This page gathers five apple desserts that range from baked pies and bars to a slow cooker cake and fried hand pies.
Each recipe uses familiar apple pie flavors in a different way, with methods that keep the fillings layered, sealed, or thickened before baking or frying.
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- Crazy Crust Apple Pie
- 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Dump Cake
- Flaky Apple Pie Bars
- Flat Apple Pie
- Fried Apple or Peach Pies
Crazy Crust Apple Pie
Crazy Crust Apple Pie builds a simple batter-style crust in a single bowl, then spoons seasoned apple pie filling into the center before baking. The filling is mixed separately with lemon juice and cinnamon, which adds brightness and warmth without being stirred into the crust.
The method starts with flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, egg, shortening, and water mixed until smooth, then poured into a 9-inch pie pan. After the apple mixture goes into the center, the pie bakes at 425°F until the crust is golden and cooked through.
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4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Dump Cake
This slow cooker caramel apple dump cake layers apple pie filling, dry yellow cake mix, butter, and caramel sauce for an easy baked-style dessert made without mixing the layers together. The caramel is divided, with some drizzled over the apples first and the rest added over the dry cake mix.
The insert is lightly greased before the apple filling is spread across the bottom, then the cake mix is sprinkled on top and finished with melted butter. It cooks covered on High until the filling bubbles at the edges and the top is set and golden at the sides, then rests before serving warm.
Get the full 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Dump Cake recipe
Flaky Apple Pie Bars
Flaky Apple Pie Bars turn classic pie filling into neat squares with a bottom crust, an apple layer, and a top crust. The apples are tossed with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice, giving the filling a spiced, bright flavor before it is spread over the base.
The dough is made with flour, salt, and cold butter cut into coarse crumbs, then brought together with ice water and chilled briefly. One half is pressed into a parchment-lined 9×13-inch dish, the filling is added, and the remaining dough is laid on top, crimped, slit, brushed with egg wash, and baked until golden and bubbly.
Get the full Flaky Apple Pie Bars recipe
Flat Apple Pie
Flat Apple Pie is baked on a rimmed cookie sheet, giving the apples a wide, open arrangement under a top crust. Corn Flakes are scattered over the bottom crust before the sliced Granny Smith apples are layered on, creating a different base texture under the fruit.
The dough uses flour, salt, shortening, and an egg-yolk-and-milk mixture, then is rolled into two sheets for the bottom and top. Sugar and cinnamon are sprinkled over the apples, butter is dotted on top, and the finished pie is brushed with egg white, baked, and drizzled with a thin powdered sugar frosting while still hot.
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Fried Apple or Peach Pies
Fried Apple or Peach Pies wrap a cooked fruit filling in small rounds of pie crust and fry them until crisp and golden. The filling can use apples or peaches, along with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch for thickness.
The fruit cooks on the stovetop until tender, then the cornstarch slurry is added to make it thick and glossy before cooling. The chilled filling is placed in pie crust circles, folded into half-moons, sealed with a fork, and fried in 350°F oil until browned on both sides, with powdered sugar optional at the end.
