Apple Pie Dessert Pizza

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A giant snickerdoodle cookie is topped with marshmallow buttercream and homemade apple pie filling in this decadent Apple Pie Dessert Pizza! Finished off with a drizzle of caramel sauce and crunchy chopped pecans, it’s the ultimate fall treat.

A Heavenly Apple Dessert Pizza

Apple picking is one of my favorite fall activities – partly because it’s a fun way to get in some quality family time, but mostly because of all the yummy treats I make with my signature stovetop apple pie filling! And this particular treat is 12-16 slices of apple pie bliss. Plus, it’s super easy to make!

The snickerdoodle cookie crust is soft and chewy, the marshmallow frosting is creamy and fluffy, and the apple pie filling really speaks for itself. The apples are spiced with cinnamon, sweetened with maple syrup and brown sugar, then softened to perfection on the stove. Once it’s all assembled, drizzled with caramel sauce and garnished with chopped pecans, you’ve got an indulgent fall dessert like none other.

What is Dessert Pizza?

The typical dessert pizza is made with a classic pizza crust and whichever sweet toppings you’d like to add to it. Many dessert pizzas are topped with cream cheese frosting and fruit or hazelnut spread and marshmallows, but the possibilities are truly endless. This crave-worthy apple version reaches a whole new level of amazingness with its sweet cookie crust and its festive fall toppings!

Recipe Ingredients

Everything you’ll need to make this dreamy dessert pizza is listed in the subsections below. Let’s jump right in!

For the Snickerdoodle Cookie Base

• Unsalted Butter
• Granulated Sugar
• Large Egg
• Vanilla Extract
• All-Purpose Flour: If necessary, use 1:1 gluten-free flour instead.
• Baking Soda
• Cream of Tartar: This ensures a soft and chewy cookie.
• Cinnamon: You can’t have a snickerdoodle cookie without cinnamon!

For the Stovetop Apple Pie Filling

• Sliced Apples: I like to use Granny Smith apples for my pie filling – they’re nice and crisp, which prevents them from getting mushy during the cooking process. They’re also on the tarter side of the spectrum, which keeps them from tasting too sweet after the maple syrup and brown sugar are added. Other good options include Fugi, Gala, Honeycrisp and Mcintosh.
• Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed.
• Pure Maple Syrup
• Light Brown Sugar: You can use dark brown sugar instead if you prefer a more robust flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour
• Cinnamon

For the Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

• Unsalted Butter
• Marshmallow Creme: Use your favorite brand like Jet-Puffed or someththing similar
• Powdered Sugar
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Garnishes (Optional): I always round out this treat with a generous drizzle of caramel sauce and some chopped pecans, but you can leave these off if you’d like.

How to Make Apple Pie Dessert Pizza

Now that you’ve got your ingredients gathered, let’s discuss how to bring this standout dessert to life. There’s no expertise required!

Make the Cookie Base

1. Beat Butter & Sugar: Beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until well creamed together.
2. Add Egg & Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract and combine until the egg is well beaten.
3. Combine Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar in a separate bowl.
4. Add to Wet Ingredients: Slowly add the combined dry ingredients to the wet ingredient mixture and beat on medium-low speed until the dough is well combined.
5. Chill Dough: Remove the cookie dough from your mixing bowl and form it into a large ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes to an hour.
6. Heat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Coat Dough in Cinnamon Sugar: Combine the cinnamon and sugar on a large plate. Remove the dough from the plastic and roll it into the cinnamon sugar until it’s well coated.
8. Form Crust: Roll out the cookie dough onto a lightly floured surface. It’s helpful to roll it in between two sheets of parchment paper so the dough does not stick. Roll the dough into a circle until it’s about 1/4-inch thick. Spread additional cinnamon sugar overtop the dough.
9. Bake: Bake the cookie base for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn golden brown. The center will still be a little bit soft, but that’s okay.
10. Let Cool: Allow the cookie crust to cool completely.

Make the Apple Pie Filling

1. Combine Apples & Lemon Juice: Slice the apples into small pieces, place them into a bowl and squeeze a lemon overtop. Stir to combine.
2. Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the brown sugar, flour, maple syrup and cinnamon to the apple mixture and stir to combine.
3. Cook: Heat the apples on the stove over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until they’re soft. Stir occasionally.
4. Let Cool: Set the pie filling aside and allow it to cool, refrigerating it if necessary.

Make the Frosting & Assemble

1. Beat Butter: Allow the butter to come to room temperature. Beat it with a mixer on medium speed until it’s smooth and creamy.
2. Add Marshmallow Creme: Add the marshmallow creme and continue mixing for another 2 minutes.
3. Slowly Add Powdered Sugar: Slowly add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time while continuing to beat on medium speed.
4. Add Heavy Cream & Vanilla: Add the heavy whipping cream and the clear vanilla extract. Beat until all of the ingredients are well combined.
5. Spread Onto Crust: Spread the frosting over the cookie crust, leaving about 1 inch of free space around the outside edge. You may have a little leftover frosting.
6. Add Toppings: Sprinkle the prepared apple pie filling on top of the frosting. Drizzle the pizza with caramel sauce and sprinkle it with pecans if desired. Serve immediatly.

Do I Have to Chill the Cookie Dough?

I definitely recommend refrigerating the dough for at least 30 minutes and at most 1 hour. I tried baking the cookie crust without chilling the dough, and I found that the edges got a bit too crispy in the oven.

