Apple pie is a year-round dessert and there are a billion ways you can make it. Today, let’s make a slab pie version with a buttery, flaky crust and sweet apple filling, finished off with an optional maple glaze (homemade whipped cream or salted caramel would be wonderful, too!). I love slab pies because not only are they 100x easier than an actual pie, they’re essentially a giant pop-tart! We’ll bake the pie on a sheet pan—it’s thinner so there’s less filling in your “slice” but there’s more crust. If you’re a crust person, slab pie is for you.
5 Reasons to Make Apple Slab Pie
Slab Pie Crust
Start this recipe with the same pie crust used for mixed berry slab pie. This pie crust recipe is essentially my traditional all butter pie crust, but it yields 3 pie crusts instead of 2. (Slab pies are larger, so we need more pie dough.) You know I’m a cheerleader for the shortening and butter combination in pie crust, but I find this particular crust is fantastic for slab pie. It’s a wonderful balance of tender and crisp and browns beautifully in the oven. The pie dough must chill for a couple hours, so it’s easiest to prepare the crust in advance. It can hang out in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for 3 months. When you’re ready to make the apple slab pie, don’t stress over rolling out the pie dough. Unlike traditional round pies, slab pies are no-fuss. Let the pie dough take on whatever shape, as long as it’s about 1/8-inch thick and can fit onto your baking pan.
Apple Slab Pie Filling
We use all familiar apple pie ingredients for today’s slab pie. For another fun alternative to apple pie, try my apple pie bars. I put salted caramel on those, too!
Apples: I always recommend using a mix of apples for more complex flavor in each bite—a sweeter variety and a tart variety, too. For today’s apple slab pie I used a combination of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples. Here is a complete list of the best apples for baking. Peel the apples before chopping them into little bite-sized pieces. I find bite-sized pieces, rather than thin slices, are best for slab pie. (Same way I recommend cutting peaches for peach pie.) Since the pie is thinner, you can’t really layer the slices together to get enough apple in each bite. Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness. Flour: A little all-purpose flour thickens the filling while it bakes. Lemon Juice: Adds brightness and prevents the apples from browning. Vanilla Extract: A splash of pure vanilla extract adds flavor. Try using homemade vanilla extract. Spices: Use a combination of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves—apple pie’s favorite flavors! Or try using the spice mixture from my apple pie with chai spices (1.5x each spice to have enough for today’s filling).
Once you spread the apple pie filling evenly on top of the bottom crust, place the second crust on top. Fold over the edges, seal it shut, and crimp them down. It’s all quite simple because if you’re using the correct size pan, you’ll have more than enough crust to work with to really seal those edges shut. See my how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial if you need extra help with this step. Brush with a thin coating of egg-wash to achieve shiny, golden crust perfection! And don’t forget to slit some holes so the filling can breathe.
Optional Maple Icing
You only need 3 ingredients for today’s easy maple icing: confectioners’ sugar, pure maple syrup, and milk. While optional, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to whip up a batch—you can do this while the pie is cooling. Your house will smell like Thanksgiving and your mouth will be watering when that drizzle of glaze first hits the crust. The corner pieces of this apple slab pie with maple icing are the best because you get the most amount of pie crust possible. Dibs! Instead of maple icing, serve with a drizzle of salted caramel, dollop of homemade whipped cream, or ice cream.
Best Pan for Apple Slab Pie
The most important part! Use the correct size pan. Any larger and you won’t have quite enough dough. Any smaller and you’ll have some overflow. You need a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan. It’s the same pan you need for pumpkin bars and pumpkin slab pie, too.
