Dessert Superstar: Cinnamon Roll Pie With Apples
If there's one person creating the dessert that will drive your Instagram followers wild, it's Linda Lomelino. The Call Me Cupcake blogger, who also has books for cake, ice cream and miscellaneous sweetness of all kinds, is truly a pie master. Try a few of her favorites in your kitchen, like this cinnamon roll pie crust that's apples' new best friend.
This apple pie is absolutely wonderful for anyone who loves cinnamon buns. And apple pie. And dulce de leche. This pie is a little more time-consuming to make than the other pies in this book, but I think it is totally worth the effort. If you want to bake the pie without the cinnamon rolls on the top crust, just roll out the dough as is. In that case, add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon to the filling.
Dessert Superstar: Cinnamon Roll Pie With Apples
Prep Time
1
hour
Cook Time
1.17
hours
Servings
8-10
Total time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 16 tablespoons cold butter
- 5-7 tablespoons ice-cold water
- 2 3/4 pounds apples
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup dulce de leche
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 5 1/4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- pinch sea salt
- 1-2 tablespoons pearl sugar, Turbinado or raw cane sugar
Directions
- :::crust:::
- Mix the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a bowl. Dice the butter and add it to the flour mixture. Use your fingers to pinch in the butter until the dough is crumbly.
- Add the water (begin with the smaller amount and gradually add more if the dough feels too dry) and mix it in with a fork. If you pick up a bit of the dough and it coheres when pressed together, it has enough water.
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the dough, flatten the dough somewhat, and then cover the dough completely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
- :::filling:::
- Peel and core the apples. Cut them into thin slices and place them in a large bowl.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the apple slices and sauté them for 2 to 3 minutes, until the apples soften slightly. Carefully stir occasionally.
- Add the dulce de leche, cinnamon, and salt. In a small cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the orange juice and stir it into the saucepan. Let the mixture simmer over low heat as you stir for a few more minutes, until the mixture has thickened. Let the filling cool completely.
- :::pie:::
- Preheat the oven to 435°F.
- For the crust filling, mix the butter with the cinnamon and cardamom. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and divide it into two equal pieces. On a floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough into a rectangle about 15¾ x 13¾ inches. Spread this dough with half of the butter mixture and roll up the dough from the long side. Repeat with the other half of the dough and the remainder of the crust filling. Place the rolls on a cutting board and then in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove one roll from the freezer and cut it into ⅜-inch slices (just as if you were preparing cinnamon buns). Fill a pie pan with the slices, covering the bottom and sides (the pieces should have a little space between them). Press the slices together so they form a pie shell. Transfer the pie pan to the freezer.
- Take the other roll out of the freezer and slice it in the same way, but arrange the slices in a circle (large enough to cover the top of the pan) on parchment paper and then roll them out a little to firm up the circle. If the slices don’t want to cohere, you can brush a little water between them. If it is difficult to roll the slices together, press them together.
- Take the pie shell out of the freezer and pour in the apple filling. Brush the edge with a little water and add the top crust.
- It is easiest to leave the crust on the parchment paper and fold it out over the pie filling, then remove the parchment. Cut away any overhang, leaving a rim about 1¼ inches wide all around if you want to make a decorative edge. Put the pie in the freezer for 15 minutes (to help it hold its shape better in the oven while baking).
- Remove the pie from the freezer. To make the glaze, whisk the egg, milk, and salt in a small bowl. Brush the pie dough with the egg mixture and sprinkle the pearl sugar on top.
- Bake the pie on the lower rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 45 to 50 minutes, until the piecrust is golden brown. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool completely. Serve the pie with vanilla ice cream if desired.