Cranberry Apple Slab Pie
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Have you heard of the term “slab pie” before? I had not until a few months ago reading a magazine, and when I realized I had my Chicken Tamale Pie in my pie bakeware, an idea came to me and this Cranberry Apple Slab Pie happened. It has everything a round version has, but the dough is free formed and party ready!
Apples are big in this house and I thought with a few cranberries in the mix, this would be a great idea for Dave’s birthday who happens to be a apple pie kinda guy. Win, win.
It’s Friday and I have a fun dessert recipe for you guys. This is a great one for the upcoming holidays for family and friends, out of town guests stopping by etc.
A quick pastry dough gets made, rolled out and the filling sits on top. The other layer of dough gets topped and the edges crimped and sealed. A little egg wash, a sprinkling of turbinado or finishing sugar and in the oven it goes.
I don’t know about you, but I still can’t seem to get that pie spatula in the pan and remove a perfectly shaped slice! This takes care of that and allows everyone to grab a piece and eat with their hands really. Hand them a napkin, save a plate and call it a day. 🙂
I asked Dave what he wanted for his birthday and without a second of hesitation the words “apple pie” came out. It made me smile as the pie dough was already made and in the refrigerator firming up.
With a few friends coming over for dinner I figured this Cranberry Apple Slab Pie would do the trick for all.
With Fall in the air and cranberries at the market it was an obvious pick for me to add them to the apple pie. With a little lemon zest and a pinch of cinnamon this is a fantastic fruit filling.
We have been on a Honeycrisp apple kick as of late. I used them in my Baked Hasselback Apples and they are tart and hold up well. I hate a mushy apple when baked.
This dough is perfectly flaky, buttery and with that crunch on top from the turbinado sugar, it’s a great one for this cranberry apple filling.
Needless to say there was not one piece left. Hope you give this a try, enjoy!
Apple Cranberry Slab Pie
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- 16 tbsp unsalted butter cubed and chilled
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 4 Honeycrisp apples peeled cored and cut into 1/4-inch wedges
- 1 cup frozen cranberries
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon large egg beaten with 1 water
- turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse together 2 1/2 cups of the flour with 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle the ice water over the mixture and pulse until the dough just comes together. On a floured work surface, gather any crumbs and pat into 2 rectangles. Wrap each rectangle in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss the apples, cranberries, ginger, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of flour and cinnamon.
- On a floured work surface, roll out 1 piece of the dough into a rectangle or oval shape, roughly 12-inches in length. Keep other rectangle of dough in refrigerator. With pastry scraper or metal spatula, slide the dough onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the fruit evenly on the dough on the baking sheet, leaving a 1-inch border.
- Roll out other piece of dough into a rectangle or oval shape, roughly 12-inches in length. With pastry scraper or metal spatula, lift and ease the dough on top of the fruit. Fold over the edges and crimp with fork tines all around to seal. Brush the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cut 8-10 small slits in the top and freeze for 15 minutes.
- Bake the pie for about 50 minutes, until golden and the apples are tender. Let cool. Cut the pie into squares and serve.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Never heard of the term slab pie before either – your creation looks absolutely delicious and what a great Birthday treat! Love the sound of the dough and that you can prepare it easily ahead of time. Apple pie is always a winner in our household as well and the addition of cranberries is such a good idea 🙂
Thank you Miriam! The tart and sweet with a flaky crust is always a winner in my book. 🙂
What a great idea, Kevin. I’ve made slab pies many times before, but I’ve made them in a 13 by 11 baking pan. They come out more “deep dish.” I never thought to make one free form. I really like the looks of what you’ve done. The individual slices look a cross between a pastry and a pie. I really wish I could taste it!
That deep dish must be the Chicago in you Jeff 😉
I haven’t heard of a slab pie before but am so digging this rustic, no-fuss feel! By the way – Happy Birthday to Dave – Hope y’alls weekend is super happy :
Thanks Shashi, I’ll share your HB wishes. It’s actually cooling off here, so maybe Fall is finally in the air here! 🙂
Hey Kevin! Slab pies were always popular at family gatherings and church socials when I was a child. The combination of apples and cranberries makes a perfect fall dessert! Apple pie is Gary’s favorite too! Does that first piece of a traditional pie ever come out in one piece? I use the old school method of thickening fruit pies, tapioca. It is especially useful for berry pies.
Dorothy, that is a fantastic tip and one I had never heard before using tapioca! So using that, thanks! Hello to Gary! 🙂
Oh my – this is everything I want right now! I’ve yet to make an apple pie this season (very strange) but I think I’ll kick it off with this one! That crust is heavenly! Have a great weekend, my friend!
Well I hope this is the one to break in the season Annie. Cheers to a wonderful weekend, it looks amazing back where you live (loving the IG photos!) 🙂
I love a good slab pie and this version looks simply drool-worthy.
Thanks Alida, this is a winner combo for flavor, too! Cheers!
Now this sounds like my kind of pie! It holds together nice and easy…heck, I bet I could turn this one into finger food. Yum! I’ve never tried baking with honeycrisp, though. Mainly because they’re just too darned tasty to sacrifice to the baking gods. Maybe…just maybe…I can part with one this weekend though. Wish me luck!
It works so well for a group. Just slice it up, lay the baking sheet out and let people dig in. Oh Honeycrisp are my new favorite to bake with, though Gala are a close second. Have a great weekend Dave.
This looks delicious and perfectly rustic, which I love! I need a little work on my pastries and this looks like a lovely place to start. Love the kinda informal nature of it. I’ve never had a cranberry apple combo before and bet this is delicious. Plus, the colour of the filling is jus so preeeeeety. This just screams fall, don’t ya think? Pinned! Happy Birthday to Dave!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Oh Dawn, this is a fantastic dough. Super buttery to result in a super flaky crust. Will past the good wishes on to Dave, thanks and you guys have a wonderful weekend as well.
BTW… Been missing your posts in my feed to read and then went to your site in case I missed something. Taking a break? Love your food. 🙂 Cheers!
Hmm, so those things Dean and I knock together after dinner after dinner sometimes we called slab pies? Admittedly, we did use square sheets of store-bought pastry, but they were easy to make and quick to produce! Great way to use up older pieces of fruit, too!
If it was easier to get frozen cranberries in Australia, I’d be making one of these, as well!
Somebody always seems to have a name for something, right? Pie on a sheet is what I’ve always called it until I saw it in a magazine. Go figure! Oh man, I’d be lost without cranberries. I buy bags of them and freeze for throughout the year. I’d be happy to send some down, but know you’re on holiday. Have an espresso for me!
I love the rustic look and shape of this slab pie. I always have a hard time getting that flaky crust but yours looks delicious!
I so prefer freeform and handmade over the typical pans to use and this one is a great crust. I hope you give this pastry dough a try Karen!