This Paper Bag Apple Pie is amazing and so simple to make. A delicious crumb topping and simple, flaky pie crust. Add a scoop of ice cream and drizzle of caramel sauce and you have an amazing dessert.
Apple pie baked. . . how?
Yes, in a paper bag!
Are you asking why?
Because it turns into the most amazing pie ever with a glorious flaky crust, and perfectly cooked apple filling.
I think the smell of apple pie baking is one of the most amazing, comforting and heart warming smells ever.
If I could, I’d bake an apple pie every single day just so my house would have that heavenly scent. But that would be an awful lot of pie to eat, so I’ll just have to settle with my candle warmers doing the job.
Anyway, this pie is one of my all time favorite apple pies ever. I remember the first time I made it, I was so intrigued by the fact that you bake in a paper bag. I wasn’t sure how it was going to crisp up baking inside the bag, but it does and it’s delicious, and fabulous, and ridiculously good. Just look at that yummy topping.
If you have a pie crust phobia, no need to worry because I promise this crust is so simple to make. There is no rolling required. You just combined all the ingredients and press it into the pie plate. Easy peasy! And it is the most flaky, delicious crust.
This has been my go-to apple pie for years. It’s not complicated, it’s incredible and the gooey mess from it bubbling over stays in the bag (lol!).
Isn’t that the most beautiful thing? The streusel topping bakes up nice and golden brown. It’s sweet, buttery and soooo fabulous!
You’ll want to devour this entire pie all by yourself. Well, at least I always want to. And if the pie isn’t good enough on it’s own, try adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream (duh, no brainer) and caramel sauce. . . I’m speechless.
With the holidays just around the corner, you need this pie in your life. Your family will thank you.
What are the best kind of apples to use?
My favorite apples to use in any apple pie are Granny Smith. I love their texture and the little bit of tartness always helps offset the sweetness of pies. Honey Crisp are another good choice, but go ahead and use what you love.
A few baking tips:
- If your pie dish is bigger than a 9-inch, the pie dish may not be as full, so you might want to slice a couple extra apples.
- This isn’t a pie dough that needs to be rolled out. Be sure to just pat the dough into the bottom and sides of the dish with your fingers. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth because it’s just going to be covered up with the delicious pie filling.
- Don’t forget to place the entire bag with the apple pie in it on a large cookie sheet and make sure the paper bag isn’t touching the sides of the oven.
- No peeking! The beauty of the brown bag method is that it helps seal in all the delicious flavor and juice. I know it might be tempting, but don’t open the bag while it’s cooking and let the bag work its magic.
Enjoy!
PrintPaper Bag Apple Pie
- Total Time: 110 minutes
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings 1x
Description
This Paper Bag Apple Pie is so amazing and so simple to make. A little scoop of ice cream and drizzle of caramel sauce and you have an amazing dessert.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons cold milk
Filling:
- 6 cups peeled & sliced apples
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Topping:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, oil and milk together with a pastry blender until crumbly (you can also use a food processor). Press into a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.
Filling:
- In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well and pour into the pie shell.
Topping:
- Using a pastry blender or food processor, combine the flour, sugar and cold butter. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle mixture evenly on top of pie. Carefully place the entire pie into a large paper bag and seal with staples or paper clips. Carefully place on a large cookie sheet and bake for 90 minutes.
- Carefully remove the pie from the paper bag (you can use scissors to cut the top of the bag open or just remove the staples/paper clips and carefully pull it out from the opening.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream & caramel sauce (if desired).
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Pies & Pastries
BE SURE AND PIN THIS TO YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS SO YOU CAN MAKE IT LATER.
Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from A Pinch of Salt Lake Cookbook (one of my favs!)
Originally posted October 2017
I made this tonight and really liked it, but it was way too much nutmeg. Next time I will add more cinnamon and less nutmeg.
