Apple Pie Dessert Pizza Recipe

Apple pie is about as classic as it gets when it comes to a comforting dessert that everyone loves. The nostalgic aroma of cinnamon, apples, and a buttery crust is enough to make your mouth water as you get a whiff when you take the pie from the oven. In this apple pie dessert pizza recipe, you get those same cozy feelings and fragrances in a form that is a little more fun. The "pizza crust" is an oatmeal cookie base that has a soft and chewy texture and is a wonderful pairing with the tender cinnamon-simmered apples. We scatter golden streusel clusters on the surface, which provide a nice crunchy contrast to the saucy apples, and a simple icing drizzled on top ties it all together.

We press the oat mixture straight into a skillet, which eliminates the need for the rolling and crimping process that a traditional crust would involve, and you can even just serve it straight from the pan. If you want to make the crust the day before, either refrigerate the crust in a covered bowl, or press it into the skillet, cover, and refrigerate it so it's ready to be filled the next day, and your kitchen will be filled with the smell of sweet, spicy, buttery apples in no time.

To make this recipe, start by selecting either Honeycrisp or Granny Smith Apples. These crisp kinds of apple work well here, but if you want to use other apple varieties, there are many good options. If you have a surplus of apples, feel free to use a juicer to extract the juice needed in this recipe instead of purchasing apple cider. You'll need rolled oats for the crust. It is important to avoid using quick oats, as they will absorb the liquid more quickly and make the crust soggy.

You'll need several baking basics like all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, cornstarch, and confectioner's sugar. Grab some unsalted butter and whole milk from the dairy case, then finish your store run with maple syrup and lemon juice.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Stir together the oats, 1 cup of the flour, ½ cup of the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the baking soda in a large bowl.

Pour in ¾ cup of the melted butter a little at a time, stirring until the mixture holds together when pressed between your fingers.

Press the mixture into a 12-inch cast iron skillet in an even layer, building a slightly raised rim around the edge.

Chill the crust for 15 minutes.

Bake the crust until the edges are set and the center looks dry, about 12 minutes.

Peel and chop the apples into ½-inch cubes

While the crust chills and bakes, combine the apple cider, maple syrup, cornstarch, lemon juice, and remaining cinnamon in a medium pot on low heat for 5 minutes.

Add the apples to the pot, stir and cook for 15-20 minutes until the apples are tender.

Remove the apples from the heat and let them cool while you make the streusel.

Stir together the remaining flour, remaining brown sugar, remaining salt, and remaining butter in a medium bowl.

Spread the apple filling evenly over the baked crust.

Scatter the streusel over the apples in small clusters, leaving gaps so the filling shows through.

Bake until the streusel is golden brown and the filling bubbles around the edges, about 20 minutes.

Whisk together the confectioners' sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth and thick but pourable.

Drizzle the icing over the pizza in zigzag lines.

Slice into wedges and serve.

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You are not limited to using a cast iron skillet when making the dessert pizza, though it does provide a lovely rustic appearance. Cast iron produces good results because it contains heat so well and gives the oat crust a golden and crisp edge, but if you don't have one, you have several other options. A 12- or 14-inch pizza pan will work. Ideally, use one that has a small rim so the filling stays in place. A tart pan with a removable bottom is also suitable and will make removing the dessert pizza simple. Both of these options will cook faster, so you'll need to reduce the cooking time for the crust by about 5 minutes and the second bake by about 12 minutes.

If you don't have either of those round options, a glass 9 x 13-inch pan will work, although you give up the pizza shape and you'll end up with more of a layered bar cookie — it will still be delicious, though. If you use a glass pan, grease the pan heavily with butter or use parchment paper to line the dish. The baking time will increase a bit, so keep an eye on it while it's baking. The edges should be dry and pull away from the edges after the first bake.

To save some time, you can use a store-bought premade cookie dough instead of baking your crust from scratch. The best choice is refrigerated oatmeal cookie dough. You'll need one 16-ounce package to cover a 12-inch pizza pan. This will be thinner than if you make a homemade crust, so use two packages for a thicker crust, and it will also be better suited for the cast iron skillet method. You'll need to add a few minutes to the bake time.

Using sugar cookie dough will also work and will deliver a softer and sweeter pizza crust. Use two packages for a thicker crust for this one too. Because sugar cookies are much sweeter than the oatmeal cookie base, you may not need to add the icing at the end: You should have plenty of sweetness without it.

You can also use a store-bought standard pizza crust. It will give you a lighter, chewier, less-sweet crust rather than a rich cookie crust. If you buy it in a refrigerated can, simply roll it out as outlined in the directions. If you buy a pound of dough or make it by hand, let it come to room temperature on the counter for 20 minutes before stretching it onto the pan.

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