Homemade French Apple Pie with a cinnamon roll pie crust is the best recipe for beginner pie bakers!
You build the pie in layers, a bottom crust, the apple filling, and the top is really like the top of an Apple Crisp, sweet and crunchy full of brown sugar and butter. Yum! Yum!
French Apple Pie is also called Dutch or Apple Crumble Pie, but whatever you call it, you will never forget that sweet, crunchy buttery topping!
This post was originally published in September, 2016 and updated on February 8, 2018, and May 24, 2019.
When I bake apple desserts, I like to mix it up a bit, and will often use 2 or 3 different varieties of apples. I’ve included a really cool graphic here for you, that shows a sample of some of the wonderful varieties there are.
I went into the grocery store the other day to buy my apples, and I thought I was picking up a bag of McIntosh – but when I went to bake my pie, discovered they were Jersey Macs.
Bon Appetit says the three best apples to bake with are Honeycrisp, Pink Lady and Mutsu – but I think it’s all personal choice and besides its fun to experiment!
Now I like a tart taste to my apple pies, so I always include fresh lemon juice and a little lemon zest. I also put in about half of the sugar that other recipes ask for. The reason for this is that apples are very sweet on their own and you want that flavour to come through in your french apple pie.
When slicing up your apples, try to cut the slices fairly thin and pile them up! I use 4 cups of peeled and sliced apples for only a 9” pie plate. That’s because the apples will cook down and you will still end up with a glorious mile high apple pie!
My daughter made one the other day – I was so proud! A lot of the recipes call for using Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and that’s great because they are so easy to use.
However I had a batch of fresh buttery pastry made (just whipped it up in my little food processor) so I was all set. You can make some too, here is the recipe. I call it my Insanely Easy Pie Crust. Honestly it takes about 10 minutes. Promise!
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie from Scratch
This is the fun part! I’ve set out the process step by step and it really is very easy. I think it’s much like the rugelach cookies I make during the holidays!
You will need enough pie crust for a two crust pie. There will be a bit left over, but I usually just use it up in a separate cinnamon roll treat!
- Roll out the dough, and cut it into a rectangle.
- Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with a tablespoon of brown sugar and ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- Starting at the long edge, roll the pastry, keeping it fairly tight. I needed two long rolls to fill my deep dish pie plate – I love this pie plate! It’s from Good Cooks, (you can see it when you click the link!) and it can stand up to anything I throw at it! I have a lovely red one at the trailer, and this white one, here in our small space in the city.
- Using a pastry cutter, slice the rolls into small pieces as show here and place them on a sheet of parchment paper. I follow the guide on my pastry sheet. (another link)
- Then place a sheet of parchment paper on top and pressing your rolling pin down firmly, roll it out. The little pieces will stick together. Peel off the top layer and quickly flip the pie crust into your well greased pie plate.
- Don’t worry if a few pieces don’t stick. Just put them in the pie plate and use your fingers to press them into place.
- Flute the edges, and brush the cinnamon roll pie crust with melted butter.
- Wrap it up in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Note: you can see the the finished pie crust is darker than normal and that’s due to the cinnamon mixed throughout!
The whole cinnamon roll pie crust thing is very nostalgic for me too. When we were kids, my Mom would take the leftover pastry from her pie baking and make us a cinnamon pastry roll for us. And this pie crust tastes just as good!
This is THE most popular pie in our family now. I even make it as a gift for my brother and sister! Mark thinks adding raisins would make it a perfect pie. What do you think?
If you loved this French Apple Pie With Streusel Topping recipe, then check out my other recipes!
- Mom’s Apple Pie
- Mom’s Delicious Apple Crisp
- Easy apple tart recipe
- Easy Meat Pie recipe – {Instant Pot}
- Sweet Ricotta Pie
- Chocolate Pudding Pie
French Apple Pie Recipe | Dutch Apple Pie!
Start with a delicious buttery Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust and Build this scrumptious Dutch Apple Pie on top! A perfect recipe for Beginner Bakers. Make it a family time, with apple peelers, and pie crust rollers! 🙂
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust
- Pastry for a two-crust pie
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 9 " pie plate
Dutch Apple Pie
- 4 cups of peeled, cored & sliced apples
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 2 tbsp. corn starch
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
Instructions
Pie crust
Roll out the pastry in a rectangle
- spread one side with 1/4 c brown sugar
- spring 1 tsp of cinnamon on top of the brown sugar
- Carefully roll the pastry along the long side and quite tightly
- slice evenly - about 3/4" (don't measure!) and place each slice in the bottom of a 9" pie plate, pressing them in as you go to fill the sides and bottom.
- Repeat with the second pie crust - you may not need all of it.
Dutch Apple Pie
Toss the apples, white sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, corn start in a large bowl, making sure the apples are well covered, then set aside. This is your apple pie filling.
- In a separate bowl mix the brown sugar, flour, and butter - I use a pastry blender to evenly mix the butter.
- Build the pie by placing the apple mixture in the bottom of the pie crust, pile it high in the centre, leaving room around the edges.
