Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie (vegan)
This cinnamon roll apple pie is an easy yet elegant twist on the classic! A juicy apple pie packed with perfectly spiced apples and topped with four-ingredient pastry cinnamon rolls.
Ingredients
Pie Filling
- ~8 x medium-size apples cored and peeled (~720g, note 1)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons (20g) cornstarch / corn flour
- 1 tablespoon (15g) lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pastry and Cinnamon Roll Top
- 3 x sheets shortcrust pastry thawed but chilled
- ⅓ cup (65g) packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45g) vegan butter softened
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
To Decorate
- 1 tablespoon (20g) maple syrup
- demerara sugar
Instructions
Par-cook the apples:
- Cut apples into ½ cm (¼ inch) slices. In a large saucepan, stir the apple slices, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined. Cook over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples soften slightly. Set aside in the fridge to cool.
Prepare the pie shell:
- Place one sheet of pastry in a 23cm / 9-inch pie dish (around 4cm / 1.5-inch deep). If needed, use up to another ½ sheet of pastry to ensure the whole dish is covered. For a decorative pie crust, leave some pastry overhanging, trim off any edges, tuck the dough underneath and crimp as desired. Place the pie shell in the fridge until needed.
Prepare the cinnamon roll top:
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon until smooth and spreadable (note 2). Spread the mixture over the remaining 1 ½ sheets of pastry. Roll the pastry into a tight log and cut into ~½ cm (¼ inch) thick rolls. If the log is too soft to cut, wrap it tightly and chill in the fridge or freezer until it's firmer.
Assemble and bake:
- Fill the pie crust with the apples, trying to make sure they're packed closely together. Pour over any excess juice.
- Top the pie with the cinnamon rolls in a concentric pattern or as desired. Set the pie aside in the fridge to firm up until you're ready to bake (note 3).
- Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F).
- Lightly brush the cinnamon rolls with maple syrup and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 20 mins. If your pie dish is very full, place a baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any excess juices. Keeping the pie in the oven, reduce the oven to 180°C and bake for another 40-50 minutes or until the filling is bubbling. If the top is browning too quickly but the filling hasn't fully softened, carefully tent the pie with aluminum foil.
- Remove the pie and place on a cooling rack. Allow the pie to cool for at least 3 hours to allow the filling to set before serving.
Notes
- Apples were weighed after they were peeled and cored. You can leave your apples unpeeled if you prefer.
- The cinnamon butter should be soft and spreadable, almost the consistency of spreadable butter or processed nut butter. If it's too firm, let the mixture soften further at room temperature or warm it up for a few seconds (no longer) in the microwave.
- If you have time or would like to make the pie in advance, chill the assembled pie with the cinnamon swirl top in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will help firm and set the shape of the swirls. Right before baking, brush the swirls with maple syrup and sugar. Your pie will still bake beautifully without chilling it (I didn't chill the pie in the pictures).