This Easy Apple “Pie” is made with roasted apples and pie crust cookies. A quicker way to make pie with all the comforting flavors and a guaranteed flakey crispy crust.
Believing takes practice~ Madeleine L’Engle
Here is a delicious cozy recipe for Easy Apple Pie. We deconstructed the pie! All the while still maintaining the familiar flavors and textures of a comforting apple pie. Creating the components separately just heightens the delectable qualities of this classic dessert.
The morsels trimmed off from the pie crust dough have always been my favorite. My mom would bake up these pie crust “cookies” all golden and flakey with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top. They are just perfect in their own right! Sometimes pies are perfect but many times you dig in with high hopes and come out with pale uncooked crust in the middle. These are very sad times!
Deconstructing it this way takes so much of the pressure off! At least for me. It is easier to create the deep apple flavor and crispy flakey pie crust of dreams. It also allows grain-free people, like my husband, to partake in dessert. Everybody is happy! We like that.
And don’t get me wrong. Making a true pie is always a good thing! But in the meantime, we definitely enjoy the flavors of apple pie more often with this method.
Roasting the apples not only gives them a deep caramelly flavor but also is fast and easy, without the need to add thickeners.
And while the spiced apples are roasting in the oven the dough is rolled out and cut into the cookie crusts. It all comes together in about 40 minutes.
What you’ll need:
- apples
- sugar, or use coconut sugar or maple syrup
- lemon
- unsalted butter
- cinnamon, ginger & cloves
- egg yolk, optional
How to make an Easy Apple Pie:
Step one
Start with the pie crust dough. Mix together flour, salt and butter cubes. Put the entire bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes, the colder the butter, the flakier the dough. Cut together until butter is coarsely the size of a pea.
I also will sometimes use a food processor for this. It is easier. But you need to be watchful of the texture.
Step two
Add ice-cold water. You may not need all the water, start by adding half, sprinkling over the dough. Mix in gently with a fork. The dough will look crumbly. 
Step three
Test the dough by squeezing it together with your fingers, if it sticks together that’s perfect. If still crumbly, add a few more teaspoons of water lightly toss and test again.
Step four
Once the dough comes together, pat out into a rough square. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (and up to 2 days). Meanwhile, start on the apples.
Step five
I use all the different kinds of apples. I like the diversity of flavors with the different varieties. If the apple skins are thin, leave them on. I do some peeled and some not depending on the thickness of the skin.
Step six
Add sugar, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Adjust the sugar to the flavor and sweetness of your apple.
Step seven
Add lemon juice and thoroughly mix.
Step eight
Place apples on a baking sheet and dot with butter.
Step nine
Bake at 425 for 15- 20 minutes. If you like a softer apple go for the full 20 minutes or more. If you prefer a little texture, test at 15 minutes.
Step ten
Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured sheet of parchment. Place the dough and parchment on the sheet pan.
Step eleven
Brush with egg wash (optional! this gives a golden crust and helps the sugar caramelize on the dough). Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.
Can this be made Vegan?
I have seen it done! Instead of butter, try making the crust with coconut oil, sustainable palm oil, or vegan butter? I have yet to perfect this method. Let us know if you have any tips and tricks to share.
More recipes you may enjoy:
- Apple Crisp
- Rustic Pear Galette with Walnut Crust
- Gingery Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Thumbprint Cookies with Walnuts and Apricot Jam
- Chai-Spiced Pecan Torte
- Farm-Style Peach Galette
- Roasted Fig Tart with Honey and Mascarpone
- Perfect Shortbread Cookies
We like our Easy Apple Pie with a little Coconut Bliss Vanilla Ice cream. Hope you enjoy!
Print
Easy Apple “Pie” with Pie Crust Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Pie, baked, dessert, fall dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This recipe for Easy Apple Pie is made with spiced roasted apples and pie crust cookies. A quicker way to make pie with all the comforting flavors and a guaranteed flakey crispy crust.
Ingredients
Roasted Apples
- 1 1/2 pounds of apples
- 2–4 tablespoons sugar, or use coconut sugar or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
Crust
- 1 cup, 125 grams all purpose flour (half whole wheat pastry flour works too!)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons, 4 oz butter chilled, cut into
- 1/4 cup ice water
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1–2 teaspoons sugar
- egg yolk, optional
Instructions
- Mix together flour, salt and butter cubes
- Put the entire bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes
- Cut butter in with a pastry cutter, knifes or hands leaving course pea sized pieces.
- Add half of the ice water. You may not need all the water, start by adding half, sprinkling over the dough. Mix in gently with a fork. The dough will look crumbly. Test the dough by squeezing together with your fingers, if it sticks together that’s perfect. If still crumbly, add a few more teaspoons of water lightly toss and test again.
- Once dough comes together, pat out into a rough square. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (and up to 2 days). Meanwhile, start on the apples.
- Mix cut apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
- Place apples on a baking sheet and dot with butter.
- Bake at 425 for 15- 20 minutes. If you like a softer apple go the full 20 minutes or more. If you prefer a little texture, test at 15 minutes. Set aside while you prepare the crust cookies.
- Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured sheet of parchment. Pick up the whole parchment and place the dough on the parchment on the sheet pan.
- Brush with egg wash (optional) and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Cut with a scoring wheel and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until crusts are lightly brown on the bottom.
- Break into the pre-scored pieces and serve on the side with the roasted apples and whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes
Apples vary so much in flavor and texture. Some breakdown fast, some hold their shape. Baking time may vary.
Adjust the sweetness according to the flavor of your apples.
Add more lemon juice if apples are mellow in flavor.
Totally use a food processor for the dough if desired. It is easier. But you need to be watchful of the texture.
Day old crust cookies can be reheated in a 375 oven for 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
Egg Wash: whisk together 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon water
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 233
- Sugar: 7.2 g
- Sodium: 163.5 mg
- Fat: 15.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.3 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 2.1 g
- Cholesterol: 38.2 mg
I have made hundreds of your recipes for myself and my fiance, and for the first time my fiance decided HE would cook one of your recipes for me…he picked this one and it was easy enough for him to follow despite having pretty much zero baking experience, haha. He got confused towards the end and dumped the apple filling on top of the crust while the crust was still baking, but somehow it still turned out okay!!
Thanks so much Amanda and oh no! Glad it still turned out!
That is so sweet Amanda! I updated the instructions to hopefully make it more clear!
I made the apple portion of this recipe this morning and put the filling over waffles, topped with fresh whipped cream. This filling was so much better than any I have made before. Not too sweet, just the right texture and super easy. The family LOVED it! Thanks for always being a trusted source for delicious and healthy recipes. I look forward to trying this recipe again with the pie crust cookies.
We’re so glad you liked it!
This “apple pie” is delicious and so easy! I love the roasted apples—It gives such a deep flavor and I too like not having to use a thickener. The pie crust cookies are the bomb! No more soggy or burned crust. Thank you Tonia!
Yay! You are welcome,happy it worked for you!
I made this for dessert last night though prepped dough a day earlier. It was so easy to make and totally delicious … great recipe which also looks attractive on the plate … thank you !
So glad you enjoyed!
I noticed the recipe calls for 1 cup, 120 oz flour. I’m trying to convert to metric and I’m a little confused. Is this right? Thanks!
Oops! It is supposed to be grams! Definitely confusing, thanks for the catch. Recipe is updated.
This looks heavenly!! Can you suggest a gluten free option?
Hi Diane, The apples are gf. I have not tried it but I bet for the crust you could use a gf flour blend.
Let us know how it goes!