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a close up photograph of a slice of rich, gooey, Amish apple Schnitz pie on an antique floral plate

Schnitz Pie (Snitz Pie)

A traditional Amish pie from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, made with stewed dried apples simmered in sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. The filling tastes like apple butter baked into a flaky double crust, giving this schnitz pie its rich, old-fashioned flavor. Simple, rustic, and deeply rooted in Pennsylvania Dutch tradition.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
2 hours 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 1 pie

Ingredients
  

  • 1 batch Flaky Pie Dough Or 2 frozen puff pastry sheets
  • 2 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream For brushing the crust
  • ¼ cup Demerara Sugar Or Turbinado or Sanding Sugar
  • 10 oz Dried Apples Unsweetened and Unspiced
  • 2¼ cups Warm Water (535mL)
  • ¾ cup Granulated Sugar (150g)
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp Ground Cloves
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • 2 tbsp Orange Juice (30mL)

Instructions
 

Making and Assembling the Schnitz Pie

  • Make 1 batch of flaky pie dough, form it into 2 discs, and chill until ready to use.
  • Soak the dried apples in 2¼c of warm water for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. (Optional, see recipe notes)
  • After soaking, transfer the apple slices and any remaining liquid to a pot over low heat. Cover and stew the apples for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
  • Move the stewed apples to a food processor and add the remaining ingredients (sugar, spices, and orange juice). Blend on high for several seconds until mostly smooth.
  • Allow the filling to cool to room temperature.
  • Roll out one disc of pie dough and fit it into your pie pan. (Instructions can be found here.)
  • Add the prepared filling.
  • Roll out the second disc of dough, place it over top, and seal the edges with your preferred method.
  • Brush the top crust with heavy whipping cream, and then sprinkle liberally with demerara sugar. Cut a few vents for steam to escape during baking.
    an overhead photo of a double crusted pie before it is baked. It is crimped with pointed flutes, has a star cutout in the center, and is brushed with cream and topped with demerara sugar
  • Freeze the pie before baking.

Baking the Schnitz Pie

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C).
  • Remove the pie from the freezer, place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for about 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
    an overhead photo of a baked schnitz pie: a double crusted pie with a star cutout in the center baked to a golden brown color
  • Remove from the oven and let the pie cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Notes

If you do not have time to soak the dried apples, you can stew them for an additional 30-45 minutes.
Keyword amish, apple pie, double crust, dried fruit, pennsylvania dutch
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