Candy Apple Pie
This candy apple pie is different from the classic, but is so easy, and you still get a buttery, golden crust with tender, sweet apples.
Apple pie without all the work? Um, sign me up, man.
Huh, what? You are saying this isn’t really apple pie? Because the crust is on top? Jeez, details, details.
Ok, I’ll give you that one. The crust is on top and it is a heck of a lot easier to work with than a traditional pie crust.
This apple pie, albeit different from the classic, is delicious, easy as (you know what’s coming) pie to throw together and you still get a buttery, golden crust with tender, sweet apples.
Served with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce and you have a pretty epic apple pie dessert.
You just have to think out of the apple pie box here. Take some deep breaths and you’ll be fine because I promise, this candy apple pie is crazy good.
One Year Ago: Creamy Fettuccine with Ham and Peas
Two Years Ago: Apple Crisp
Three Years Ago: Creamy Orzo with Chicken, Mushrooms and Red Peppers
Candy Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 3 large Granny Smith apples
- ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (212 g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Dash nutmeg
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, cut into pieces
- Caramel sauce (see note)
- Vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Peel and core the apples and cut into 1/4- or 1/2-inch thick slices (depending on how tender you want the apples to be after baking). Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Layer half of the apples the pie dish. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
- Layer the other half of apples on top of the first layer. Process the flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is evenly distributed in tiny pieces. Press the flour mixture evenly over the top of the pie.
- Bake for one hour. Let the pie sit for 15 minutes before cutting into slices and serving warm with ice cream and caramel sauce.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: an old, wrinkled recipe card in my recipe binder
This recipe is easy and so delicious! The caramel sauce takes it to the next level. I used a combination of Honey Crisp and Holiday apples. Everyone loved it! 5 stars
Hey Mel! Do you think any of this could be prepared in advance??! Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Allie – hmmm, it would be great if there was a make-ahead variable. I’m worried the apples might turn brown if left too long unbaked but maybe if you toss them with some lemon juice and then assemble the entire thing, you could refrigerate for a while (maybe 8 hours?). Just make sure those apples don’t get too brown.
The smell along is worth making this recipe!! Can’t wait to have it for dessert tonight!!! Thanks again Mel for the best desserts! I HATE making crusts so this is right up my alley.
I made this yesterday for our Sunday dessert and everyone gave it an A+++!! It was super easy and so good! Thank you for sharing!
So I just made this for dessert tonight for our dinner guests and we all loved it!! I was so full and tired after they left that I just left the rest of it sitting on the stovetop and fell asleep on the couch. Whelp…I just woke up at 1:30 a.m., saw the last two slices sitting there in the pan and finished it off!! Dare I say, it was even better during my late night binge?! I’m going to regret this in the morning, but for now I’m thankful for the sugar induced coma I’m about to head into:)! Amazing recipe!!
This was so unbelievably good! It was like an apple crisp, which I prefer to apple pie. My husband said it was one of the best things I have ever made. 🙂
We just call this apple crisp at our house 🙂 My husband and his family are anti oats in their apple crisp and this is pretty close to their family recipe for “apple crisp”. I’ve even used your caramel sauce on it before. My husband about died it was so delicious.
This pie was super easy & super yummy! I used less sugar than called for & it was plenty sweet enough for us. tasted better than pie & much easier!
You are my favorite place to head to for recipes! This sounds delicious for our Sunday dessert today. My family has been so blessed by your huge efforts in trying and testing and blogging about the best stuff. Thank you!
This was really good. I made it for a group lunch, so I doubled the recipe and put it in a 9×13 instead of a pie plate and it worked great.
This sounds fantastic to me! I am a huge fan of fruit crisps and this ‘pie’ reminds me of that. Yum!!!
I do love me some pie… is it bad that I already ate 3 cookies and now want this?! Emailing you tonight, ps. It’s been too long!
In the oven as we speak! 🙂 Thank you for the quick and easy recipe that doesn’t involve pie crusts!! 😀
This looks delicious. Great recipe 😀
some people like cheddar cheese with their apple pies, but me? i prefer caramel. SO much. nice post!
3 apples can serve 8?!? Say what? I will have to try this! I’ve always hated peeling 10 freaking apples for a regular apple pie…
I LOVE apple pie and hate making pie crust. This looks like the perfect solution to me! Once again, you come to my rescue.
This looks sooooo good!!
I think I’ve found a use for some cinnamon (red hots) apples I canned a few months ago. I opened a jar and we tried them; really didn’t like them. The red hots flavor is really weak. I think I’ll drain them and use them in this recipe!
I’m feeding the Elders tonight, this looks amazing! I wonder if I could sub Honey Crisp apples, I’ve already been to the store…..
Oh yum!!! I would take this over regular apple pie any day! Apples just went on my grocery list for today. Thanks!
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing!! It really does look better than regular apple pie. I’ll have to try this the next opportunity I get!
Dare I say that I think this recipe looks even *better* than apple pie?! (I know traditionalist foodies everywhere are rolling their eyes at me.) I’ve never been a big fan of pies–the crust is a pain to make and I always just eat the filling and leave my crust on the plate. So, why not replace the crust with a crumble topping? Sounds like perfection to me! I think this is easier (and better) than pie. 🙂