With a homemade buttery crust, cinnamon-spiced apple filling, and drizzle of maple icing, apple slab pie is always a crowd pleaser. Easier than traditional apple pie, roll this slab pie into any shape you want as long as it fits onto a sheet pan. Follow my step-by-step photos below for slab pie success!
Apple pie is a year-round must and there are a billion ways you can make it. Today, let’s make a slab pie version with a buttery, flaky crust and sweet apple filling, finished off with an optional maple glaze (homemade whipped cream or salted caramel would be wonderful, too!). I love slab pies because not only are they 100x easier than an actual pie, they’re essentially a giant pop-tart! We’ll bake the pie on a sheet pan—it’s thinner so there’s less filling in your “slice” but there’s more crust. If you’re a crust person, slab pie is for you.
5 Reasons to Make Apple Slab Pie
- Slab pie is cut into bars so it’s easy to slice, serve, and eat.
- Eat with a fork or hands.
- Slab pie feeds a crowd.
- Easier to freeze leftover slab pie bars compared to traditional pie slices.
- No strict measurements for rolling out the dough or complicated pie crust designs.
Slab Pie Crust
Start this recipe with the same pie crust used for mixed berry slab pie. This pie crust recipe is essentially my traditional all butter pie crust, but it yields 3 pie crusts instead of 2. (Slab pies are larger, so we need more pie dough.) You know I’m a cheerleader for the shortening and butter combination in pie crust, but I find this particular crust is fantastic for slab pie. It’s a wonderful balance of tender and crisp and browns beautifully in the oven.
The pie dough must chill for a couple hours, so it’s easiest to prepare the crust in advance. It can hang out in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for 3 months. When you’re ready to make the apple slab pie, don’t stress over rolling out the pie dough. Unlike traditional round pies, slab pies are no-fuss. Let the pie dough take on whatever shape, as long as it’s about 1/8-inch thick and can fit onto your baking pan.
Apple Slab Pie Filling
We use all familiar apple pie ingredients for today’s slab pie. For another fun alternative to apple pie, try my apple pie bars. I put salted caramel on those, too!
- Apples: I always recommend using a mix of apples for more complex flavor in each bite—a sweeter variety and a tart variety, too. For today’s apple slab pie I used a combination of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples. Here is a complete list of the best apples for baking. Peel the apples before chopping them into little bite-sized pieces. I find bite-sized pieces, rather than thin slices, are best for slab pie. (Same way I recommend cutting peaches for peach pie.) Since the pie is thinner, you can’t really layer the slices together to get enough apple in each bite.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness.
- Flour: A little all-purpose flour thickens the filling while it bakes.
- Lemon Juice: Adds brightness and prevents the apples from browning.
- Vanilla Extract: A splash of pure vanilla extract adds flavor. Try using homemade vanilla extract.
- Spices: Use a combination of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves—apple pie’s favorite flavors! Or try using the spice mixture from my apple pie with chai spices (1.5x each spice to have enough for today’s filling).
Once you spread the apple pie filling evenly on top of the bottom crust, place the second crust on top. Fold over the edges, seal it shut, and crimp them down. It’s all quite simple because if you’re using the correct size pan, you’ll have more than enough crust to work with to really seal those edges shut. See my how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial if you need extra help with this step.
Brush with a thin coating of egg-wash to achieve shiny, golden crust perfection! And don’t forget to slit some holes so the filling can breathe.
Optional Maple Icing
You only need 3 ingredients for today’s easy maple icing: confectioners’ sugar, pure maple syrup, and milk. While optional, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to whip up a batch—you can do this while the pie is cooling. Your house will smell like Thanksgiving and your mouth will be watering when that drizzle of glaze first hits the crust. The corner pieces of this apple slab pie with maple icing are the best because you get the most amount of pie crust possible. Dibs!
Instead of maple icing, serve with a drizzle of salted caramel, dollop of homemade whipped cream, or ice cream.
Best Pan for Apple Slab Pie
The most important part! Use the correct size pan. Any larger and you won’t have quite enough dough. Any smaller and you’ll have some overflow. You need a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan. It’s the same pan you need for pumpkin bars and pumpkin slab pie, too.
Apple Slab Pie with Maple Icing
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: about 18 slices
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Slab pies feed a crowd and this simple apple slab pie with maple icing is always a crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
Crust
- 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 and 3/4 cup (396g) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- 3/4 cup (180ml) very cold ice water
- egg wash: 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1Â Tablespoon (15ml) milk
- optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on top
Filling
- 10 cups peeled and chopped apples (about 4 – 5 lbs)*
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Glaze
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2Â Tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup
- enough milk or heavy cream to thin (a couple teaspoons)
Instructions
- Make the pie crust: Mix the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the butter. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK). A pastry cutter makes this step very easy and quick. Drizzle the cold water in, 1 Tablespoon (15ml) at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every Tablespoon (15ml) added. Do not add any more water than you need to. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. I always use about 3/4 cup (180ml) water. Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the butter pieces. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Form dough into a ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs using your hands. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (and up to 5 days) or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
- Make the filling: Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Roll out the chilled pie crust: Remove 1 disc of pie dough from the refrigerator.Keep the other in the refrigerator as you work. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into (roughly) an 18×13-inch rectangle. Make sure to turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls. Carefully place the dough into a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan; there will be overhang on the sides—trim it to be about 1 inch. Smooth the crust out so it fits nicely into all the corners of the pan.
- Spread filling evenly on top of crust.
