Vintage Mock Apple Pie is the perfect blend of resourcefulness and nostalgia. This is a recipe that truly feels at home in a frugal kitchen. And on your holiday tables. Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly frugal.

With its warm cinnamon spice, crumbly topping, and buttery crust, this vintage Mock Apple Pie has all the cozy charm of a traditional apple pie without the need for fresh fruit.

It’s an ideal recipe for those who love desserts with a story behind them. Or when apple harvesting or buying apples is out of reach.

Make It With Kids

Whether baking it as a nod to an old-fashioned tradition or introducing it to a new generation, this pie fits right into the heart of a homey lifestyle. And kids love to marvel at how crackers turn into a mock apple pie.

What You Need For A Vintage Mock Apple Pie

This will be one recipe for which you will want to add the ingredients to your shopping list.

Ritz Crackers
water
sugar (Running low on sugar? Here are quick alternatives)
cream of tartar
lemon juice
cinnamon
brown sugar
melted butter
9-inch pie pan

Why Ritz Crackers?

This vintage favorite echoes back to times when creativity was key, and making do with what was available was how we got along. Ritz Cracker published this recipe on the box back in the days of the Depression. And that’s how its rise to fame got started.

Using Ritz crackers to mimic the texture and flavor of apples, this recipe is proof of the ingenuity of cooks who turned simple pantry staples into a dessert that could rival the real thing.

How To Store This Pie

This pie is safe at room temperature for up to 24 hours. After that you can store it in the fridge for four more days. It does not freeze that well; I guess I should say it doesn’t thaw well.

Vintage Mock Apple Pie

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Servings: Slices

Calories: 404kcal

Mock apple pie, a nostalgic treat, uses Ritz crackers to mimic the texture and flavor of apples. This clever dessert, sweetened with cinnamon and sugar, proves that creativity in the kitchen is timeless.

Print Recipe

Equipment

9-inch pie pan

Ingredients

Pie and Crust

1 refrigerated pie crust 1/2 of the package, one of the two crusts in the box
2 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
35 Ritz Crackers plus a few more to add in the middle
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Topping

1 cup crushed Ritz Crackers
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 F°
Sprinkle a little flour in the pie pan and place your pie crust into a 9 inch pie pan, set aside
In a large sauce pan add the water, sugar and cream of tartar
Bring to boil on medium-high heat
Add the 35 crackers and simmer on medium-low for 5 minutes, stirring just once or twice gently
Fill your pie crust with half the mixture and lay a few more crackers on top of the filling. Cover with the rest of the filling
Sprinkle the cinnamon and lemon juice over the top
Make the topping by combining the topping ingredients into a bowl and stirring to combine
Sprinkle over the top of the filling
Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees
Reduce oven to 350 degrees and cover edges of pie crust with foil.
Bake 20 more minutes.
Remove from oven and cool to set up.