Apple Slab Pie with Fall Leaves

Isn’t this Apple Slab Pies just the most beautiful fall dessert you have ever seen? I wanted to capture fall leaves as if these fell from the sky right onto the pie! Oh my, I was so excited when I finished. It is as tasty as it looks and you’re going to be happy too. Whether it’s Thanksgiving or a Fall Festival your gorgeously delicious pie will be the center of attention. The crust is very flaky and the apple filling is divine, because really, taste is everything.

Apple Slab Pie is a great way to feed a small crowd as it contains the same amount of apples in two 9-inch pies. Plus, cutting leaves for the pie top is MUCH easier than rolling out one huge crust. I’s truly a game changer! Slab pies are behemoth in size for rolling out top crusts; therefore using a cookie cutter is a foolproof way to go. The spaces naturally created when overlapping leaves vent the pie perfectly; Win-Win-Win!

Northern Spy & Gala apples are packed in with a little lemon and some fresh apple cider. However, any two varieties of tart apples will bake beautifully. When it comes to apple pies, always use two varieties if you can; the flavor will knock it out of the park. As far as the apple cider in the pie, fresh apple cider is king here in the fall. I try to find a cider that is made with different varieties of apples, which adds another depth of tastiness to your apple pies.

Okay, let’s build this Apple Slab Pie!

Peel and chop the apples in about 1/2-inch piece; this makes cutting and assembling much easier. Toss them with the sugar and spices as you chop to keep them from oxidizing. Roll out half of the big batch of pie dough onto parchment and invert onto a 10 x 15 jelly roll baking sheet. Place the prepped apples into the bottom crust.

Now the fun part; the fall leaves.

Cut out about 30 to 32 leaves with a 3-1/2 inch leaf cookie cutter. Use the back side of a butter knife and make imprints for the “spines.” Take 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons of water and divide into 4 custard cups. Make green, yellow, orange and red. Even though the yolk is yellow, it still needs some yellow food coloring. Use a pastry brush and start with green. Add the yellow and the orange & finish with red. Do this with no fear and get messy! Let the colors overlap and make it FUN. The kids can help paint with abandon too. But really, I am a kid at heart, it’s so fun to play with food.

Note: Green and red make a murky brown, therefore, make sure to rinse your brush in between those colors.

As the pie bakes the colors fade and the edges brown a bit; in other words, it’s like watching fall leaves turn colors, but in your oven. How fun is that? For gluten free, follow the link to make my Gluten Free Pie Crust. However, roll out the gluten free pie dough onto parchment and freeze for 20 minutes before cutting. Re-freeze the gluten free cutouts after painting them before placing them onto the pie as the dough will tear too easily if at room temp.

Creating a leaf cutout pie crust can be done with ANY pie; don’t’ stop at apple! I do believe every pie has a story to tell and what a beautiful story this is. Fall is looking better and better already.

Print Recipe

Apple Slab Pie with Fall Leaves

Two varieties of tart apples with a touch of fresh cider are nestled into tender flaky crust with fall leaf pie crust cutouts. A true shout out to autumn!

Author: Portlandia Pie Lady

Equipment

• One 10 x 15 jelly roll baking sheet
• 3 -1/2 inch maple leaf cookie cutter
• 1 egg plus 2 tablespoons water for coloring leaves
• Food coloring – green, yellow, orange and red
• Parchment paper (to transfer bottom crust)
• Pastry brush

Ingredients

Apple Pie Filling

• 12 cups tart apples, cored, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (about 5 pounds, at least 2 varieties).
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup Clearjel, tapioca starch, or flour
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup apple cider (different variety apple if possible)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 2 tablespoons butter

Grandma's Pie Crust

• 4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups vegetable shortening (or butter, room temp is okay)
• 1 cup cold water

Instructions

Apple Pie Filling

• In a large bowl big enough for the 12 cups of apples, stir the sugar, starch, and spices together.
• Peel, core ,and chop the apples and measuring them about 2 cups at a time, tossing them into the sugar mixture. This will keep them from oxidizing.
• Once all the apples are added to the sugar, add the lemon juice and apple cider and set aside while you prepare the crust.

Grandma's Pie Crust & Pie Assembly

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and using a large serving fork cut in the shortening until crumbly/pea size. Add the water all at once, stir just until combined.
• Take about half of the dough, place on parchment dusted with flour, and roll out to 12 x 17 inches (for a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan). Invert the dough onto the pan, peel off parchment and fit into corners and trim extra around edges.
• With the other half of the dough, roll out to about 1/4 inch thick or ever so slightly thinner. Cut with cookie cutter. You will need about 32 leaves that are about 3-1/2 inches in size. Even though I do not advocate re-rolling pie crust, ever; you made need to do this to get the last few leaves.
• Prepare the egg wash with colors and using a pastry brush paint the leaves, green, yellow, orange and red, in that order. Paint with passion, get messy.
• Place your prepared apples into the bottom crust. Dot with the butter. Place the pie crust leaves on randomly and leaving spaces with apple filling exposed. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top.
• Bake for 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes before serving.

Notes

For Gluten Free Pie Leaves: 

Roll out the gluten free pie dough onto parchment and freeze for 20 minutes before cutting. Re-freeze the gluten free cutouts after painting them before placing them onto the pie as the dough will tear too easily if at room temp.