- Roll out the 2nd pie dough disc in the same manner and size as the first. Drape over filling and fold the bottom crust’s overhang over the edges. Seal them shut with your fingers and crimp the pie crust edges with a fork. Cut slits into the top of the crust, then brush with a thin coating of egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake the slab pie for about 40-46 minutes until the crust is golden brown and you can see the filling bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on top of a wire rack for a few hours. You can serve this pie a little warm or at room temperature (or cold!).
- Before serving, whisk all of the glaze ingredients together and drizzle over pie. Cut into slices and serve. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The pie crust dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. Baked pie freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Pastry Cutter | Rubber Spatula or Wooden Spoon |Â Â 10×15-inch Jelly Roll Baking Pan | Rolling Pin | Pastry Brush | Cooling Rack
- Apples: Use a couple different apple varieties for best flavor—always a tart variety like Granny Smith and a sweeter variety like Pink Lady, Fuji, Honeycrisp, etc.
This came together just as described. It turned out beautifully. Will definitely make again!
Hi! Can you precook the apple filling so you don’t get the infamous pie gap?
Hi Sue, we haven’t had any issues with not pre-cooking the pie filling, but you certainly can if you prefer!
Nice, easy recipe. I did add walnuts and that was nice. However, although this crust was tasty and puffed nicely, bake this on a parchment lined half sheet pan. I cannot emphasize this enough. The butter oozed from the crust and smoked us out of the house! It was a giant mess. But it was still very nice and tasty
I am not able to chop things as well any more. Is it possible to use apples from the grocery store’s freezer?
Hi Diann! Frozen apples will usually let off too much moisture, which would lead to a soggy pie. You could try pre-cooking the apples a bit to try to simmer off some of the liquid, but we’re unsure of those results. There are some handy tools for cutting apples, like the Johnny Appleseed peeler/slicer that some home bakers swear by. Hope this helps!
I’d really like to make this in a 9×13 pan, so it has more filling per slice. Can I do that, and if so, does it change does it change the baking time.
Hi Kim, we haven’t tested it so we’re unsure of the best bake time, but it will be longer to accommodate the thicker layer of filling.
Have made many of your recipes – love them all – have you ever made your pie crust in a food processor- what’s your opinion?
Hi Betty, we find that a food processor can overwork pie dough too quickly and recommend making it by hand instead!
Hi! I have assembled apples for your apple pie and put the apple mixture in the freezer. I would like to do the same thing for this Apple Slab dessert. This recipe does not call for cooking the apples for 5 min, so I’m not sure if I can prep apples for this recipes and put in freezer. Meaning if I follow recipe I would mix cut up apple and spices and put in freezer. Thoughts? I’m trying to prep ahead and also rescue my apples that need to be used! Thank you!
Hi Susan, yes, you can prep the apples as written and freeze them for this dessert. Hope it’s a hit!
This is a fantastic recipe and perfect for taking to a potluck. I made a lattice top without the glaze and it turned out beautifully. The crust was amazing. This is one of several recipes of Sally’s that I and my daughter have used and we’ve always been pleased.
I am hosting my first Thanksgiving this year and I would like to use this recipe. However my family usually makes dutch apple pie. Do you think it would work if I used the Crumble Topping recipe from your Crumble Apple Pie on top rather than the top crust? Do you think I should double it?
I love so many of your recipes and your site is always my first stop when looking for something new!
Hi Patricia, we haven’t tried it ourselves, but we can’t see why not! We’d recommend 1.5x or 2x the crumb (if your family enjoys crumble topping, go for the 2x). Let us know how it goes and thank you for making and trusting our recipes!
Hi sally can this be made with frozen store bought puff pastry crust instead of pie crust? Wondering if the puff pastry could make it a bit on the lighter side.
Hi Kayla, I can’t see why not! I haven’t tested it myself though.
Could this be made with a lattice crust instead?
Absolutely!
Hi Sally. I cannot comment on this recipe, but actually have a question. I had a recipe for apple “strudel” a while ago, but the paper recipe got lost when we remodeled our kitchen. For years since, I have tried many slab pie and strudel recipes trying to find a similar option. The biggest difference in the recipe I had was that the crust stayed soft. It was made on a cookie sheet, filled with apple filling (double crust) and glazed with powdered sugar icing after. It did not have a pie-like crust, but soft and pastry like. I was just wondering if you have such a recipe.
I loved the chewy chocolate chip recipe you have. Yumm, and turned out perfect!!
Thank you.
Jill Boggs
Hi Jill, That sounds very similar to our pastry braid and you can definitely use apple filling. Let us know if you give it a try!
I am coming to this party late, but boy am I glad I found this recipe! I made this for my book club this week and everyone loved it and wanted the recipe! I also made your soft and thick snickerdoodle recipe and it was a huge hit! I have been searching for a thick snickerdoodle recipe for years; this will be my one and only from now on! Stuck some soft caramels in some too! Made your sprinkle sugar cookies as well. They tasted great, but were a bit flat, even though I refrigerated the dough. I will be trying your snickerdoodle cake recipe soon as well!
I gotta say, you know what you’re doing girl! Keep these great recipes coming!
Could I double this and use a regular size jelly roll pan?
Hi Sarah, that should work fine to double the recipe for a larger jelly roll pan, although for best results we’d recommend making the crust twice, using one for the bottom and one for the top.
I took this to my book club Today and everyone loved it!!
Wowza! I just made this and everyone told me it was literally the best pie they had ever eaten! Followed the recipe to a T and it turned out perfectly!
I made this today for my husband. When I sent him a picture of it, I got an OMG. He doesn’t do all caps so it’s something. Thank you for the inspiration
I am a longtime baker and pies are my thing. I even purchased new 10 x 15 in baking sheets. From my perspective I think the pastry was extremely skimpy. Rule of thumb is not to handle crust dough too much. Too much handling. If I ever make this again, I will use my regular crust.