Apple Cheddar Pie

Sweet cinnamon spiced apple pie goes savory with a tender & flaky, salty extra sharp cheddar crust. You will never make plain ol' apple pie again after tasting this mouthwatering holiday favorite.

Jump to:

• This pie starts with my Cheddar Pie Dough recipe
• What is Cheddar Pie Crust?
• Ingredients for the Apple Pie filling
• How to roll pie dough & transfer it into a pie dish
• Tips for shaping pies
• How to weave a pie crust lattice
• Freezing whole pies
• Recipe
• Comments

This Apple Cheddar Pie was inspired by a gift from my Great Grammy

Way back when I was in high school, a thousand years ago, my Great Grammy sent me a copy of Good Housekeeping Best Recipes 1998 as a Christmas gift. She must have known something I didn't because my cooking/baking skills at that point consisted of microwaved bagel bites, blue box mac n cheese, and roll-your-own, prepackaged pie dough.

I packed it away into my hope chest with the rest of my adulthood preparedness kit. I didn't crack the spine until Thanksgiving a few years later when I was with my then boyfriend, now husband, in our first sorry excuse for an apartment.

When I came upon a recipe for Vermont Cheddar Pie in my Grammy gifted cookbook, my guileless mind and palette were blown. So, I took on the challenge and made probably the ugliest, most humble pie ever baked.

The crust was a wreck; uneven, overworked, and as far from flaky as possible. However, even back then I recognized that there was something special about this recipe. After years of practice and adaptation, my Apple Cheddar Pie recipe has been gracing our Thanksgiving and Christmas tables for nearly 2 decades.

This pie starts with my Cheddar Pie Dough recipe

My legendary Apple Cheddar Pie, like any good pie, starts with a trusted basic pie crust. This apple pie begins with my flaky and flavorful Cheddar Pie Dough which is rooted in my foolproof All Butter Vodka Pie Dough recipe. Both are tried and true pie crust recipes that bake up crisp and tender.

My mamma always said, an apple pie without cheese, is like kiss without a squeeze.

This old adage may be a new concept to some but for many of us it's a nonnegotiable. I can't even remember what Apple Pie without cheese tastes like. Many folks will melt a slice of cheddar cheese over their apple pie. But this Apple Cheddar Pie recipes bakes that sharp cheddar right into the pie dough. Peppering the crust with warm baked cheddar flavor. It levels up the idea of apple pie and cheddar cheese to a flavor experience like nothing else.

What is Cheddar Pie Crust?

Simply put, it's a simple pie crust recipe that incorporates sharp cheddar cheese, adding big cheddar flavor and crispiness. The longer answer, Cheddar Pie Crust is a transcendent pie crust that will take your pies, galettes and hand pies to new flavor planes you never knew possible. As the crust bakes, the cheddar and butter join forces, giving off warm cheesy flavor depth. The sharp cheddar crisps up as the in the oven, offering an ultra crisp flakiness. It compliments an apple or pear pie filling like a dream.

Now that we've fully covered the crust, let's talk apple pie filling. This Apple Cheddar Pie is filled high with freshly sliced apples. There isn't a whole lot happening in this filling as I like to allow the natural sweetness and seasonal fall apple flavor shine in this pie.

Ingredients for the Apple Pie filling

• Apples. Certain apple varieties tend to be better baking apples than others. In this Apple Cheddar Pie recipe, I prefer to use a mix of tart Granny Smith apples and naturally crisp and lightly sweet Honeycrisp apples. They both hold up well to the heat of the oven and offer a nice blend of flavors when paired together.
• Brown sugar & granulated sugar. This apple pie filling uses a blend of both brown sugar for richness and white sugar for soft sweetness. You can dial in the sweetness here, less sugar for a more natural apple flavor or a bit more for a sweeter finish.
• Lemon zest & juice add brightness to the apple filling. Just a bit of zesty lemon turns up the brightness on the natural apple flavors.
• Ground Cinnamon gives the filling some nice warm spiciness. It's up to you how far you want to push the warmth. Keep it minimal by adding just a teaspoon or go deep with the warmth by blending in a whole tablespoon of cinnamon.
• Tapioca flour or cornstarch help to thicken the filling if it's leaning towards too juicy. While not totally necessary, a tablespoon helps that filling thicken as the pie bakes. Fighting off soggy bottoms.
• Butter bits. I like to dot the filled pie with a bit more butter before adding the top crust. It gives the apple pie filling a luxurious depth.

Handy tools & simple techniques make pie shaping easy breezy

I have a few favorite tools for pie baking. Since I often bake this Apple Cheddar Pie in the fall, I like to add little leafy details with the extra pie dough. Waste not, that excess pie dough is your best pal in pie designs.