Here’s Some Tips You’ll Need

Be sure to check out the following tips and tricks – they’ll help you perfect your apple pie dessert pizza every time!

• Try Using Multiple Kinds of Apples: I often use a couple different kinds of apples in my pie filling to give it some nice depth of flavor. Granny Smith and Gala are my go-tos.
• Don’t Over-Mix the Cookie Dough: Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients and the cookie dough has formed, stop mixing. Over-mixed dough doesn’t bake up as soft and chewy.
• Stop the Pie Filling From Sticking: If you find that the caramelization of the apples is causing the pie filling to stick to your pan while it’s cooking, there’s an easy remedy. Slightly reduce the heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of water at a time while stirring constantly.
• Can I Serve This Warm? I like to let everything cool before I build my apple pie pizza, but you can totally assemble it while the cookie crust and pie filling are still warm if preferred. Just keep in mind that the frosting will get melty.

More Topping Ideas

You really can’t go wrong with the caramel sauce and crushed pecans, but there are some other tasty toppings you can put on this pizza instead. Or better yet, pile them all on there!

• Cinnamon Whipped Cream: The flavors in my light and fluffy Cinnamon Maple Whipped Cream compliment this cookie pizza beautifully. It’s super easy to make with just 4 ingredients.
• Granola: Try sprinkling your favorite granola over this pizza for a satisfying crunch. You could even heat it up if you’re serving your pizza warm!
• Vanilla Ice Cream: Apples and vanilla ice cream are such a delicious duo. Go ahead and top your slice of apple pie pizza with a heaping scoop!

Storage Instructions

This cookie pizza should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days. Make sure you don’t store it until everything has cooled if you built the pizza while the crust and pie filling were still warm.

Can I Freeze This?

Once the cookie crust and the apple pie filling have cooled, you can freeze some components of the pizza and assemble it after everything defrosts. Wrap the cookie tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it in an airtight container. The pie filling can be stored in any freezer-safe container. I do recommend making the frosting fresh.

Apple Pie Dessert Pizza

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• Author: Julianne Dell
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 14

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Description

A giant snickerdoodle cookie is topped with marshmallow buttercream and homemade apple pie filling in this decadent Apple Pie Dessert Pizza! Finished off with a drizzle of caramel sauce and crunchy chopped pecans, it’s the ultimate fall treat.

Ingredients

For the Snickerdoodle Cookie Base

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated Sugar
• 1 large eggs
• ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tarter
• 1 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar

For the Stovetop Apple Pie Filling

• 3 Medium apples, sliced
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Maple syrup
• 2 tbsp Light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp All-purpose flour
• 1 tsp Cinnamon

For the Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

• ½ c (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 oz marshmallow creme
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• Caramel sauce for garnish (optional)
• Pecans for garnish (optional)

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Instructions

Make the Cookie Base

1. Combine butter with sugar and beat on medium speed until well creamed together.
2. Add the egg, and vanilla extract. Mix into butter and sugar until egg is well beaten.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the batter and beat on medium low speed until well combined and dough forms.
4. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and form into a large ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6. On a large plate, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Remove the dough from the plastic and roll it in the cinnamon and sugar until it is well coated.
7. Roll out the cookie dough onto a lightly floured surface. It’s helpful to use parchment paper on the top and bottom so the dough does not stick. Roll the dough into a circle until it’s about a ¼” thick. Spread additional cinnamon sugar over top of the dough.
8. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes until the edges just start to turn golden brown. The center will still be a little bit soft but that’s okay.
9. Allow the cookie to cool completely.

Make the Apple Pie Filling

1. Slice apples into small pieces and squeeze a lemon over top and stir to combine.
2. Add brown sugar, flour, maple syrup and cinnamon over top of apples. Stir to mix ingredients.
3. Heat apples on the stove over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until soft. Stir occasionally. You want the apples to be soft. Set aside and allow to cool, refrigerating if necessary.

Make the Frosting & Assemble

1. Allow the butter to come to room temperature so it is soft but not melted. Beat butter in mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the marshmallow creme and continue mixing for another 2 minutes.
3. Slowly add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time while continuing to beat on medium speed and then add the heavy whipping cream and clear vanilla extract. Beat until all ingredients are well combined.
4. Spread the frosting over the cookie, leave about 1-inch around the outside edge. You may have a little leftover frosting.
5. Sprinkle the top with the prepared apple pie filling, drizzle with caramel and sprinkle with pecans. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Makes 12-16 slices.
• To Store: Refrigerate pizza in an airtight container and enjoy within 3 days. If pizza was built while crust/pie filling were still warm, do not store until everything has cooled.
• To Freeze: Once cookie crust and pie filling have cooled, freeze each component separately and assemble after defrosting. Wrap cookie in plastic wrap and freeze in an airtight container. Transfer frosting to storage bag, squeeze all air out, seal bag and lay flat in freezer. Store pie filling in any freezer-safe container. Thaw everything out and build pizza within 3 months.

• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: dessert pizza, homemade apple pie filling, easy dessert idea

More Easy Apple Pie Treats to Try

Want to experience some of my other favorite goodies to make with apple pie filling? Be my guest!

• Apple Pie Lasagna
• Apple Pie Cupcakes
• Apple Cinnamon Muffins