Want an apple recipe that grandma used to make? Try this recipe for Old Fashion Apple Pandowdy. Basically this means the dessert is a deep dish apple pie with a rich sauce and buttery upper crust. Making it the Old Fashion way would be to cut rough or square pieces of buttery crust and press the crust pieces into the juice of the pie filling before baking so the juices coat the crust. In this recipe, I have cut the crust into fall leaves for a festive Apple Pandowdy.
What is Pandowdy?
Pan-dowdy means, not too pretty to look at, messy, not organized as in broken or shaggy pastry. Apple Pandowdy is an apple pie filling with single crust pieces baked in a casserole dish or cast iron skillet. My Grandma used a cast iron skillet and cast iron makes the best caramel apple pie! For this updated version, the main filling flavors and recipe is the same but the crust is just a bit more creative with cut out squares and apples for fall. It is a syrupy loose apple filling with rich buttery crust. One note, the pandowdy is baked for 30 minutes then the crust is pushed gently with the back of a spoon to allow the syrup to overflow on top of the crust, then it is returned to the oven to finish baking 15 minutes. This is the unkept look but delicious flavor of a pandowdy.
Let’s talk about Apple Pandowdy Flavors
In this recipe I used cooking apples from a recent trip to an apple orchard. Sweet apples like Jonagold, Golden Delicious and Braeburn or Tart Granny Smith, Empire or Cortland. So I used a couple of apples four sweet and four tart, Jonagold and Cortland. Oh my goodness! The filling is delicious!
If you love fall flavors you will love this filling, sugar, brown sugar, apple cider, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and pinch cardamon enhances the apple flavors. To thicken the filling I used arrowroot instead of flour, but you can use cornstarch. The filling sauce is not as thick as an apple pie, but the flavor is a mix of butterscotch and caramel. Who doesn’t love caramel and butterscotch for fall? It is more of a loose syrup.
How to Make Apple Pandowdy
Make a butter based pie crust. That is what grandma used and is typical for this kind of pie. I have the perfect recipe for the crust. Easy food processor mix with flour, sugar, frozen butter, ice water and tiny bit of white vinegar. Pulse processor( blade attachment) until dough clings to the perimeter of the bowl. Once it forms a ball, remove and flatten into a disc. Chill for 30 minutes.
While the dough chills, make your apple pie filling. Peel and core 8 large apples. The apples will bake down so filling skillet full is a good idea. Slice the apples into 1/4″ thick wedges, place in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning of apples. Add sugars to apples, toss to coat, then cover with plastic wrap or tea towel and let it rest at room temperature while you cut out your pastry pieces. This is an important step as these apples will absorb the sugars and become juicy which is a good thing.
Rolling out the Dough…Buttery Pie Crust
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and on a floured surface, roll crust into a rectangle shape, 1/8″ thick. Using a square crimped edge cookie cutter cut out 2″ x 2″ pieces enough to fill the top of the skillet, approximately 25-30. Reserve and re roll scrap dough and cut out 5-7 apple shapes using a spring loaded apple cookie cutter. Place cut out pieces on parchment lined baking sheet and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease your 9″ skillet with butter, fill with reserved apples, dot with butter. In a 16 ounce measuring cup, measure 1 cup apple cider, 1 teaspoon vanilla and orange extract, 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to blend until smooth mixing the cornstarch and cider, then pour over the apples in the skillet.
Layering the Pandowdy Crust
Now for the fun part, place chilled squares of pie dough around the perimeter of the skillet and fill in to the center, overlapping if needed, leaving no gaps between the filling and the crust. For the apple garnish, place 5 squares in the center of the skillet, place 5 apple shaped cut outs on top of 5 squares making a cute design.
Brush the top of the crust with egg wash, use egg wash to attach to squares. Mix sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the egg wash brushed crust. Place skillet on a parchment lined baking sheet in case of spill over in oven. Bake in middle of oven at 400 °F for 30 minutes.
Important Glazing Technique for Apple Pandowdy
Once you take the skillet out of the oven, with the back of a spoon, gently press down crust pieces so the juice comes up over the crust, continue around skillet until all pieces have been coated. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes watching to make sure crust doesn’t burn. Tent with foil if necessary to prevent over browning. As your Apple Pandowdy cools the juice will thicken. Serve this delicious dessert warm or cold with vanilla ice cream or cinnamon whipped cream.
