugar added to the apples, 2-5 tablespoons with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Two tablespoons provided light sweetness which allowed the crust to be the star of the show. Five tablespoons was enough to provide a definite flavor contrast between the tart apples and the sweeter surrounding juices. There was an initial burst of sweetness followed by a heightened apple flavor. The apples maintained their tartness, but it was not overpowering.
The perfect amount of sugar is probably between 3 and 4 tablespoons, depending on how much sweetness you like. For me, 2 tablespoons of sugar was not quite enough. There was not enough sugar present to bring out the intensity of the apples themselves. Five tablespoons of sugar, while initially giving a great contrast between sweetness and apple tartness, became tiresome. There was too much sweet.
The Crust. I can’t get over the crust for this pie. It bakes nice and crispy-crunchy on top while the rest of it seeps down between the apple slices, where it bakes nice and soft like a bread pudding. So much yum!
The crust is made from a batter rather than a dough. It is viscous, loose enough to pour out of the bowl. Spread it evenly over the apples, leaving a small space between the edge of the crust and the edge of the pie dish. The crust will spread as it bakes and may run over the edge of the pie dish. Be sure to put the pie dish on a lined baking sheet to catch the possible drips.
Butter. Please use real butter in this recipe. It is the perfect compliment to the overall simple flavors. To be honest, I am not a fan of margarine. I haven’t used margarine for literally decades. That stuff scares the life out of me, especially since I learned about its structure in chemistry class. Why we still allow it on the market as a “food” product, I will never know.
The recipe calls for melted butter in the crust and I feel that is the best option for this style of pie. I experimented with using softened butter, but it was a bit more difficult to work with and did not make any difference in the outcome.
The Pie Plate. The recipe was tested in a 9-inch dish and it is the size I recommend for best results. The pie bakes up equally well in a deep pie dish or a standard pie dish. I used both glass and ceramic pie dishes (buttered) and the recipe turned out well in all of them. The amount of apples may need to be adjusted, a little more or a little less, depending on the depth of the pie plate.
How to serve Swedish Apple Pie
Vanilla Sauce (Vaniljsås)
Swedes often use a simple vanilla sauce to top everything from muesli to fruit to pies. It is referred to as “Vaniljsås” in Swedish.
For a beautifully decadent sauce, use a split vanilla bean. If a vanilla bean is not available, use a teaspoon of your best vanilla extract. Don’t scrimp on the quality of the ingredients for this sauce. Because of its simplicity, each ingredient is important.
Vaniljsås is essentially a custard (yes!), but I thinned it out a bit with a little extra milk. It was still thicker than a syrup or a glaze, but thinner than a custard. The apple pie is excellent on its own, but drizzle ribbons of Vaniljsås over it and it becomes something extraordinary.
How to Make Swedish Apple Pie
Peel the apples. I am not a fan of apple peels in my apple confections, but if you are cool with it, then by all means don’t peel the apples. 🙂 I used four different types of apples, which gave the most wonderful blend of apple flavors. See my choices in the “Apple” section above.
Core and then cut the apples in 1/4-inch slices. It doesn’t have to be exact, but it is best to keep them as uniform as possible.
Mix up the cinnamon and sugar and then pour it over the apples. Resist the temptation to sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over the apples without first mixing them together. I find it more difficult to get them to evenly cover the apples if added individually without first mixing them together. Stir the apples until well coated.
Choose a 9-inch pie dish to make this pie. It doesn’t really matter if it is a standard depth or deep dish; both will work just fine. I do, however, highly recommend that you do not go any wider than a 9-inch dish. You will end up not having enough crust to cover the apples adequately. Of course you can increase the size of the recipe to accommodate a bigger dish. Whatever dish you choose, be sure to butter it well. Include the inside edges, too.
Put the apples into the prepared pie dish. I chose this fancy one from Emile Henry. I haven’t given it much love over the years, but all of that changed during recipe development for Swedish apple pie. Spread the apples out as evenly as possible in the dish. Mounding the apples doesn’t work well because it causes the batter for the crust to slide off towards the edges of the pie.
For the crust, put the flour, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk them together well.
Hmm…it looks as if I didn’t mix together my flour, sugar, and salt. Lol. Either way, add the melted butter. Be sure to melt the butter. It really is the easiest way to make this crust and it works out great for the end product.
Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and melted butter together. It is going to look suspect, but just trust me.
Next stir in the lightly beaten egg. And of course, give it all a good stir to blend everything together. The batter will be loose. Perfect.
Pour the crust batter over the apples. It’s super easy – it just slides right out of the bowl.
