Easy brown bag apple pie with a crumb topping, tender apples and golden brown pie crust. The brown paper bag seals in all of the delicious flavors and no oven mess!
If you love apple pie recipes, Dutch apple pie, apple cranberry pie and apple pie cheesecake are other favorites!
Table of Contents
Brown Paper Bag Apple Pie
This brown bag apple pie was introduced to me from my friend Nicole at a Thanksgiving dinner, it comes from her grandma and is the best apple dessert that I now make every fall! The crust is crispy, the tender apple pie filling caramelized and the crumble topping golden and buttery.
Anyone can learn to make this pie recipe that is popular across the midwest, especially Wisconsin. If you are looking for a quicker homemade apple dessert, we love this apple crisp, apple crumble recipe and apple dump cake, too!
Why You’ll Love to Bake Apple Pie In A Bag
- This easy brown bag method seals in all the yummy juices and flavors.
- The filling gets caramelized and tender, while the crumble toppings gets golden.
- The pie crust doesn’t over bake and has the perfect crispy and flaky texture.
Recipe Ingredients
This apple pie consists of three major components: a crust, a filling, and a streusel topping, but uses nearly the same ingredients in each.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Apples: The star of this dessert and rightly so. I like to use a mixture of granny smith and honey crisp to really make this pie shine.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar offers just the right amount of sweetness to balance the tart apples.
- Flour: All-purpose does its job in the crust and topping.
- Butter: This acts as a binder for the crumbly topping.
- Spice: Cinnamon and nutmeg add just the right amount of warmth to the apples.
- Milk and oil: These provide the necessary liquid to make the crust flakey.
How to Make Brown Bag Apple Pie
- Assemble crust. Make the dough for the pie crust (or use store-bought pie dough), then press the dough into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Do not roll it out.
- Apple pie filling. To make the apple pie filling, mix together the sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon. You can use regular sugar or brown sugar. I like to do 1/2 and 1/2. Gently toss the mixture with the sliced apples, then let them sit for about 10 minutes. Then pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell.
- Combine crumble topping. Add flour, butter and sugar to a bowl and use your fingers (or a fork) to mix together until crumbly. Then sprinkle the mixture on top of the apple filling.
- Bake. Place the pie in a brown paper bag and staple it shut. Then bake the pie in the oven at 350°F for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and slit the bag open with a knife. Then transfer to a cooling rack.
Baking Tips
- Don’t roll out the pie dough. Pat the dough into the bottom and sides of the dish with your fingers. If you need to smooth it out, you can use the back of a hot metal spoon to gently push down and smooth out the surface.
- Keeping the bag from burning. Since the oven is at a lower heat, the paper bag won’t burn as it cooks. When you place it on the rack, just make sure it’s not touching the heating element (or else it could burn that way). You can also place the bag on a baking sheet.
- No peeking! The beauty of the brown bag method is that it helps seal in all those delicious juices and flavors. As tempting as it can be, don’t open the bag while the pie is cooking. Let it work it’s magic!
- Serve with a drizzle of salted caramel and homemade ice cream on top.
Looking for more seasonal dessert recipes? This easy apple cake is one of our favorites as well as this pecan pie recipe and homemade cherry pie!
More Apple Dessert Recipes
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Brown Bag Apple Pie
Video
Equipment
- 1 pie dish
- 1 paper grocery bag
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup oil
- 2 Tablespoons cold milk
Filling
- ½ cup granulated sugar , or brown sugar (could also do 1/2 each)
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 cups sliced apples
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup salted butter , softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Optional toppings: Vanilla ice cream and/or Caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Crust
- Make crust. In a medium bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup oil, and 2 Tablespoons milk until well combined. Pat mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Do not roll out. (To smooth it out, use the back of a hot metal spoon and gently push down to smooth evenly.)
Filling
- Apple pie filling. In another medium bowl, stir 1/2 cup sugar, 2 Tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Toss lightly with 4 cups sliced apples. Let sit 10 minutes for sugar mixture to melt onto the apples. Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
Crumb Topping
- Combine topping. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup salted butter, and 1/2 cup sugar with your fingers or a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over pie. You’ll want to bake soon before the butter mixture softens too much.
