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Apple Streusel Pie sliced with vanilla ice cream
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The Best Apple Streusel Pie & Bourbon Glaze

This Apple streusel pie is filled with a bourbon glaze and topped with an oat streusel crumble for added texture and sweetness. There are 20 step-by-step photos to ensure your baking success!
Course Baking
Cuisine Southern American
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

For the pie crust:

  • 2 cups All purpose flour 290 grams
  • 8 Tbsp Butter 1 stick or 113 grams
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar 15 grams
  • 3 Tbsp Cold Water 42 grams
  • 3 Tbsp Cold Vodka (optional) 30 grams, if not using replace with water
  • 3/4 tsp Salt 4 grams
  • 1 egg, whisked for egg washing the crust

For the Bourbon Glaze

  • ½ lemon juiced for sauce see additional lemon below for apples
  • 3/4 cup Brown sugar 114 grams
  • 3 Tbsp Butter 44 grams
  • 1/4 cup Bourbon 55 grams
  • 2 Tbsp Apple butter 40 grams
  • 1/4 tsp Baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla

For the crumble:

  • 6 Tbsp Melted butter about 82 grams
  • 6 Tbsp All purpose flour about 60 grams
  • 6 Tbsp Oats about 45 grams
  • 6 Tbsp Brown Sugar about 77 grams

For the Pie filling

  • 5 Green apples skinned, cored, and sliced
  • 1 lemon juiced (to keep apples from browning after slicing)

Instructions

For the Pie Crust

  • Cut cold butter into small chunks and place in the freezer for ten minutes. Mix the water, vodka, and some ice cubes together and place in the freezer too. If you can fit it, place your mixing bowl in the freezer too. If not, place the mixing bowl in the fridge to keep it cool.
  • Mix the 2 cups of flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, and 3/4 tsp salt until combined.
  • Add the cold butter with your fingers or a fork until they are broken into tiny chunks. Press the butter and dry ingredients together with your fingertips to create a sandy texture of the dough.
  • Add in most of the water and vodka mixture and mix your hands until the dough just starts to come together. Add in the rest of the water and mix. You should have a touch left over as your ice will have likely melted at this point.
    Dump the dough onto your counter and press together with your hands into a disk. You can wet your hands if the dough is crumbling and isn't coming together.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or in the fridge for one hour. The dough can be made up to one month in advance and frozen, or up to three days in advance when stored in the fridge.

For the Bourbon Glaze

  • Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add the 3 Tbsp butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, 2 Tbsp apple butter, ¼ cup bourbon, 1 tsp vanilla, and ¼ tsp baking powder. Whisk the ingredients together and allow to melt. Simmer until thickened slightly for about two minutes.
    Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Rolling out the pie crust

  • Butter the pie pan all the way around.
    Place a piece of wax paper or parchment paper on the counter. Take the pie dough out of the fridge or freezer and unwrap. Cover the top of the dough with the plastic wrap or use another sheet of wax paper or parchment paper.
    Roll out the dough in between these two sheets to help keep the dough intact. Gently remove the top layer of plastic wrap or parchment. Flip the dough over into the pie pan and gently put it into place, making sure to flatten any pockets of air under the dough.
    Gently remove the wax or parchment paper from the dough. You may need to trim the dough so that it's an even length all the way around. You want to keep some of the overhang. Tuck the edges of the dough under itself to secure it.
    Puncture holes on the bottom of the shell with a fork to allow steam to escape. I prefer using a glass pie pan so you can check the color of the bottom of the crust to ensure it's baked.
    Cover and place in the freezer while chopping the apples.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a sheet pan on the lower third rack to preheat.

For the Crumble

  • For the crumble, melt the remaining butter 6 Tbsp. butter. Combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, and oats together.

For the apple filling

  • Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl. While the dough is resting, peel, core, and slice the apples. Add the apples to the bowl and toss with the lemon juice as you go to prevent the apples from browning.
  • Whisk the egg for the egg wash in a small bowl. Brush the sides of the pie dough with the egg wash.
  • Add the apples in the inside of the pie shell.
  • Pour half of the glaze evenly over the apples and spread evenly with a pastry brush.
    Refrigerate the remaining glaze to firm it up and serve over slices of the pie.
  • Distribute the crumble over the apples. It will not cover it completely. That is ok, we want the steam to escape.
  • Place the pie on the preheated sheet pan to ensure the bottom of the crust bakes through.
    Cover the top of the pie loosely with aluminum foil to protect the crust and streusel from getting too dark. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes then remove the foil until the crust and crumble are golden brown, but not too dark, about 20 more minutes.
    If you are using a glass pie pan you can check the crust underneath to make sure it's baked through. If it needs more time, cover the loosely with foil again to ensure the crust and streusel don't burn.
  • Let cool at least 1 hour before serving to let the interior firm up.
  • Serve with unsweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of the remaining bourbon glaze.

Notes

Can I use a pre-made pie crust?
Absolutely!  I only recommend using a frozen unbaked pie crust though.