Forget Traditional Apple Pie: This Easy Strudel Uses A Store-Bought Shortcut

When the seasons begin to turn, with the air taking on that autumnal crisp, and the boughs of the trees hanging heavy with ripe fruit, apple pie almost seems inevitable. Its sweet, tart, and perfectly spiced filling, paired with its crisp, buttery crust are an undeniable part of the season, but even such closely held traditions can sometimes welcome change. In the case of apple pie, that might mean swapping out that time-consuming, old recipe for something that allows a few shortcuts, as is the case with our simple apple strudel recipe that features store-bought pastry.

No one wants to entirely eschew apple pie, the perfect American dessert, but it can be a pretty painstaking process to make one. This Dutch apple pie recipe, for example, requires 30 minutes of prep, over an hour in the oven, and then three hours of resting time before it is ready to be served — that's close to five hours between the pantry and the plate. The simple strudel mentioned above, on the other hand, needs just an hour to prepare and 20 minutes to rest. Part of that comes down to the way a strudel is constructed compared to a pie, and part of it comes down to the strudel's clever use of ready-made, frozen puff pastry to encase its apple filling.

It may look a bit different than a pie, but this strudel is hands down one of the best classic apple desserts. Green apples are cooked with plenty of butter, brown and white sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, allspice, and raisins to make a thick and saucy filling, which is then carefully encased in puff pastry and sent into the oven. The result, of course, hits all those same apple pie notes, but requires much less time and effort.

Replacing the apple pies of autumn with apple strudel may be breaking with tradition a bit, but if swapping in a new recipe built around a simple, store-bought ingredient means enjoying more rich, warm apple desserts this fall, it is certainly one worth exploring. And since we're deviating from the norm, it's worth noting that strudel filling is every bit as open to interpretation as pie filling. Of the countless ways to elevate homemade apple pie, many of them work just as well with strudel. For example, a touch of sour cream in the filling can deliver not just creaminess, but also an added tartness, whereas a splash of rosewater can lend a delicate floral note that both surprises and delights.

Just like how the strudel filling can be personalized, so too can the toppings. The crisply baked puff pastry of the dessert is a perfect place to situate a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but strudel also works well with all of those creative apple pie toppings that aren't ice cream. Whether that means a dollop of cinnamon whiskey-infused whipped cream, a drizzle of rich crème anglaise, or even a slice of melted sharp cheddar cheese, if you can do it with apple pie, odds are that it'll work here, too.

It doesn't matter if you make it by the book or work in all of your favorite creative flourishes. When that autumnal dessert craving hits, the delicious ease of our simple apple strudel recipe is exactly what you're looking for.