In addition, when you taste this dessert, the apple cider flavor is very prevalent and delicious! It is mix of butterscotch an caramel with hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and of course apples. This is an easy recipe and if you are not a baker… you can’t mess this up.
PrintOld Fashion Apple Pandowdy
Cast iron skillet filled with sliced cooking apples, cinnamon sugar and buttery pie crust squares with cider sauce baked to perfection. Easy recipe for non bakers.
You will need a food processor for pie crust, 9″ cast iron skillet, 8 large cooking apples like granny smith or jonagold, square 2″ x 2″ biscuit cutter, apple shape spring loaded cookie cutter- optional. Rolling pin, cookie sheet for chilling cut out dough squares.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Yield: 7–8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Buttery Pie Crust- Requires 30 minute chill before rolling out. Makes one single crust.
- 1–1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 8 Tablespoons butter, grated and frozen
- 3 Tablespoons cold water
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
Apple Filling
- 8 large cooking apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4″
- juice of one lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed, light or dark
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons butter, diced
Apple Cider Syrup
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon-optional
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
Sparkling Crust Topping
- 1 egg for egg wash + 1/4 teaspoon water
- 1/4 cup granulated or coarse sparkling sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon- optional
Instructions
Butter Pie Crust
- In bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade, add flour, sugar and salt. Pulse 2 times to blend. Add frozen butter, pulse 2 to 3 times to get pea sized crumble.
- Add 3 tablespoons of ice water and 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar to flour.Pulse until dough ball forms around the perimeter of the processor bowl. Remove dough from bowl, flatten dough into a round disc, wrap in plastic wrap, chill 30 minutes. ( Can be frozen and used later, just unthaw when ready to roll).
- While dough chills prepare apple filling. Place sliced apples in large mixing bowl, squeeze lemon juice from one lemon over apples. toss to coat.
- Mix together in small bowl, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamon.Toss to mix then pour over apples in bowl. Toss again to coat all apples. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
- In a 16 ounce measuring cup add 1 cup apple cider, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon orange extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon and 2 tablespoons cornstarch OR arrowroot. Stir with a fork to blend until smooth. Set aside.
- On floured surface using rolling pin, roll chilled dough into a rectangle, 9″ x 13″ size. Dip 2″ x 2″ square biscuit cutter or cookie cutter in flour then cut out 25=30 squares of pie dough. Place all dough cut outs on parchment lined baking sheet. Cut 5-7 apple shapes if desired using an apple shape spring loaded cookie cutter. Apple shapes are for decoration and optional. Chill baking sheet with dough cut outs for 25 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Place rack in middle of oven.
- Butter sides and bottom of 9″ cast iron skillet. Fill with reserved apples and all its juices, pour over apples the apple cider syrup/mixture. Dot with diced butter. Set aside while crust cut outs chill and oven heats.
- Place cut out squares around the perimeter of skillet first then fill in center overlapping dough if necessary as to cover all the apples. Place apple cut outs as desired on top of individual squares to create a design. I used 5 apple cut outs.
- In small custard cup, mix egg and water with a fork. Brush egg wash over squares of crust and under and over apple cut outs. Sprinkle with sugar or coarse sugar for sparkling shimmer as well as browning the top crust.
- Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and with back of spoon gently press dough into syrup to coat top of pie. Repeat process over top of skillet pie. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes more. If top is browning too fast, tent with foil the last 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 5-10 minutes before serving as the syrup will thicken as it rests.
- Serve apple pandowdy with French Vanilla Ice Cream or Cinnamon Whipped Cream.
Notes
Pie crust can be doubled if using a 9 x 13 or larger baking dish. Important to use very cold water when making this pie crust. Pic crust is great for creating shapes, rolling, braiding, cutting out. If it gets to soft on you while rolling out, start over with a good long chill. Rolling the dough on a marble surface will also help.
If dough begins to crack as you roll out, dough is too cold, let it rest a few minutes then roll out.
Cardamon spice is optional but will deepen the flavor of the apples.
Sweet Cooking Apples include: Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Jonagold
Tart Cooking Apples include: Granny Smith, Empire and Cortland
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