Faux Apple Pie – My improved version of a classic recipe
The original Faux Apple Pie recipe is the stuff of legends. But sometimes even legends can be improved. 
I’d heard about the famous “mock apple pie” for years, but never having made it for myself, I was more than skeptical. At a book signing in Knoxville, Tennessee a few years back a precious older lady pulled me aside and told me that she’d lost her recipe for mock apple pie and asked if I had a recipe I’d share with her. As soon as I got home, it was time to get into the kitchen and that is how my Faux Apple Pie came to be.
I found the classic recipe but it seemed to be lacking a bit so I added more crackers (to make a fuller pie), and amped up the flavor with the addition of vanilla, a little bit of butter, more lemon juice, and the spices I would normally use in an apple pie. I also changed up the assembly of the pie, letting the crackers soak in the syrup a bit before adding the filling to the pie crust to keep it from becoming soggy. After all of that, I held my breath while it baked, hoping that my home economics degree would pay off.
The result has managed to fool every single person who has tasted it. Even after making it, I can’t help but feel disbelief every time I have a bite. Go ahead and give up on convincing people the small bits inside this pie aren’t apples. This is just one of those kitchen miracles that I encourage you to try for yourself!
You’ll need: a package of rolled pie crusts, some lemon juice, Ritz crackers, sugar, all purpose flour, cinnamon, vanilla, allspice, cream of tartar, and butter.
As always, the printable version of this recipe is at the bottom of this post.
Preheat oven to 425. Roll out one crust in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate and set aside.
Place 1.5 cups water, two cups sugar, flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and allspice in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil.
Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat. Add in lemon juice, 3 tablespoons butter, and vanilla. Stir. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
Coarsely break the crackers and place them in a medium sized, heat proof bowl.
Pour syrup over the crackers and stir until well coated.
Allow to soak for five minutes. 
Pour the cracker mixture into the pie crust. 
Top with remaining crust and crimp the edges with your fingertips or a fork to seal. Cut a few vents in the top of the pie and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a microwave safe bowl and brush over the top of the pie crust. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
Bake until golden, 30-35 minutes.
This is delicious on it’s own or topped with your favorite vanilla ice cream.
Prepare to be amazed!
Ingredients
- 1 package 14.1 ounces rolled pie crusts (the box had two pie crusts in it)
- 2 cups plus one tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 60 Ritz Crackers about two sleeves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425. Roll out one crust in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate and set aside.
- Place 1.5 cups water, two cups sugar, flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and allspice in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil.
- Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat. Add in lemon juice, 3 tablespoons butter, and vanilla. Stir. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
- Coarsely break the crackers and place them in a medium sized, heat proof bowl. Pour syrup over the crackers and stir until well coated. Allow to soak for five minutes.
- Pour the cracker mixture into the pie crust. Top with remaining crust and crimp the edges with your fingertips or a fork to seal. Cut a few vents in the top of the pie and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a microwave safe bowl and brush over the top of the pie crust. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
- Bake until golden, 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!
Nutrition
“Jealousy is counting someone else’s blessings instead of you own.” ~Unknown
Check out my Faux Pecan Pie recipe here!
I have never heard of this one until I saw your blog. Thanks for an unusual pie.
Thank you, thank you! for posting this recipe. It brought back such fond memories of me standing on a chair helping my Mom make these pies, 6 at a time. My Dad was a transportation manager and his ‘boys’ used to beg to have this. Three or four times a year my Mom would bake up a big batch for them. She was always sending something to her ‘sons’ (my parents had no boys, only three very rambunctious girls – so the boys at work were VERY spoiled). Soups, stews, casseroles and meat pies when the weather was cold. Stacks of cold meatloaf sandwiches and potato salad in the summer. And a cake any time there was a birthday, or anniversary, or a new baby to celebrate. All of it home made. I don’t know who enjoyed it more – my parents or the guys. But the apple pie was always a fav. They would argue – was THIS the time Mrs. L put real apples in to fool us? Almost 60 years ago, but I can see it like it was yesterday. Thanks Christy.
This looks good! I made a mock Apple years ago when I was a young teenager. I learned that reading and following directions were very important… if you add the lemon juice before bringing it to a boil, instead of after… you get a lemon pie instead of apple! Lol imagine the shock to the taste buds!
LOL, it is funny how we learn things the hard way. Was the “Lemon Pie” good though?
My Dear Christy,
Some of the most beautiful words in the English language are (and I quote you) ‘a little bit of butter’!
Smiles and Hugs directed your way!!
Rachel
Blessings and Hugs back to you Rachel!!
Make a mock apple pie using zucchini. Half the peeled zucchini length-wise, remove seeds with a spoon; slice. Partially precook the zucchini, I use the microwave. The most important step is to thoroughly drain the zucchini. I pat dry with paper towels. Add your usual mixture of apple pie seasonings, cinnamon, sugar, etc. to the zucchini. Finish up using your apple pie recipe.
This is a great way to use zucchini. My husband thought this was the best apple pie he ever ate. I did not tell him it was zucchini until after he finished eating the pie. Try searching “Zucchini Mock Apple Pie” for a complete recipe online.
Wow, yours looks way more like an actual apple pie. Some people ask why make a pie using crackers instead of apples, well, because it is fun to fool folks with this pie. The pie first showed up in cookbooks in the 1800’s and used saltine crackers. Nabisco introduced the buttery Ritz cracker in 1934. Thy started printing the Mock Apple Pie recipe on the box during WWII.
Thanks for sharing the history of the pie Barbara!!
I bet raisins added would be wonderful too,
Let me know if you try it Heather!