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Funny name, serious—and seriously easy—dessert. This apple pandowdy recipe is so delicious that we're just going to have to say...cobbler: You’ve been warned.

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

8 servings

6

tablespoons unsalted butter

4

pounds Pink Lady and/or Granny Smith apples

cup (packed) dark brown sugar

3

tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

1

tablespoon vanilla extract

2

teaspoons ground cinnamon

½

teaspoon kosher salt

1

lemon

1

½-inch piece ginger

1

package frozen puff pastry (preferably Dufour), thawed by covering pastry sheet with plastic and leaving at room temperature 30 minutes

Granulated sugar (for sprinkling)

2

pints vanilla ice cream

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 425°. Cook 6 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until bubbling and golden, about 5 minutes; set aside.

    Step 2

    Prepare your apples: Using a vegetable peeler, remove peel from apples. Stand them upright and slice down along core, working all the way around to remove big lobes of flesh. Cut lobes lengthwise into 1" pieces (irregular shapes are fine). Discard peel and cores. Transfer apples to a large bowl.

    Step 3

    Add ⅔ cup dark brown sugar, 3 Tbsp. flour, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, 2 tsp. cinnamon, and ½ tsp. salt to bowl with apples.

    Step 4

    Using a microplane or fine rasp grater, grate zest of ½ lemon over apples. Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice from zested half over apples, catching any seeds. Using peeler, remove peel from ginger, then grate over apples.

    Step 5

    Toss apple mixture until combined, then transfer to a shallow 3-qt. baking dish. Drizzle all but 2 Tbsp. brown butter over apples.

    Step 6

    Dust cutting board with a light coating of flour and unfold puff pastry on floured surface. Dust top with flour. Cut puff pastry into irregular 1" pieces (any shape is fine).

    Step 7

    Arrange pieces of puff pastry over apples, overlapping but spreading to cover almost completely. Brush pastry with remaining brown butter. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

    Step 8

    Bake pandowdy until pastry is puffed and golden around edges, 25–30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to bake until juices are thick and bubbling and pastry is brown all over, 30–35 minutes longer.

    Step 9

    Using a spoon, press pastry down into warm juices (but don’t submerge); let cool slightly.

    Step 10

    Serve pandowdy warm with ice cream.

    Step 11

    Do Ahead: Pandowdy can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool. Cover loosely with foil and store at room temperature. Reheat uncovered in a 200° oven 20 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 540 Fat (g) 26 Saturated Fat (g) 11 Cholesterol (mg) 35 Carbohydrates (g) 74 Dietary Fiber (g) 3 Total Sugars (g) 49 Protein (g) 6 Sodium (mg) 340
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How would you rate Apple Pandowdy?

Leave a Review

  • Could you make Tthe topping with a crisp or regular pie crust topping?

    • Anonymous

    • Honolulu

    • 4/27/2021

  • Absolutely delicious, easy, and tastes like you put more work in it than you actually did! Only sub I made was swapping the 2tsp of cinnamon for 2tsp of apple pie spice, and I'll definitely continue to do that in the future. This was better than most apple pies!

    • Anonymous

    • 12/6/2020

  • This is so easy & delicious! I used an 8x8 pan because I like it a little deeper. Highly recommend!

    • Anonymous

    • Utah

    • 10/31/2020

  • Does anyone know how long it lasts? Still really nice

    • Anonymous

    • UK

    • 1/18/2020

  • This was an absolute hit and so easy! Had to keep explaining what pandowdy is:) will absolutely make again. Great to have a low fuss recipe for the holidays. Would be great to have kids help out!

    • Anonymous

    • Dallas

    • 10/28/2019

  • If you are on a diet, STAY AWAY FROM THIS RECIPE. Absolutely habit forming especially with caramel ice cream.

    • Big Joe

    • Montreal,Canada

    • 10/4/2019

  • Love this when I want baked apples but don't want to make a whole dough thing. I also didn't have flour (don't ask), and used a few tablespoons of corn starch in the filling, which worked just fine. Then I egg-washed the pastry on top (I ran out of butter, again, don't ask) and it got super golden brown /crispy awesome. Highly recommend doing the same.

    • alexbeggs

    • Bon Appétit

    • 9/30/2019

  • Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy Make your eyes light up And your tummy say howdy... Just couldn’t resist sharing and I want to make this really soon!

    • Elaine Caldwell

    • Brooklyn

    • 9/27/2019

  • Love how easy this was to make- the videos for each step were a big help!

    • abena

    • San Francisco, CA

    • 11/15/2018

  • Really, really delicious and super easy recipe. I will definitely be making this again, and the apple filling portion would be an amazing apple pie / or crisp filling as well.

    • Anonymous

    • Connecticut

    • 11/11/2017

  • This is divine! I wish I had found this recipe years ago. Goodbye pie

    • Anonymous

    • Maryland

    • 11/6/2017

  • too fantastic to not do.. will try just because..thanks

    • phoebe bryan

    • southern orange county, california

    • 11/5/2017