Hi Jennie! My apologies to you. I just realized that when I typed the recipe, I forgot to change the amount of nutmeg. The original recipes calls for 1 1/2 teaspoons, but I thought it was too much also, so I add 1/2 teaspoon. I just completely forgot to make that change when I was typed in the recipe. So sorry!! I’ve fixed it on my site.
This was FABULOUS!!!! This recipe is a godsend for me….I love pie but hate making traditional pie crusts. Thank you! I could have easily eaten the whole pie myself….it is that good! I love your blog….every recipe I have tried of yours has been a winner so I know that if you like something I will too!
Hi Jessica, thank you so much for the sweet comment. It always makes me happy to hear my recipes are loved by others. I only post recipes my boys love, but everyone’s tastes are different, so thank you again for the encouraging words. I’m so glad you loved this pie. I could eat the entire pie myself too. I love how simple the pie crust is too. I guess you’ll have to make it for Thanksgiving now. Take care and thanks again!
My boys are the true taste testers too (I don’t have FIVE boys….only two ages 15 and 12). And, yes, this pie is already on my Thanksgiving line up although I may be making it sooner than that :)!
Yeah, you’d better do another trial run, just to make sure it turns out as good (lol!).
Turned out amazing! I’m sold on the technique. Have you ever attempted to bake a berry pie with this method?
Hi Alicia! I’m so happy to hear this pie turned out. It’s one that you really can’t mess up. I haven’t tried baking a berry pie this way, but it’s actually on my list of things to do. I’ll let you know how it goes, but if you beat me to it, let me know how it turns out. Thanks for leaving a comment, I always enjoy reading them.
It’s been a long time! However, the berries Worked great! I used a variety of mixed berries and apples. I added a little more flour. Sooooo good!!!
Hey Alicia, I’m so excited to hear you tried this with mixed berries and that it worked great. I am definitely going to try it now. Thanks for letting me know.
If the top is not golden brown in the bag in the 90 min. Do you suggest taking it out and letting it finish Browning?
Hi Crystal! You could take it out or leave it in the bag another 10 minutes or so, it’s totally up to you. Mine has always been golden brown on top after the 90 minutes, but everyone’s ovens are different.
I had my back turned slicing a piece of this pie and I heard “oh my gosh”! I thought the cats were eating something they shouldn’t or something had broken, but it was Nathan taking a bite of this amazingly easy dessert! We all loved it!
This is an amazing pie! Everyone should try it! My husband is in love!
Thanks Karen! I am so happy you made and loved this! I love how this makes the house smell when it’s baking! Thanks for letting me know you made this! Take care and be safe.
You have hit it out of the park again!! We have a bounty of apples from our tree and I was in search of a pie recipe. A friend had posted the brown bag method, which intrigued me. Your blog is one of my go-to for desserts, so I looked up apple pie on your site… and there was the brown-bag apple pie! I typically do not spend time on crust, since you can get great pre-made (Trader Joes!!). I tried your technique rather than subbing a pre-made crust. Super easy and the whole pie turned out delicious!! Thank you!
Hi Karen! You are so sweet! Thank you for the nice comment and I’m so glad you made this pie. It’s one of my favorites and turns out every single time. It’s so simple to make and tastes amazing! Thanks for taking the time to leave comments, I seriously love hearing from readers. Take care.
Hi Jodi, looks so yummy. I want to try for Thanksgiving, but what kind of paper bag do you use? Like a paper grocery bag?
Hi Teresa! Yes, just use a large paper grocery bag. I will add that in the post, thanks for askin. Hope you’re going well! I always love hearing from you.
This method of baking a pie has made the Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago Wi famous. They ship all over the United States. I found out about the brown paper bag. It is best to use one with no lettering on it. Plain paper bags in the oven will not burn.
I’m trying to replicate the pie from Elegant Farmer – it has like a sugar cookie topping – is this topping like that or more like a crumble topping?
Hi Anne! This is more like a sugar cookie topping, not a crumble topping.