Apple Pie Dessert Nachos
Dessert nachos are sweetened nachos that can be layered with everything from fruit to chocolate to cream cheese to any topping you are craving! The variations of toppings are fun to experiment with. These ‘sweet as pie’ Apple Pie Dessert Nachos give you all the flavors of a traditional apple pie in a fun-to-eat treat.
Apple Pie Dessert Nachos Recipe
There are four main parts to this Apple Pie Dessert Nachos recipe–the pie dough nacho chips, the cinnamon-sugar nacho chips topping, the apple topping, and the garnish.
Pie Dough Nacho Chips Ingredients (full recipe below)
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Shortening
- Unsalted butter
- Cold water
Pie Dough Nacho Chips Toppings
- Melted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon
Apple Topping Ingredients
- Butter
- Apples
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Cinnamon sugar mixture (from chips topping)
Garnish
- Whipped cream
- Caramel sauce
How to Make Apple Pie Nachos
One of the best parts about dessert nachos is the homemade cinnamon sugar chips. You can make them a little thinner or thicker; it’s all about your preference.
- If you roll the dough thinner, the chips will swell up a bit and air pockets will form (more like a tortilla chip).
- If you keep the dough a bit thicker, they will hold the toppings better and are easier to dip. Either way you ‘roll’, they taste great!
How to Make Pie Dough Nacho Chips
To make the cinnamon sugar chips that hold all the apple pie flavors, preheat the oven to 350°F and follow these steps:
- First, cube the butter and place it into the refrigerator until you are ready to add it to the dough. You want the butter to be cold!
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, salt, and vegetable shortening. Use the paddle attachment to mix on the lowest setting until everything is combined.
- Add in the cold butter pieces, continuing to mix on low until you get a crumbly mixture. (Crumbs and clumps are good?.)
- Slowly drizzle in the ice-cold water as the mixer is running. Once the mixture comes together and does not appear dry, you are done.
- Next, divide the dough into two pieces, wrapping one of the pieces in plastic wrap and putting it in the refrigerator until you are ready to roll it out. (Label and date the dough since it will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.) Begin to roll out the dough on a lightly floured workspace. This is where you can decide how thin you want your chips.
Baking Pie Dough Nacho Chips
- After rolling out the dough, cut it into triangular pieces and place the pieces on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Meanwhile, combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. (You will end up using about 1/4 cup of the mixture for the apple topping as well.)
- Use a pastry brush to brush melted butter over each triangular piece of dough. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over each piece. More is more here!
- Place the pie dough triangles into the oven and bake them for 5 minutes.
- After five minutes, flip over the pieces (a few at a time), brush butter on them, and sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top. Bake for five more minutes, repeating with the second sheet of pie dough triangles. Let them cool as you prepare the apple topping.
How to Make the Apple Topping
To prepare the apple topping, you will need a couple of apples peeled, cored, and chopped. You can use any kind of apple (or two different kinds of apple) you prefer. Put the chopped apples in a bowl and sprinkle the apples with fresh lemon juice. Then, use the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat the apples. Set that aside as you melt the butter.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the apple mixture and saute several minutes until the apples are soft and tender. This could take anywhere from 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of your apple pieces. You will know the apples are done when the cinnamon sugar sauce starts to thicken. Once the apples are done it is time to assemble the dessert nachos!
Assembling the Apple Pie Dessert Nachos
To assemble the nachos, place a layer of the baked pie crust chips on a plate. Then, top the chips with the apple topping, followed by whipped cream and a caramel drizzle. Have some fun by adding another layer of the nachos and toppings. You can always add ice cream and pecans for even more layers of deliciousness!
Looking for More Apple Desserts?
Ingredients
Pie Dough Nacho Chips
- 2 1/2 cups (10.5 ounces or 313g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup (51g) shortening
- 10 tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 6-10 tablespoons water, cold
Pie Dough Nacho Chip Topping
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Apple Topping
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar mixture, remaining from the batch made for the chip toppings
Garnish
- Whipped Cream
- Caramel Sauce
Instructions
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Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare baking pans with parchment paper.
Pie Dough Nacho Chips
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Cube butter and place in the refrigerator until ready to add to the dough.
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Add flour, salt, and vegetable shortening into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment on the lowest setting (#2) to evenly combine. Do not skip this step!
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Add butter cubes to the stand mixer and slowly mix into the flour/shortening mixture.
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Beat on a low setting until the mixture is unevenly crumbly. Crumbs and clumps are good.
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Slowly drizzle in the ice-cold water as the mixer is running.
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When the mixture comes together and does not appear dry, you are done.
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Pour out the dough and divide into two pieces. Roll out one piece on a clean counter that has been dusted with flour. Wrap other dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
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Roll dough very thin. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut out triangles. Place triangles on a parchment-lined baking sheet fairly close together.
Pie Dough Nacho Chips Topping
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In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cinnamon-sugar mixture for the apple topping.
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Brush melted butter over each piece and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
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Bake triangles for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove from the oven and carefully flip over each chip.
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Brush with butter, working with 5 chips at a time, and then sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. Repeat with remaining chips on baking pans.
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Return to oven for 5 more minutes. The pie chips should appear dry and be firm when they are done.
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Allow to cool before assembling.
Apple Topping
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Core, peel, and dice apples into small cubes. Place them in a bowl and sprinkle with fresh lemon juice.
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Then, thoroughly coat the apples with 1/4 cup of cinnamon sugar.
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In a medium saucepan, melt butter under medium heat. Add in apple mixture and saute several minutes until soft and tender. (Anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on how big the apple pieces are.) You will know the apples are done when the cinnamon sugar sauce starts to thicken.
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On a large serving plate, place a layer of pie crust nachos and add apple mixture on top.
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Repeat with another layer if desired.
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Top with whipped cream and caramel drizzle (optional).