Cottage Cheese and Apple Pie

Name: Cottage Cheese and Apple Pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 apples (peeled and cored - Granny Smith is best); 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 250 gm cottage cheese (dry pressed); 2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt; 8 gm vanilla sugar (one small pouch); 1/2 cup dried cranberries; 70 gm. sliced almonds; 1 handful flour (for dusting); 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed); 1 small egg (for egg wash); 2 tablespoons poppy seeds (or sesame seeds, or a combination of both)

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Serve this Cottage Cheese and Apple Pie for dessert, have it as a snack, or even for breakfast! Made with dried cranberries and cinnamon-seasoned apples! It's the perfect blend of sweet and that little bit of sour! Drizzle some honey or maple syrup as a final touch.

cottage cheese and apple pie sliced in 6 pieces

The pie is made using puff pastry, which is so easy to use. I keep it in my freezer and make my Puff Pastry Breakfast Roulade or these Honey-Glazed Apple and Blueberry Pastry Cups. It's so convenient.

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Ingredients
Substitutions and variations
Preparation
Top Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
Serving suggestions
Storing and reheating suggestions
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Recipe
Comments

Ingredients

Apples: choose a combination of firm and tart apples, such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, and any other tart apple. Firm and sour apple varieties hold well during the cooking process and don't turn watery or mushy in your pie. I use them in my Honey-Glazed Apple and Blueberry Pastry Cups recipe and the Maple Cinnamon Baked Apples recipe as well. Avoid McIntosh and Red Delicious apples; they fall apart when baked. I use Granny Smith apples and the pie turns out amazing every time! You can see whole apple slices when you cut into the pie and they taste phenomenal!
Seasoning: just ground cinnamon and a little bit of brown sugar for the apples. You will also need some vanilla sugar for the cottage cheese filling.
Cottage cheese: choose pressed cottage cheese.
Vanilla Yogurt: will add sweet vanilla flavor and soften our dry-pressed cottage cheese so we can spread it easier on the pastry dough.
Dried cranberries: will add sweetness and a little bit of a sour taste.
Sliced almonds: blanched sliced almonds will add a little bit of crunch. I always purchase a small package of already sliced almonds.
Puff Pastry: we will only need one sheet. It's a quicker, easy-to-make pie, so store-bought frozen puff pastry is perfect. Follow package instructions to thaw.

*** See the full list of ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Substitutions and variations

Vanilla Yogurt: you can also use plain Greek yogurt, just add about 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the yogurt or directly to the cottage cheese.
Dried Cranberries: You may like to use raisins instead, but because they are sweeter you can use 1/3 of a cup. If you like the sweetness, use 1/2 cup of raisins.
Sliced almonds: instead of the almonds you can use crushed walnuts or pecans, or a combination of different nuts
.
Make it a berry pie: gently stir in some berries into the cottage cheese.

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Apples seasoned with cinnamon and brown sugar in white mixing bowl

STEP 1: Prepare the apples: Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/4" slices. Place them into a small mixing bowl and stir in the cinnamon and brown sugar until well combined. Set aside.

cottage cheese with dried crabnberries and sliced almonds mixed in bowl

STEP 2: Prep the cottage cheese: Place the cottage cheese, vanilla yogurt, vanilla sugar, dried cranberries, and sliced almonds in a large mixing bowl and mix well to combine.

puff pastry douogh rolled out with roller, with baking sheet on the side

STEP 3: Roll puff dough: Place a sheet of parchment paper on a dry surface and lightly dust it with flour. Place the thawed puff pastry over the dusted parchment paper and roll it out to flatten. Cut the dough in half lengthwise, set aside one half of the puff pastry, and carefully transfer the other half with parchment paper onto a baking sheet.

cottage cheese and apple on puff pastry half

STEP 4: Add cottage cheese and apples: Spread the cottage cheese mixture over the puff pastry that's on the baking sheet, making sure to leave some room on all edges of the puff pastry. Arrange the cinnamon and brown sugar-seasoned apple slices on top of the cottage cheese mixture.

cottage cheese and apples spread on puff pastry corners brushed with egg wash

STEP 5: Beat the egg in a small bowl, and using a silicone or pastry brush, apply the egg wash around the edges.

top apple pie with second half of puff pastry and fold edges

STEP 6: Place the second puff pastry sheet over the apples and gently lift/fold the edges of the bottom pastry sheet over the top one to seal the two pastry sheets together.

cottage cheese and apple with brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with poppy seeds and sesame seeds

STEP 7: Add egg wash & seeds: Cut 5 or 6 evenly spaced slits on the right and left sides of the pastry. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle the top with poppy seeds or sesame seeds.

Cottage cheese and apple pie baked in the oven

STEP 8: Bake! Place the pie in the preheated oven. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the pastry is golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.

Top Tips

choose firm, slightly tart, and sweet apples. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn apples work well for pies.
slice the apples evenly to ensure they cook uniformly
make sure to create steam vents in the top layer of the pastry to allow the steam to escape during baking. This helps prevent the pie from becoming soggy and the top from puffing up too much.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I avoid the puff pastry turning soggy at the bottom of the pie?

The beauty of this recipe is that the cottage cheese layer topped over the bottom piece of the puff pastry protects the puff pastry from the juices of the apples. Normally you would have to "blind bake", or prebake, the bottom puff pastry layer before topping it with the apples, but our cottage cheese mixture works as the barrier and prevents the puff pastry from becoming soggy.

Can I make the pie ahead of time?

Yes, you can assemble the pie a few hours in advance and refrigerate it until you're ready to bake. You can also freeze the pie before baking. Assemble it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and place it in the freezer. When you're ready to bake, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking as usual.

Do I need to peel the apples for apple pie?

Peeling the apples is optional and depends on your preference. Some people like the added texture and nutrients of apple skins, while others prefer a smoother filling.

Serving suggestions

The pie is best served warm.

Like in our Maple Cinnamon Baked Apples recipe, you may also like to serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Storing and reheating suggestions

Store the pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for upto 4 days. It's best to reheat the leftover pie in a 350 or 375 degrees Fahrenheit preheated oven for about 15 minutes to serve warm. Reheating inthe microwave is not recommended because the pie can turn out soggy.