This easy cast iron skillet Apple Pan dowdy is made easy using using a store-bought puff pastry topping, combined with apples in a butter and brown sugar sauce.
Easy desserts like this cast iron skillet Apple Pan Dowdy are the perfect meal-ender. Store-bought puff pastry, sliced apples and a quick, sweet brown sugar sauce combine in one skillet, for a delicious, but easy dessert.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Puff Pastry – I love the pre-rolled puff pastry sheets and I always keep a box in my freezer. For this pandowdy, just thaw and cut into irregular 1-inch-ish squares and scatter them overtop of a bed of sliced apples.
Apples – While you can use any apples here, you will have the best results with an apple that is recommended for pies. Northern Spies would be the perfect choice. Cortland, Empire, Spartan and Honeycrisp are other good apples for pies, as they hold their shape well.
Recipe Notes
My cast iron skillet is 8-inches diameter across the bottom and 10-inches diameter across the top. If your skillet is larger, you may just need another apple and a bit more topping.
If your puff pastry looks like it might over-brown before the apples are cooked, simply lay a sheet of aluminum foil loosely over-top for the last part of baking.
Get the Recipe: Cast Iron Skillet Apple Pan Dowdy
Ingredients
- 1 roll (1 roll) puff pastry, thawed
Filling:
- 5-6 large (5 large) apples, cooking/pie apples, peeled and cored
- 6 Tablespoons (88.72 g) butter
- 2 Tablespoons (29.57 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons (44.36 ml) water
- 6 Tablespoons (88.72 g) white sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (88.72 g) packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.23 g) cinnamon
Topping:
- 2 Tablespoons (29.57 g) white or turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature to low and stir in cinnamon. Keep warm while you prepare the apples.
- Grease an 8-inch round skillet, pan, pie plate (or equivalent sized) pan. Set on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Peel and core apples, then thinly slice. Add to prepared baking pan, filling the pan about 2/3-3/4 full.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut thawed puff pastry into irregular, 1-inch-ish shapes. Scatter about 1/3 of the pastry pieces randomly over top of apples. Slowly pour the sugar mixture over-top, pouring all around the pan to make sure the filling reaches all parts of the pan. Pour slowly so it drips down into the apples and not over the side. Place the remaining pastry pieces on top, overlapping, as necessary and leaving a few small open spots (to allow steam to escape). Sprinkle a bit of sugar on to the top of pastry.
- Place into preheated oven (on baking sheet to catch overflowing juices!) and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350F and continue baking for an addition 35-40 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and pastry is golden brown and puffy. Let stand a few minutes before serving. Lovely served with a dusting of icing sugar and a scoop of ice cream.
Notes
More Apple Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Made this recently as I had a mix of apples (Cortland, Paazazz & Juici) that needed to be used up. Plus there was one puff pastry left. Used a casserole dish as I didn’t want to clean up an overflow! Turned out great and went well with Praline Caramel ice cream! Delicious!!
Sounds delicious, Irene! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks :)
I made this the other night and it turned out great! Such a tasty way to use up an old bag of apples :) Thanks for sharing! Hoping you come out with a cookbook in the near future!
Thanks so much, Holly! So glad you enjoyed it :)
This is really nice. I made a smaller version with the leftover puff pastry trimmings from last week’s chicken pot pie recipe which we had yesterday. Loved them both!!
So glad you enjoyed it and a perfect use for leftover puff pastry! Thanks :)
I wasn’t sure whether to put the cinnamon in with the dry ingredients. I ended up putting it on the apples and mixing by hand to combine.
This is delicious and easy, the puff pastry sold me. Another SeasonsAndSuppers winner!
So glad you enjoyed this, Barbara. Thanks! (Also sorry about forgetting to detail the cinnamon to the instructions. I’ve added it now :)
Oh !!! This is so easy and tasty. And even when I eat Puff Pastry part were some of crispy !! Always I love your recipe ! This time again ! Thank you so much ! Definitely I ‘m going to make repeat !
Thanks Yuri!
I never heard of a pandowdy before! This dessert is so much fun and you are right – sooo easy to make. Will definitely be happening in our house.
Thanks Milena :) It’s a very old dessert I think, usually made with pie crust. Maybe to use up scraps?
I’ve never heard of a ‘pandowdy’ before, but I know I’d love it! And puff pastry? Can’t beat it….super convenient and I just love how buttery it is :)
Thanks Dawn :)
Such a cozy fall and winter dessert Jennifer! Love the store-bought puff pastry! I’;m always up for making things a bit easier!
Thanks Mary Ann and yes, makes sweet treats like these so much easier :)
Did I read this wrong? You mention simmering the butter, sugars, flour etc twice as if cooking two separate batches?!
Sorry Therese. Yes, it was in there twice. You only do it once :) I have fixed now. Thanks!
We love apple pandowdy – and I love that you used puff pastry! I bet it tastes fantastic because it looks great! The perfect weekend treat – pinning ;)
Thanks so much, Tricia ;)