My Mom's 4-Ingredient Dessert Satisfies My Apple Pie Cravings

Dessert at my house growing up wasn’t often homemade—it came from a box, a carton, or from Dairy Queen. My brother and I didn’t care, though. We’d take dessert however we could get it. 

Even though my mom didn’t bake per se, she did have a knack for getting creative. This shortcut apple pie is a great example. It’s a “deconstructed” pie that’s easy to make and comes together with a few simple ingredients. 

My mom liked to shop the freezer section of the grocery store. A family favorite was Stouffer’s Glazed Apples. They were sweet, but not soft or mushy and they had a delightful cinnamon flavor that we all loved. She often served it as a side dish alongside pork chops or a ham steak. But sometimes she would turn it into dessert by serving it with cinnamon sugar-topped pie dough pieces and vanilla ice cream. To us, it was just as good as a slice of apple pie.

I serve this dessert to my family now, and they love it just as much as I do. I typically make it the way my mom did, but since Stouffer’s doesn’t sell their glazed apples anymore, I’ve had to pivot. If time is tight, I’ll buy canned pie filling as a replacement. If I know I have at least 10 minutes, I’ll grab 4 or 5 apples at the store and make my own stove-top version of pie filling. This gives me more control of sugar and seasonings, which I love. 

I use refrigerated pie dough almost exclusively and usually go with Pillsbury because that’s what they sell at my grocery store. I also always use my little jar of blended cinnamon sugar to cover the tops because it’s easy and ready to go.

Quick Tips

You can make the recipe as written with fantastic results. Here are some tips that I’ve incorporated along the way.

• Stouffer’s doesn’t make their glazed apples anymore, so I’ve been using canned apple pie filling as a replacement. Target’s Favorite Day Apple Pie Filling is pretty decent, especially after adding some fresh lemon juice. I also like to buy jarred versions from the local farmers market.
• I love apples, but any fruit will also work with this recipe. Cherry pie filling is delicious, as is peach. 
• Instead of the the pie filling you can toss about 1 1/2 pounds of peeled, sliced fresh apples with a bit of sugar and cook it on the stove for a few minutes. Make a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water, add it to the pan, and let it cook over high heat until it thickens.
• The egg yolk helps the sugar adhere to the pie dough, but if you don’t have one, you could use heavy cream instead. If you don’t have either, then brush lightly with water. 
• I use a premade cinnamon-sugar mixture because it’s what my mom used, but you can easily make your own. Combine 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon with 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar.