Apple Puff Pastry Recipe (Pandowdy Lightened Up!)

An old-fashioned charmer similar to apple pie, this Apple Puff Pastry recipe is a lightened up version of a classic American dessert! It’s beyond easy to make, a real crowd pleaser and makes for the most perfect fall time and holiday dessert!

Apple pandowdy, or pan dowdy, is a classic American dessert, similar to an apple pie. It was popular in the 1800s and early 1900s. by definition, a cooked fruit dessert sweetened with maple syrup or molasses and topped with a pie pastry. The name refers to the act of “dowdying” the pie crust — that is, breaking it up with a knife and pressing it into the bubbling juices.

Perfect for apple season and one of the best ways to use up any extra apples you have lying around!! Great dessert for fall time or holidays, real crowd pleaser. This easy recipe is sure to impress, so its great if you’re not a pro baker because its hard to mess this one up!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS APPLE PUFF PASTRY RECIPE

• It’s like apple cobbler but way EASIER. One of my favorite apple recipes!
• A sweet filling of warm flavors, tender apples, sweet cinnamon spice under a bead of puff pastry dough!
• This apple puff pastry has been lightened up from its traditional version (lower calories, carbs, fats)
• Perfect dessert for the holidays are literally any time in the fall!
• A serious crowd FAVORITE!! Especially topped with some ice cream

INGREDIENTS FOR APPLE PUFF PASTRY

• Puff pastry sheet (so 1/2 of a 14-oz. package with two sheets) – you can find this in the dessert freezer section of your grocery store!
• Apples – I used honey crisp apples here because I think they’re perfect for baked apple desserts but you could also use any other variety that is good for baking (like Granny Smith apples, Braeburn, Jonagold). Try to avoid varieties like gala, fuji, or golden and red delicious.
• Lemon
• Brown sugar alternative – I used Brown Sugar Sweetener. You could use monk fruit, coconut sugar, whatever sweetener you fancy here!
• Light butter – I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.
• Flour – All-purpose or 1:1 gluten-free flour work best here! I recommend Bob Red Mill’s 1:1 or King Arthur’s measure for measure if using gluten-free flour. I have not tested this recipe with almond flour, oat flour, or whole grain flour, so i’m not sure if they’ll work. You can definitely try! Just note that it won’t have the same ‘bakery taste’ as it does when you use normal all purpose flour. A better option to regular whole wheat flour would be white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. I would not recommend using coconut flour for this recipe.
• Baking essentials: ground cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, salt
• Confectioners sugar – I used Swerve but any kind of confectioners sugar works great.
• Vanilla ice cream – optional but highly recommended! 😉

HOW TO MAKE THIS APPLE PUFF PASTRY RECIPE

1. Remove puff pastry from the freezer and thaw for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 9×13” dish with cooking spray. 
3. To a large bowl, add the apple slices. Toss with the lemon juice and zest. Then add the brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of the melted butter, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt and toss again to combine. Spread the apples out in an even layer in the baking dish. 
4. Gently unfold the puff pastry crust and transfer it to a lightly floured surface or cutting board. Roll the puff pastry sheet out to form a 12×16” inch rectangle (save the other sheet for another recipe). Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 1-inch equal squares. Add the squares evenly over top of the sliced apples. Press down any corners sticking up so they don’t burn. Brush the puff pastry with the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter. 
5. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake another 30 minutes or until the apples are soft and the bottom is bubbly. If it’s starting to brown too much at any point, you can cover the entire thing with aluminum foil. 
6. Using the back of a spoon, press golden brown puff pastry down into the warm juices (but don’t completely submerge). 
7. Serve warm, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or cool whip, and enjoy!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS APPLE PANDOWDY?

Apple pandowdy, or pan dowdy, is a one of the best classic American delicious apple desserts, similar to an apple tart. It was popular in the 1800s and early 1900s. by definition, a cooked fruit dessert sweetened with maple syrup or molasses and topped with a pie pastry. The name refers to the act of “dowdying” the crust — that is, breaking it up with a knife and pressing it into the bubbling juices. One of the best ways to use up any extra apples you have lying around!! Great dessert for fall time or holidays, real crowd pleaser.

CAN I MAKE THIS APPLE PUFF PASTRY RECIPE VEGAN?

This dessert is a great recipe to make vegan. Just use a vegan-friendly puffed pastry and plant based butter. 

CAN I MAKE THIS APPLE PUFF PASTRY RECIPE GLUTEN-FREE? 

You definitely can. It is easy to switch out the all purpose flour for 1:1 gluten-free flour, the puff pastry will just be the more challenging part. Gluten-free store-bought puff pastry is still hard to find in many places, but you can always make your own!

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Use fresh apples that are good for baking – yes there are better apples for baking than others! I used honeycrisp apples here because I think they’re perfect for baked apple desserts but you could also use any other variety that is good for baking (like Granny Smith, Braeburn, Jonagold). Try to avoid varieties like gala, fuji, or golden and red delicious.
• Serve Warm – this apple puff pastry is best served warm. You can serve it at room temperature but I think it’s way better warmed. You can always make in advance and reheat if you are short on time.
• Make ahead – if you wish to go ahead and cook this pandowdy in advance you most definitely can. Just go ahead and make it the day before serving and then reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F uncovered for about 10 minutes
• Add a little something on top – this dish is delicious but kind of has a bland topping. Make it more exciting by sprinkling a little bit of confectioners sugar, cinnamon sugar mixture, or caramel sauce over top! Add a scoop of ice cream when serving. 

PLAY AROUND WITH IT!

• Use a cookie cutter for the dough – use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes from the piece of puff pastry instead of just into small squares.
• Switch up the fruit – pears or a pear/apple combo would be amazing in this recipe! I also love combining the different kind of apples I used. Cherries, or strawberries or blueberries in the summer months!
• Add in fun additions – adding in different textures, like dried fruit or chopped nuts to the apple mixture really elevates this dish to a new level! 

MORE DELICIOUS DESSERT RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

• Simple, Homemade Healthy Apple Butter (Low Calorie, Low Sugar)
• Healthy Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Crumb Topping
• Apple Blondies with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
• Gluten-Free Apple Spice Churro Protein Donuts
• The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies

WANT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?

If you try this Apple Puff Pastry recipe and love it, please rate this recipe!

You can also tag me on Instagram or Tik Tok, @LaurenFitFoodie. It makes my day seeing your yummy recreations!