- In a small bowl, mix up an egg wash and brush the edges of the cinnamon roll crust.
- Spoon the brown sugar mixture all over it, again piling it high. The apples will cook down, so don't worry if it looks like too much topping.
- Bake at 350F for 50 minutes or until golden and you can see the apples bubbling.
Notes
Let the pie cool, and serve with your favorite ice cream or freshly whipped cream. Enjoy! Note: prep time includes making pie crust and peeling apples.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 787Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 393mgCarbohydrates: 131gFiber: 5gSugar: 80gProtein: 6g
I hope you enjoy this Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie recipe as much as I did putting it together for you!
Have some more pie!
Easy Apple Pie Recipe
Mom's Apple Pie is just the best, right? So we put together this very easy apple pie recipe, that is perfect for beginner bakers. If you have every wondered "how do I make an apple pie?" then this is the recipe for you!
Sweet Italian Easter Pie
This easy ricotta pie recipe has delicious chocolate and orange flavours. Easy to make it's so elegant when baked as a tart! The recipe makes two pies to feed a crowd!
Strawberry Pie Recipe
Strawberry Pie is the perfect pie for Spring! An easy recipe, and look at those beautiful pie crust techniques. We add a special ingredient to our homemade strawberry pie. Delicious anytime at all.
Razzleberry Pie
This Razzleberry Pie will become your new favourite Holiday Dessert! Your family will love it, I promise! A delicious triple berry blend, that's not too sweet and is a real show stopper! Just look at that deep red & purple pie filling inside my flaky buttery pie crust! Enjoy...xo And please be sure to rate my recipe with a 5 star rating if you like it!
Easy Cherry Pie Recipe Is Grandma's Favorite!
Grandma's Cherry Pie is a simple, yet tried and true recipe that will turn a novice baker into a rockstar! Homemade Cherry Pie tops the list of favorite summer fruit pies.
Awesome Pecan Pie
Everyone loves Pecan Pie right? Kind of like a huge butter pecan tart IMHO. An easy filling to prepare that bakes perfectly in our flaky buttery pie crust. A Perfect Pie!
Easy Key Lime Pie Recipe
Our Key Lime Pie would make Aunt Sally proud! If you didn't know Aunt Sally was the inventor of the Key Lime Pie Recipe in Florida's Key West. I actually made this recipe for the first time while visiting Florida and have a hair raising tale to share!
Easy Chocolate Pie Recipe
This old fashioned homemade chocolate pie recipe is one of my Grandma's and it's a family favourite! A creamy pudding pie filling, topped with mile high whipped cream, it's sure to be a crowd pleaser!
Kahlua Pumpkin Pie Recipe | A Classic Goes Mayan!
Pumpkin Pie gets BIG flavor with a splash of Kahlua and just look at all that whipped cream! Prep time is easy with a gingerbread cookie pie crust
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Hands down the easiest and most delicious pumpkin pie recipe I have ever made. Lightly spiced, using milk and eggs, it is rich and creamy and you will be more than happy with the result!
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
The combination of rhubarb with either fresh or frozen strawberries results in an old fashioned fruit pie.
The flavour is a sweet and tangy ambrosia, with a strawberry rhubarb pie filling that tastes just like homemade strawberry rhubarb jam. Yum!
Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Recipe | Dutch Apple Pie!
Start with a delicious buttery Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust and Build this scrumptious Dutch Apple Pie on top! A perfect recipe for Beginner Bakers. Make it a family time, with apple peelers, and pie crust rollers! 🙂
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie
This amazing Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie recipe is creamy, flavorful and tastes pretty amazing! It's such an easy recipe and whips up in a food processor in minutes! DONE! Perfect for Thanksgiving
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Chocolate, Walnuts and Grand Marnier combine to make a decadent pie that tasted like a warm chocolate chip cookie!
The Best Pumpkin Slab Pie (Perfect for Family Feasts!)
We just had to include a recipe for Slab Pie. When you need to feed a crowd this is the way to go! And I needed to use my new pie crust cookie cutters!
Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie | Lemony Delicious!
Lemon Meringue Pie always signified a special dinner in our home. We take you through all the steps to cook a yummy from scratch lemon pie filling on the stove top and how to create mile high meringue!
This Is The Best Peach Mango Pie And So Easy To Make
A great way to get the fresh flavour of fruit pies in winter is to bake using frozen fruit mixes. We love this Peach Mango Pie and think it really tastes like a tall glass of sangria. xo
Join our community!
So happy you are here!
What's your biggest baking challenge?
Judy Kahansky
Judy Kahansky is an experienced baker and writer. She loves to take classic and vintage recipes and update them to fit the busy lives of her readers. When not baking, Judy and her husband Mark are passionate golfers, travelers and dog lovers, spending as much time as they can with their sweet pup Millie.
Debra kallen
Sunday 16th of February 2020
Thanks for sharing! Do you know where I can purchase the apple poster?
Judy Kahansky
Monday 17th of February 2020
thanks Debra! Sorry I don't, it was a graphic I found several years ago.