Description

Apple Butter Pie is a rich and flavorful dessert featuring a buttery spelt crust filled with a creamy, spiced apple butter custard. Perfectly baked to a custardy texture with warm notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, this pie provides a luscious balance between sweet and spice, ideal for fall gatherings or any special occasion dessert.

Ingredients

Scale

Pie Crust

1 (9-inch) spelt pie crust (see notes below)

Filling

1–¾ 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 the Pie Dough: Roll out the spelt pie dough into an 11-inch circle and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate, pressing the dough firmly into the sides and bottom. Crimp the edges as desired and prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking. Chill the pie crust in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 375ºF and position the oven racks in the middle and lower sections to prepare for blind baking the crust.
Blind Bake the Crust: Remove the pie crust from the freezer, line it with a round piece of parchment paper, and fill with pie weights such as dry rice, beans, or lentils, pushing them to the edges. Bake on the lower rack for 20 minutes.
Finish Baking the Crust: Carefully remove the pie weights and parchment paper, then return the crust to the oven for an additional 5 minutes to bake without weights. Remove from oven and set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 325ºF.
Prepare the Filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the apple butter, heavy cream, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, kosher salt, and ground cloves until the mixture is smooth and fully combined.
Fill and Bake the Pie: Pour the filling into the blind-baked crust and smooth it evenly. Bake on the middle rack for 45-55 minutes, until the edges puff slightly and the center is just set but slightly wobbly, reaching an internal temperature above 180ºF.
Cool and Chill: Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours to firm the filling before serving.

Notes

Using a spelt pie crust adds a nutty flavor and a slightly different texture than traditional wheat flour crusts.
Blind baking ensures a crisp bottom crust that doesn’t get soggy once the wet filling is added.
Pie weights can be dry rice, beans, or lentils—anything that will help keep the crust from puffing up during blind baking.
Make sure not to overbake the filling; it should be slightly wobbly in the center when done and will set fully after chilling.
This pie is best served chilled and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: Apple Butter Pie, spelt crust, autumn dessert, custard pie, fall pie recipe, apple butter dessert, baked pie, cinnamon pie