Did you know that… if you want both a pie and a cookie as a fall dessert, there’s nothing saying you cannot have both.
There’s also nothing saying you can’t have both in one easy, convenient and very impressive-looking recipe.
Because I am not creative enough to have come up with this on my own, full credit is due to Spaceships & Laser Beams, which is where I originally found this recipe 10 whole years ago back when I lived in Michigan!
I tried this recipe out and it was an immediate hit. I’ve made them almost every fall since then (save for the Peace Corps Thanksgiving) and they remain a consistent favorite, year after year.
They’re a staple part of our Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving holiday menu at this point.
While they look incredibly complex, they’re actually really easy to make!
If you’d like to, you can make them a bit more complex than the recipe listed, and make your apple pie filling, crust and caramel from scratch.
However, I’ve usually got enough going on when I make these that I’m more than happy to keep the recipe as simple as possible.
This recipe makes around 9 or 12 cookies, depending on how thinly you roll your pie crust dough out and how you finagle your cookie cutter.
INGREDIENTS:
Quick note: These measurements were crafted with an elevation of 7,000 feet above sea level.
- 1 21-oz can apple pie filling
- 1 package pre-made pie crust (the kind with two rolls in a box in the grocery store’s refrigerated section)
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce (we use the Smucker’s squeeze kind)
- 1 egg, beaten and set aside to be used as an egg wash
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- Pinch of flaky salt
PROCESS:
Thaw your dough according to package instructions, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scoop your apple pie filling onto a cutting board, and then use a large knife to dice the apples into smaller pieces, about a quarter-inch by a quarter-inch. Scrape your filling off the cutting board and set it aside.
Now, there are two ways you can do the following. Your first option is to put the cookies together on a non-stick well-floured surface, cut your cookies out, and transfer the cut cookies to your baking sheet. This is what I typically do, and will explain first.
Place a silicone baking sheet or a sheet of parchment paper onto a non-stick surface, such as a clean and floured countertop. Roll out one of the pie crusts onto the surface. Use a rolling pin to lightly flatten out the dough.
Once your dough is rolled out on your baking spread the caramel sauce from edge-to-edge along the dough. Sprinkle with salt, and then top with the topped apple pie filling, spread edge-to-edge as well.
Roll out the second pie crust onto a separate non-stick surface, such as a silicone baking mat, a cutting board, or a different floured countertop. Use a rolling pin to flatten the crust to a similar size as the first sheet.
Using a pizza cutter or a knife, slice the dough into strips. These strips will serve as the foundation for your latticework! You can make them as thick or as thin as you want.
Tip: Depending on how you’re cutting your strips, you may need to lay your dough onto a scratch-resistant surface, like a cutting board.
Once your strips are cut, lattice the strips of dough over your apple pie filling-covered pie crust.
Use a round cookie cutter (around 3-inches is fine) to cut out cookies as close to each other as possible.
Remove the extra dough from between the cookies.
Tip: Save the scraps to bake along with your cookies on a separate baking sheet.
Carefully use a spatula or other thin, flat utensil to transfer the cookies from your work surface to a baking sheet.
Tip: Be very careful! The apple pie filling can be slippery, and transferring the cookies can result in the latticework sliding off the cookies.
Your second option is to layer all your ingredients (your bottom crust, caramel, salt, pie filling and lattice work top crust) directly onto your baking sheet, and then to cut out your cookies on that surface and remove the scraps from your baking sheet so that you don’t have to transfer your cookies to a separate surface for baking.
Brush your cookies with the egg wash.
Combine your cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg together in a separate bowl. Sprinkle the spice mixture overtop of your cookies.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Tip: Keep a close eye on your cookies as they bake! They may be done sooner if your dough is thin, and may take longer if your dough is thicker.
And that’s it! Super easy, super impressive and super delicious. I’m not sure if I’ll get a chance to make these cookies this year given my looming travel plans, but I’ll definitely be thinking about them.
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Happy baking! And happy fall!