• Rolling Pin. I prefer something substantial when it comes to rolling pins. This straight dowel style rolling pin helps to roll dough out in a uniform thickness. Since there is no taper or handles, this pin doesn't rock from side to side. It just takes some gentle pressure to roll pie dough out evenly.
• Pastry wheel or pizza wheel. When used in tandem with a straight edge, a pastry or pizza wheel cuts through pie dough like a champ!
• Straight edge. I have had this metal ruler since studying interior design in college. Nowadays I use it to cut straight strips of pie dough.
• Pie pan. While you can use a glass or ceramic pie dish, I prefer an aluminum pie pan since I often freeze my pies whole before baking. This way you don't run the risk of an exploding pan dish when the cold glass or ceramic hits the hot oven.
• Pie crust cutters. You can find these handy little tools in all kinds of shapes. I love using my leaf pie crust cutters to quickly and precisely cut little leaves to top my fall pies.

However you decide to shape your pie crust, it all starts with the bottom crust. You want to roll out that bottom pie dough round about 1"-2" wider than your pie dish so you have some overhang to crimp or flute.

How to roll pie dough & transfer it into a pie dish

Once that bottom pie crust in place you can start planning out your upper pie crust design. Classically I have used the pie leaf cutters to make a fancy leaf laden crust for this Apple Cheddar Pie. But, the past few years I have been mixing a classic lattice and adding a few pie dough leaves to the woven pie pattern. Have fun with it and try not to let it stress you out too much!

Shape this double crusted pie in any design your heart desires

Since I've been baking this Apple Cheddar Pie for so long, I have tried all kinds of different designs with the top crust. Everything from a simple vented double crust with crimped edges to lattice top to my signature leaf laden crust design. It's really a choose your own adventure here. Of course, I offer some ideas for pie design techniques.

Tips for shaping pies

• Have fun with it! Pies are supposed to be rustic. If the crust cracks or gets a little wacky just roll with it. You can always use a bit of water to glue the crust back together.
• Give yourself space. You need a large, clean and flat surface for rolling out pie dough. I love using a marble slab to roll out my dough as it keeps the dough slightly chilled, which helps it from warming up too quickly.
• Pliability is key. If your pie dough is too warm, it may become sticky and floppy. If pie dough is too cold, it could be brittle and break or crumble. That being said, chill the dough in the fridge if it starts to get too warm. Or if it's too firm, let it be until it feels pliable.
• Practice makes perfect-ish pies. Remember that I have been making this pie for 2 decades so I have a whole lot of practice shaping and baking pies. Don't be discouraged if your first few pies look like a hot mess. With this pie recipe, the flavors are all there. So no matter how messy your pie crust may look, it will still taste great!

How to weave a pie crust lattice

You'll need about 10, 1" thick pie dough strips. 5 for each direction of the lattice. You can also use thinner strips but I suggest starting with wide strips and working up to skinnier strips eventually. I recently learned this trick for shaping your lattice first on a sheet of parchment paper, chilling it, then sliding the chilled lattice on top of your pie from my fellow baker, recipe developer and Great American Baking Show winner Martin Sorge. Thank you for sharing this handy pie tip, Martin!

Weaving the pie strips on a sheet of parchment paper makes it easier to visualize the weave and fix it if you mess up. You can absolutely weave directly on the pie too. See how in my Stone Fruit Pie recipe.

Crimp the edges

We are almost there! You just need to trim off the excess dough. Tuck the rim and crimp the edges. To form a crimped edge, pinch the rim between your index finger & thumb of one hand and the tip or knuckle of your index finger on the other hand around the entire rim.

Now that we've got that weave down comes the fun part! Scoop up those scraps, gather them into a ball and roll out. Then use those cute little pie cutters to cut pie dough leaves. Or you can even cut them by hand, I have done that before.

Add the details

Freezing whole pies

Once the Apple Cheddar Pie is shaped, I like to firm it up in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before baking. This pie can also be frozen for weeks/months ahead of time at this stage. Place the whole pie on a baking sheet in the freezer until it is frozen solid. Then carefully wrap the pie in multiple layers of plastic wrap followed with a layer of foil to keep freezer burn at bay. Stash that pie in your freezer until you are ready to bake. This is an especially handy make ahead tip for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

How to shape a leafy pie crust

The sharp cheddar pie crust and warmly spiced cinnamon apple filling is a delightful combo you simply need to experience. This Apple Cheddar pie is my most prized recipe of all time. It brings me such joy to share this pie recipe with you all. We have my Great Grammy to thank for having the foresight to give me the gift baking inspiration way back in the 90s!

This Apple Cheddar Pie brings big flavor & texture no matter how you decorate it.

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