- Bake pie. Place pie in brown paper bag and staple shut. Bake 1 1/2 hours. (If oven bakes hot, reduce to 325 degrees. No peeking.) Slit the bag open with sharp knife. Remove pie from oven and let cool completely so it thickens, about 4 hours.
- Serve. Serve the pie with vanilla ice cream and caramel on top, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
You honestly can use any type of apple when making this recipe. My favorites to use are granny smith and honey crisp because of their sweet taste and crisp texture. However there are plenty of others that would work too, such as Braeburn, Cortland, Golden Delicious, or Jonathan.
The best way to ensure your pie cooks evenly is to evenly slice your apples 1/4-inch thick.
No biggie. If your pie dish is bigger, you may need to add more filling and make a little more dough to cover the whole dish.
Categorized as: American, Christmas, Desserts, Fruit Desserts, Pies + Tarts, Thanksgiving
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I made this many times way back in the sixties. THE best apple pie ever!
Love it! It really is the best! :)
I’ve made this pie for over 30 years and ALWAYS get told it’s the best apple pie people have ever had. It’s the perfect combination of easy and delicious. Also, I’ve never seen this recipe since I found it in a cookbook in 1990.
This comment just made my day! I’m so happy it’s always a hit! :)
Do you make the slit in the bag before baking?
Nope! Place the pie in the bag and then staple shut and bake for 1.5 hours (no peeking). Then slit the bag open and remove the pie from the oven to cool for about 4 hours.
Can this pie be baked in a Reynolds oven bag?
I’m not sure! I’ve never heard of anyone using a Reynolds oven bag for pie. Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try.
Absolutely amazing! A no-roll crust and the smell of the bag baking had me skeptical, but upon opening the bag, I found a perfectly baked pie! …and it got rave reviews from all who ate it! Your recipe yielded a tender flaky crust, perfectly cooked apples, and a sweet crumb topping! I can’t wait to make it again! …and eat it again! (Side note: I did add some vanilla to the apples, so I added a little cornstarch to absorb the liquid, otherwise followed your recipe to a T.) Excellent recipe – Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pie! Thank you for your comment and review Jenny. :)
This is such a cool method! I am so glad I tried it. The pie baked up so beautifully and it was like unwrapping a yummy present when it came out of the oven!
I never ever would’ve thought of this and it worked SO well! Great recipe.
This pie was SO easy and fun to make! Best apple pie I’ve ever eaten! Using the “brown bag” method for baking ensures a peefect pie every time!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your comment Jacqueline! :)
Take out of bag and slip Under broiler to brown the top, sorry forgot that instruction to my original pie to get topping Kristy. Otherwise pie is just pale in color.
You almost got it right! I created this recipe over 50 years ago… always use Golden delicious apples more like chunks than slices…. and cook only 1 hour.
Best Apple Pie ever!
I’m so glad to hear you loved it!
I was taught this recipe, including the brown bag, by my mom in the 70’s. And she was taught by her mom before that. I actually have the original recipe card her mom gave her. Very cool to see it shared here too. We just fold the bag under, no staple, otherwise it’s the same. It is in fact the best pie ever. Totally moist and the topping is devine☺ Love it
How cool! It is a recipe passes down from generations :D
Had a lot of fun making this pie. First time baking anything in a paper bag and it turned out great! Thanks for the great tutorial as always!
So glad it turned out for you!! It’s one of our favorites!
since no one else has asked, I will. How does the paper bag not catch on fire in the oven? I’m intrigued but cautious at the same time.
Hi Jane! Just make sure that the bag does not make contact with the heating element of the oven. Since the oven is only at 350 degrees, the bag won’t burn. If it were 450 or higher, it would be more likely burn.
Apple season is my favorite time of year. I can’t wait to make this apple pie it honestly sounds to good to be true ;)
Oooh! I love this idea! Wish I had a slice of the pie right now!
That is the prettiest apple pie I’ve seen! I love how it holds it’s shape!
Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy! :)
Would love to try this! This looks sooooo good! Yummy! This made me drool. Thank you for a great recipe!