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This old fashioned apple custard pie is a creamy, silky egg custard poured over cinnamon sautéed apples in a buttery, par-baked crust. The Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples cook in a skillet first so they stay tender with a little bite, and a splash of apple brandy is optional. It’s made with pantry staples and can be made ahead, which makes it a good fit for Thanksgiving or any fall gathering.
No Soggy Crust, No Watery Custard
Most apple pies are a mound of sweet, spiced apples under a top crust. This one trades the top crust for an egg custard, so the filling sets up soft enough to slice without the thick, sugary gel you get in a lot of pies. If you love a caramel apple pie made with homemade caramel but want something a little less sweet, this is a good one to try.
The worry with any custard pie is a watery filling or a soggy bottom, and cooking the apples first (so their juice doesn’t soak into the crust) plus a par-baked crust takes care of both. Pull it from the oven when the center is just slightly jiggly, and it finishes setting as it cools.
Why I Cook the Apples First
I don’t like a soggy crust, and cooking the apples before they go in the pie is what keeps the bottom crust flaky. Raw apples give off a lot of liquid as they bake, and under a custard that liquid has nowhere to go but into the crust. A few minutes in a skillet with butter, sugar, and cinnamon cooks most of it off, so the apples go into the pie already tender. I do the same skillet step in caramelized apple bread pudding with raisins.
A Pie From the Old Church Cookbooks
I started making this pie because I wanted an apple pie that wasn’t so sweet. Pies like this turn up in old church cookbooks, made with what a cook already had on hand: eggs, cream, butter, sugar, and a few apples. That’s what I mean by old fashioned. It isn’t fussy, but it isn’t the same apple pie everyone else is serving, either. It’s the kind of pie you’d expect your grandmother to serve.
What I’d Tell You Before You Start
- Weigh the crust down. Line the crust with parchment and fill it with pie weights or dried beans when you par-bake it, so it doesn’t puff up.
- Shield the edges. If the crust edge is browning faster than the rest, cover it with a pie shield or a ring of foil about halfway through baking.
- Slice the apples evenly. They only get a short time in the skillet, so pieces of the same thickness cook at the same pace and none turn mushy while others stay hard.
What Goes Into the Apples and the Custard
The exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Apples: Granny Smith apples hold their shape in the skillet and keep the tartness that balances the custard. Honeycrisp works too, but it’s sweeter. Four to six apples gives you about 8 cups sliced.
- Pie crust: Use a homemade butter pie crust or a store-bought crust, whichever fits your day. Either one works as long as it’s partially baked before the filling goes in.
- Heavy cream: Use heavy cream, not milk or half-and-half. It’s what gives the custard its rich, silky set.
- Apple brandy: You only need a tablespoon, and you can leave it out without replacing it.
How to Make Old Fashioned Apple Custard Pie
Step One: Par-Bake the Crust
Place the crust into a 9-inch pie pan. Blind bake the pie crust until it’s a slightly golden. This will be the base for your apple custard filling.
Step Two: Slice & Cook the Apples
Step Three: Whisk the Custard
Step Four: Fill the Pie & Bake
This pie is just as good cold from the fridge as it is at room temp. It’s the kind of dessert you can make ahead and actually tastes better the next day. If you’re baking a pie lineup for the holidays, serve it alongside a pecan pie with chocolate for something completely different.
This old fashioned apple custard pie is one you can trust to turn out, and it earns a spot on the table whenever apples are in season.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust partially baked
Filling:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4-6 tart apples peeled, cored and sliced, about 8 cups, Granny Smith or HoneyCrisp
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple brandy optional
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Custard:
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425º.
- Place pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan, crimp the edges, place parchment paper over the crust and add pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are starting to turn light brown. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights and bake an additional 5 minutes. Let cool. Turn oven down to 400º.
Filling
- Add butter to a large skillet and melt over medium heat. Add sliced apples,½ cup sugar, brandy, cinnamon and salt and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally until the apples are soft but not mushy. Use a slotted spoon and place the cooked apples in the cooled pie crust.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Whisk in cream, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoon sugar, vanilla, salt and nutmeg. Pour over the apples, filling just to the top of the pie pan. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes until the center only jiggles a little bit. Check the pie at 15 minutes, and add a pie shield to the crust to keep it from turning too brown.
- Remove to a wire rack and let cool. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Notes
- Assemble the pie on a baking sheet so it’s easier to move in and out of the oven.
- The pie is done when the center only jiggles a little when you move the pan. It finishes setting as it cools.
- Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days, and serve the pie cold or at room temperature. Don’t freeze it, because the custard loses its silky texture once it thaws.
Looks similar to a pear tart recipe my brother stole from me, after bringing a pear custard tart over one Easter. Thank you for the free recipe!
I bet it would be great with pears.
Culd the apple custard pie be cooked in a 9/13 pan?
A 9/13 pan would be too big for it. I’ve never tried making it in anything but a pie pan with a crust, so I’m not sure how it would turn out.