Hello Goucher, and welcome to the second edition of Goucher Eats, where I go over cheap and easy recipes any college student could make.
With winter well on its way, I always look forward to a warm, sweet treat to chase away the cold. So, today’s recipe is a deconstructed apple pie from Simple Recipe. It’s quick, easy, and has all the flavors of apple pie without the hassle.
All you’ll need is one refrigerated pie crust, egg for an egg wash, one 21 oz can of apple pie filling, and cinnamon sugar. Optionally, you can also add lemon juice to the filling to spritz it up a bit. If you can get there, I recommend going to Aldi for this one, since their apple pie filling is way cheaper than at Safeway.
For the pie crust, brush with egg wash (mix 1 egg and a tablespoon of water), sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar (combine 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon), and let it air dry for 5 minutes before cutting it into squares. Bake at 425॰F for 5 to 10 minutes. I recommend 10 to get it really crispy, but every oven is different. They weren’t overly sweet at all and had a delicious crunch. The pie crisps are a perfect snack on their own, honestly.
The filling is even quicker; dump it into a saucepan over low heat, then cover and stir occasionally for five minutes. Toss in a tablespoon of lemon juice once it’s off the heat, and viola. If you want a little more of a handmade feel or don’t have a can opener, peel and slice up about 4-5 medium apples (for free from the dining hall!), toss them into a saucepan with a little sugar, and cook for a few minutes. Then create a slurry out of 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water, add it to the pan, and cook over high heat until thick. Peeling fruit is the bane of my existence, so I opted for a canned filing, which worked great and was very tasty. I wasn’t thrilled about the texture, but eating it with the pie crisps made it so much better.
You can top it with anything you want. Classic vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, et cetera. If you want to get creative, you could even make apple pie nachos–cutting the pie crust into triangles, then layering on the filling and your toppings.
This recipe easily serves 4 people, 6 if you’re willing to share. If baking a whole pie sounds daunting or you don’t have the time to bake one, I highly recommend giving this recipe a try.
Stay warm. I’ll see you in the next one!
By Jaiden Johnson ‘26
Featured Image Source: Jaiden Johnson
