Maple Chai Apple Pie became my son’s birthday pie two years in a row — a rare repeat request that speaks to how special this pie is. He first asked for an apple pie sweetened with maple and spiced with chai flavors, and I added a personal touch: a generous drizzle of heavy cream tossed with the apples to create a luxuriously creamy filling reminiscent of a chai latte.
The result surprised the family. My husband, a devoted fan of cream pies like my banana cream pie and chocolate Kahlua pie, declared this the best pie I’ve ever made after one bite. It was high praise, and accurate: this was the finest apple pie I had ever made, rich and comforting with a complex spice profile.
After making it for our son’s birthday, my husband asked if I might make another one for Thanksgiving. How could I refuse? The pie’s beauty and flavor make it a natural for holiday dessert tables. It’s visually striking — the top appears tiled with golden-brown, sugar-crusted “leaves” — and beneath that crust is a tender apple filling in a creamy sauce spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper, and cloves.
Picture this on your Thanksgiving dessert table: a stunning pie that tastes like autumn in every bite. The cream stirred into the apples gives the filling a silky texture that contrasts perfectly with the crisp, sugar-kissed crust. It begs to be sneaked from the table for a late-night slice.
Maple Chai Apple Pie
For this pie you’ll need about 1 1/2 batches of double-crust pie dough. If using store-bought rolled crusts, plan on three single pie dough rounds. To create the decorative top, I use small maple-leaf cutters; any small cookie cutter that yields pieces about 1 1/2 to 2 inches across will work.
To assemble the tiled crust, lay an overlapping ring of the small cutouts around the outer edge of the pie, allowing a slight overhang over the rim. Continue spiraling inward, overlapping pieces as you go until the center is filled. If the outer edge begins to brown too quickly before the center is done and the filling is bubbling through, tent the edges with foil to prevent over-browning.
While one of life’s pleasures is digging into a hot pie, if you want neat slices let the pie cool almost to room temperature before cutting. Waiting will help the filling set so slices hold together.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 double-crust pie dough recipes (or 3 purchased single pie dough rounds)
- 1 cup pure maple sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on the crust
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing the crust
- 3 pounds fresh baking apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (about 10 apples)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- If using homemade dough, roll one-third of it to about 10 inches in diameter and fit it into the bottom of a deep-dish pie plate. Trim the excess, leaving about 1/4 inch hanging over the edge.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the maple sugar, cornstarch, vanilla bean scrapings, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg, and cloves until evenly blended. Toss the apple slices with the mixture until they are well coated. Drizzle the heavy cream over the apples and toss gently to combine. Transfer the filling to the prepared crust and level it slightly without overworking it.
- Roll out the remaining dough and cut small shapes (maple leaves or similar) about 1 1/2 to 2 inches across. Arrange the cutouts in an overlapping spiral from the outside toward the center so they resemble roof tiles. Brush the top lightly with heavy cream and sprinkle with maple sugar.
- Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any overflow and bake at 450°F for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for about 40 minutes, or until juices bubble up between the crust tiles and the center is set. If the edges brown too quickly, cover them with foil for the remaining bake time.
- Allow the pie to cool at least 45 minutes before slicing; for the cleanest slices, cool completely to room temperature.
Notes
The combination of maple sweetness and chai spices creates a warmly spiced, rich filling that pairs beautifully with a flaky, sugar-topped crust. Use apples suitable for baking — a mix of tart and sweet varieties works well — and take care to let the pie cool so the filling sets for neat slices.
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This post was originally published October 19, 2016 and revised in October 2018.