Name: Crispy Filo Apple Pie with Brown Butter
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 kg Apples, peeled, cored and sliced; 175 g Unsalted butter; 100 g Light brown sugar; 1 tsp Ground cinnamon; ½ tsp Mixed spice; 1 Lemon, zest and juice; 1 tsp Vanilla extract; Pinch of fine sea salt; 8 sheets Filo pastry; Icing sugar, to finish

Loads from YouTube only once you press play.

The recipe

Crispy Filo Apple Pie with Brown Butter

Crispy filo pastry, soft apples and rich brown butter come together in this simple take on apple pie.

Serves 8
25 min prep
45 min cooking
Takes a bit of care

Times and difficulty are our estimates from the method, not stopwatch figures.

Scale

8 servings

Measurements

Method

Step 1
Melt 75g of the butter (175 g) in a large frying pan over medium heat. Continue cooking until it foams and the milk solids turn golden brown (100 g) and smell nutty. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Step 2
Add the sliced apples (1 kg) to the same pan along with the brown (100 g) sugar, cinnamon (1 tsp), mixed spice (½ tsp), lemon (1 juice) zest and juice, vanilla (1 tsp) and a pinch of salt.
Step 3
Cook over medium heat for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples (1 kg) have softened slightly but still hold their shape.
Step 4
Remove from the heat and stir through the brown (100 g) butter (175 g). Leave the filling to cool completely.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional.
Step 6
Melt the remaining 100g butter (175 g).
Step 7
Lay a sheet of filo into a 22-24cm round cake tin or pie dish, allowing the edges to hang over the sides. Brush lightly with melted butter (175 g).
Step 8
Add another sheet at a slight angle and brush with butter (175 g). Continue layering the filo, rotating each sheet slightly, until you have 8-10 layers.
Step 9
Spoon the cooled apple filling into the centre of the pastry (8 sheets). Fold the overhanging filo loosely over the apples (1 kg), leaving some of the pastry ruffled and exposed.
Step 10
Brush the top with the remaining melted butter (175 g) and bake for 35-45 minutes, until the filo is deeply golden and crisp.
Step 11
Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes, then dust with icing sugar and serve warm with vanilla (1 tsp) ice cream.

Stay in the loop

Get new recipes in your inbox

Occasional emails with new recipes, cooking tips and what’s new at Pinch of Mint.

See our Privacy Policy for information about how your personal data is used.

Questions people ask

How long does crispy filo apple pie with brown butter take?

About 1 hour 10 min from start to finish, of which 25 min is prep and 45 min is cooking. That figure is worked out from the method rather than timed with a stopwatch, so give yourself a little more the first time.

How many does it serve, and can I change that?

As written it serves 8. Use the scale control on the recipe card to change it: every quantity in the ingredients and inside the method steps updates with it. Seasoning, and anything measured in pinches or splashes, is deliberately left alone.

Can I see the ingredients in ounces and pints?

Yes. The metric and imperial switch on the recipe card converts every quantity, rounded to amounts you can actually weigh or measure rather than to four decimal places. Your choice is remembered for every recipe on the site.

Can I cook it ahead?

This one sits in the batch cooking group, which means it was picked for cooking in quantity rather than eaten straight from the pan. Cool it quickly, and freeze it in the portion sizes you will actually want later.

Is it vegetarian?

Yes, as written. If you are cooking for a strict vegetarian, the one to check is the cheese: several hard cheeses are made with animal rennet.

Crispy Filo Apple Pie with Brown Butter

Crispy Filo Apple Pie with Brown Butter