Spread the batter as evenly as possible over the apples. Try to keep it a little away from the edges of the dish. The crust spreads a little as it bakes and will drip over the edges if you take it too close the outside perimeter. Be sure to bake the pie on a lined baking sheet, just in case the pie gets a bit exuberant.
An hour later, there it is. The easiest apple pie you have ever made. It’s perfect in its simplicity and even more perfect in the smiles it will bring to those around you.
Here’s your piece. And maybe, for a few minutes, your peace as well.
Swedish Apple Pie
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 4 large baking apples, peeled (This will make approximately 4 cups of sliced apples.) see notes
- 3-4 tablespoons white granulated sugar (37.5 – 50 grams) per personal preference
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (2.64 grams)
For the Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125 grams)
- 1 cup white granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt (0.7 grams)
- 3/4 cup real butter, melted (170 grams)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten (57 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie dish; set aside. Note: The pie can be baked in either a standard pie dish or a deep pie dish. Place a piece of foil in the bottom of a half-sheet baking pan for catching pie drips.
For the Filling
- Core peeled apples and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place in large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon until well blended.
- Pour sugar/cinnamon mixture over the apples. Stir together until apples are well coated.
- Pour apples into prepared pie dish. The apples should be level, not mounded, and should be a little below the top of the pie dish.
For the Crust
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Stir in the melted butter well. Add the lightly beaten egg and stir until all ingredients are well blended. The crust mixture will be cohesive, but loose and pourable.
- Pour the crust mixture over the apples and spread evenly with the back of a spoon or a butter knife. Keep the crust mixture slightly away from the edges of the pie pan. The crust will spread as it cooks.
- Place the filled pie dish on the lined baking sheet. Bake pie for 1 hour or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. If using a thermometer for temping, the middle of the pie should be 200-degrees F.
- Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack to cool. The pie can be served warm or cool. Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- Optional: Serve, drizzled with Swedish Vanilla Sauce (vaniljsås).
Notes
- Apples. Use baking apples for the filling. Suggested varieties: Jonagold, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Braeburn, and Gala. I used a mixture of 4 different apples and the pie was exceptionally rich in apple flavor.
- Vanilla Sauce is a simple Swedish sauce used to drizzle over pies, bread pudding, cooked cereal, and other similar foods. Here’s how to make it:
- Ingredients
- 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, caviar scrapped from both sides
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- pinch of sea salt (scant 1/8th teaspoon)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons super fine sugar
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped until soft peaks form
- Instructions for Vanilla Sauce
- To a medium sauce pot, add the vanilla bean, vanilla bean caviar, heavy whipping cream, whole milk, and sea salt. Whisk to combine.
- Over medium-low heat, bring just to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow to rest for 15 minutes. This will give the vanilla time to infuse.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks lightly.Whisk in the sugar and corn starch.
- Take about 1 cup of the cream mixture and pour it slowly into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. This will temper the eggs. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the remaining cream mixture in the sauce pot.
- Over medium low heat, while stirring constantly, heat the sauce until it thickens. Don’t rush this part. Remove thickened sauce from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whip the remaining 3/4 cup whipping cream just until soft peaks form. Add the thickened sauce to the whipped cream and fold together. If desired, the sauce can be thinned with additional whole milk to preferred consistency. The vanilla sauce can be served warm or cold. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days.
- Recipe adapted from swedishfood.com.
- Please note: The included nutrition count does not include information for the vanilla sauce.
Tamara
Dear Terri, Tricia shares a recipe of yours with me now and then but this is the first time to visit your Blog. I love how you express yourself and love your recipes. I was touched while reading your Easter post of March 2016. Thank you for being the person you are and for being our grandchildren’s other grandmother.
Terri @ that's some good cookin'
Thank you, Tammy. For mme, it is an honor to be their grandmother. They amaze me more and more, everytime I see them. I love those boys with all of mmy heart. I am glad that they have you and Ron as grandparents, too. Lucky us!
Ashlee R
Would I be able to substitute Almond Flour for the all purpose and it still turn out ok?
Janis Albergo
I have made this Swedish Apple Pie for years and wouldn’t even bother to make any other! it’s absolutely delish and it makes it’s own crust. It’s the only apple pie that my husband will eat, as the apples never get mushy. I’ve never found anyone who doesn’t love this recipe!!!
Jennifer Talney-Needham
3/4 cup of butter weighs about 175 grams not 402 grams! Please change in recipe. I figured out which was accurate by checking other recipes for Swedish apple pie.
Terri @ that's some good cookin'
Wow! That was a giant error on my part. Thanks for letting me know. I have made the correction in the recipe.
Eliza
Hi Terri! Is the butter in this recipe salted or unsalted? Thank you!
Terri @ that's some good cookin'
I have used both and they both work equally well.