Apple Butter Pie is a rich and spiced dessert featuring a flaky spelt pie crust filled with a creamy mixture of apple butter, heavy cream, and warming spices. This pie is perfect for fall and holiday gatherings, combining smooth apple butter flavor with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a custardy filling that firms up after chilling.
Total Time:7 hours 25 minutes
Yield:8 servings
Ingredients
Pie Crust
1 (9-inch) spelt pie crust
Filling
1¾ cups (470 grams/17 ounces) prepared apple butter
1 cup (226 grams) heavy cream
3 large eggs
½ cup packed (110 grams) brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Pinch ground cloves
Instructions
Prepare Pie Crust: Roll out the spelt pie dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit the dough carefully into a 9-inch pie plate, pressing it into the sides and bottom to form an even layer. Crimp the edges as desired. Prick the bottom all over with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking. Place the pie in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill the dough.
Preheat Oven and Blind Bake Shell: Preheat the oven to 375ºF and arrange oven racks in the middle and lower positions. Take the pie shell from the freezer, line it with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights such as dry rice, beans, or lentils, making sure to push weights to the edges to keep the crust flat. Bake on the lower rack for 20 minutes.
Remove Weights and Finish Blind Baking: Remove the pie from the oven and carefully take out the parchment paper and weights. Return the pie shell to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes to set and dry the crust. Remove from oven and let cool while lowering the oven temperature to 325ºF.
Mix Filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the apple butter, heavy cream, eggs, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and ground cloves until fully combined and smooth.
Fill and Bake Pie: Pour the filling evenly into the cooled blind-baked pie shell, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake the pie on the middle oven rack for 55 minutes, or until the outer edges puff up and the center is still slightly wobbly but the internal temperature reaches above 180ºF.
Cool and Chill: Transfer the baked pie to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Then place the pie in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to allow the filling to firm up completely before serving.
Notes
Use a spelt pie crust for a nutty flavor and a slightly denser texture than traditional pie crusts.
Blind baking the crust prevents it from becoming soggy when filled with the custard filling.
Pie weights can be dry rice, beans, or lentils to keep the crust from puffing up during blind baking.
Make sure to chill the pie thoroughly after baking to achieve a firm, sliceable filling.
If you prefer, substitute regular pie crust for spelt crust if spelt flour is unavailable.
