A Cinnamon Swirl Apple Pie Recipe that Won't Let You Down

A Cinnamon Swirl Apple Pie Recipe that Won't Let You Down
Apple pies are one of my favorite desserts. They’re a fantastic comfort food, perfect for entertaining or just enjoying by yourself. The humble apple pie has been making homes happy and bellies full for a long time now. Rightly so -- they’re delicious!
Another favorite of mine is cinnamon rolls. There’s something about buttery cinnamon pastry that brings a smile to my face. Cinnamon rolls are a quick crowd pleaser for dessert or brunch. So why not combine these two desserts into one cinnamon swirl apple pie recipe?

Before you become nervous, don’t worry! This cinnamon swirl apple pie recipe is easy to make and requires a lot less of the usual pie making paraphernalia needed by other recipes. No blind baking pastry, no pie weights needed. You will need a pie dish, a knife, and a chopping board. Once you’ve got those you’re ready to go!
You will essentially be making an apple pie, but instead of the regular plain or cross-weaved pastry top, it will be a cinnamon roll. This is visually very pretty and tastes wonderful. You have the choice of either dusting with icing sugar or drizzling a thin icing glaze over the top of the finished product.
You can make this pie as rustic or as polished as you like. I tend toward the more rustic approach, as it just seems to have that more homey feel. This dish really lets you get a bit creative in the presentation of you pie. You can make designs from your pastry, which will usually stay in place during cooking. I decided to make one large cinnamon roll as my pie lid. Alternatively, you could make lots of little cinnamon rolls and position them atop the pie. However you choose to position your rolls, it’s sure to look great!
For this recipe we'll be using short-crust pastry that is ready made. You can usually find this in the freezer section of your local grocery shop. Using this pastry is cheap, quick and easy!
Regardless of your approach to pie making, this recipe is sure to land you with a yummy cinnamon swirl apple pie that everyone will love.

Serving Suggestions & Pairings


This cinnamon swirl apple pie recipe pairs naturally with teas that contain cinnamon, nutmeg, and other chai flavors. My suggestion is the Stargazer caramel chai tea; the Full Moon vanilla chai tea with butternut would be a nice pairing, too.
Serve your cinnamon swirl apple pie with ice cream for an easy yet impressive dessert. This recipe serves 6-8 people, so it’s perfect for your next dinner party. You can even have this pie as a midmorning brunch with a nice cuppa tea.
Apple pie and cinnamon rolls seem to be a part of that group of dishes that everyone has a story about. Maybe it’s something a relative cooked for you when you were younger, or maybe you burnt your tongue trying to eat it fresh from the oven.
Whatever your story is, this is your chance to put your own twist on this dish, a chance to make something delicious and warm for your friends and family. They say food is the way to the heart for a reason, don’t they? Apple pie is a feel-good classic for a reason!


Cinnamon Swirl Apple Pie Recipe



Ingredients:
For Your Pie:
  • Six large apples (Granny Smith preferred)
  • One pack of pre-made short-crust (or puff) pastry
  • 1/3 cup of sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 2 tablespoons of water
  • 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
For Cinnamon Swirl Top:
  • 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 3 sheets of pre-made short-crust (or puff) pastry

Directions:
Defrost short-crust pastry in fridge and place one sheet of pastry into your pie dish. Depending on the size of your pie dish, you may need to use a second sheet and join them together by pressing the pastry together in the middle. Trim off any excess pastry, ensuring the pastry covers the base and sides of your dish.
Preheat oven to 375 F for a convection oven; 400 F for a conventional oven.
Sprinkle one teaspoon of cinnamon over the base of the pastry in the dish.
Slice apples thinly. This will cut down on cooking time and ensure your pie cooks evenly. Mix apples in a bowl with sugar, butter, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, water, and cornstarch.
Put apple mixture onto pie base, and spread out to an even thickness.

For the pie lid, lay out a sheet of pastry. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon onto the pastry and cut into 1/4-inch strips.
Roll the strips up into a spiral, adding a strip of pastry as you reach the end. The cinnamon and sugar should be facing the interior of your pastry spiral. When you’re happy with the size of your spiral (either one large one, or lots of smaller ones) transfer to the top of your pie. If you decide to do one large spiral, it may be easier to transfer it to the top of your pie earlier and add the strips of pastry.
Melt one tablespoon of butter and drizzle over the top of your pie. This will help it to become nice and crispy in the oven!
Place in the oven for 40 minutes for convection; 50 minutes for conventional. Pastry should be browned on top and crisped nicely.
Once removed from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes before dusting with icing sugar.
Optional: You may prefer making a simple icing glaze by mixing 1 cup powdered sugar with 4 tablespoons of hot water. If your icing is still a bit thick, simply add another tablespoon of hot water until you get the desired consistency. Drizzle over pie.
Serve with your favorite spicy cup of tea and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

Steph Huddleston

Steph Huddleston is a freelance writer and book blogger from Australia. Her passion is for the written word, and of course, tea. If you’re looking for your next great book to read with that cup of tea you can check out her website or follow her on Instagram @stephhuddlestonwriting.
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