These Copycat McDonald’s Homemade Apple Pies are a surprisingly easy, 4 ingredient recipe that will have you wondering why you never made them before! These come together so easily, helped by store-bought pastry. The result is a crisp shell filled with delicious, warm caramel apple filling. These taste better and are healthier than the McDonald’s variety, especially since we bake them.
As with any pastry recipe, I tend to recommend store bought due to time and hassle. We don’t all have the time or inclination to make our own pastry. That said, if you’re looking to impress, do check out my rough puff pastry recipe, which is a super simple ‘cheats’ puff pastry!
The filling to these apple pies is just a simple apple, brown sugar and butter combo that gets cooked on the stovetop. The result is the classic soft, caramel-ly, rich filling that will fill your kitchen with the best smell! Make sure to drain off any excess liquid that could cause the pastry to go soggy – no soggy bottoms here!
Tips for the Best Copycat McDonald’s Homemade Apple Pies
- Puff Pastry: Keep your pastry in the fridge until you are ready to assemble and bake. Don’t let it come to room temperature. If you’d like a go at making your own, try my rough puff recipe.
- Apple Filling: Let this cool entirely before assembling otherwise it will melt the pastry.
- Apple Filling: When dicing the apples, make sure to keep the pieces pretty small for best results. Then, cook off with brown sugar and butter. Sometimes this creates lots of caramel at the bottom of the pan. If this happens, drain some of it so the pastry doesn’t get soggy!
- Egg Wash: This is entirely optional. Brushing pastry with beaten egg is what gives it an extra golden shine. However, you can sub for milk (vegan is fine) or simply omit.
- Veganise: You can make these vegan really easily! Simply buy vegan puff pastry, use vegan butter with the apples and brush with vegan milk!
For these Copycat McDonald’s Homemade Apple Pies I simply bake on standard baking trays. For more baking inspiration and videos, head on over to my Instagram.
Copycat McDonald’s Homemade Apple Pies
Ingredients
- 400 g Granny Smith Apples (about 5 medium apples, use any variety that holds crunch)
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 75 g Light Brown Soft Sugar
- 320 g Puff Pastry
- 1 Medium Egg, Beaten Optional (see notes)
Instructions
- Start by peeling and dicing your apples. Chop to about a 2 cm dice (fairly small). Place in a saucepan with the butter and sugar and cook on a medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, until soft and golden brown. Drain off any excess caramel liquid. Let cool.
- Once the apple filling is cool, preheat the oven to 200℃/180℃ fan.
- Roll out the pastry, and cut into 10 rectangles: do this by cutting into 5 strips and then cut along the middle so you have 5 'pairs' of pastry sheets.
- Spoon the apple mixture onto half of the pastry sheets, making sure to leave space at the edges. Press on another rectangle of pastry, and press together using a fork to form a sealed pie!
- Brush with beaten egg/milk if using. Then bake for about 20 minutes, until golden! Let cool a little, best served warm!
