Spiced Creamy Apple Pie

This luscious layered pie from our partner Erin Jeanne McDowell is like pie a la mode in reverse. She notes “a layer of spiced cream cheese fills the base of the pie, then delicious apple pie filling is poured on top. It’s a show-stopper of a pie, all with no top crust required. You can make the apple pie filling up to 2 days ahead - store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.”

Apple Filling

1 All Buttah Pie Crust, par-baked

4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter

6 medium (750 g) peeled and diced Honeycrisp apples (about 6 cups)

1 cup (212 g) dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons (30 g) fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons (6 g) ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon (< 1 g) freshly grated nutmeg

1/3 cup (66 g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (40 g) all purpose flour

Spiced Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounces (226 g) cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup (70 g) dark brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon (4 g) vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon (< 1 g) freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon (1 g) fine sea salt

For the apple filling:

Place the pan containing the par-baked crust on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 375°F with an oven rack in the center of the oven.

In a large saucepan or Dutch Oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg and stir to combine. Cook this mixture until the apples start releasing some juices, about 6-8 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and flour to combine. Sprinkle this mixture over the surface of the apples, then quickly stir to incorporate. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken, and fat bubbles break across the surface of the pot.

Pour the filling onto a rimmed baking sheet or into a large casserole dish - the idea is something with large surface area to help the filling cool down quickly. Let the filling cool to room temperature.

For the cream cheese filling:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium speed until well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl well, then add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and stir again to combine.

Pour the cream cheese filling into the prepared pie crust and spread into an even layer. If the apple filling is not yet cool, transfer the cream cheese filled crust to the refrigerator until ready to bake.

When the apple filling is cool, pour into the prepared crust (on top of the cream cheese filling), and spread into an even layer. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake until the filling is visibly bubbly, about 45-50 minutes.

Cool the pie to room temperature for the best slices, or serve it slightly warm. The pie is best the same day it’s baked.