Johnny Appleseed Pie is my husband’s favorite pie! I make it for his birthday every year.
Below you’ll find both traditional print directions, and photo-illustrated directions. Creative variations are included at the end.
Ingredients for Johnny Appleseed Pie
Filling
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
6-8 tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced1
1/2 to 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
Crust
1 pie crust, uncooked2
Topping
1 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 to 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
Directions for Johnny Appleseed Pie
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine sugar and cinnamon from Filling ingredients. Mix with apples.
- Turn into the unbaked pie crust.
- Top with semisweet chocolate morsels from Filling ingredients.
- In a small bowl, combine the Bisquick and sugar from the Topping ingredients. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the pie.
- Bake until apples are tender, about 45 minutes.
- After you remove the pie from the oven, top with semisweet chocolate morsels from Topping ingredients.
- Let cool for about 15 to 30 minutes before serving.
Photo Directions
These photographs were taken when I made this pie on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017, for Thanksgiving.

Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Slice apples and warm refrigerated pie dough to room temperature.

Roll pie crust into your pie pan.

Press crust to edges of pan.

Measure cinnamon and sugar into a small bowl.

Mix cinnamon and sugar together well.

Add sugar mixture to apples.

Mix together until apples are evenly coated with sugar mixture.

Place apple mixture into the pie crust.

Top with chocolate chips.

Measure Bisquick and sugar into a small bowl. Cut in butter.

Top pie with crumble mixture.

Bake until apples are tender, about 45 minutes. Then remove from the oven.

Top with chocolate chips while still warm.
- Want a plain apple pie? Simply leave out the semisweet chocolate morsels!
- Try using butterscotch or white chocolate morsels instead of the semisweet chocolate morsels.
- Want a little more kick to your pie? Add in 1/4 tsp of cloves, mace or allspice to the cinnamon sugar mix.
- Toss chopped pecans or walnuts in with the apples for a cruchier texture.
- Substitute raisins, yellow raisins or craisins for the semisweet chocolate morsels.
- Use half pears and half apples for a more mild flavored pie.
- In the filling, instead of cinnamon, use grated fresh ginger, and instead of semisweet chocolate morsels use chopped candied ginger. Then in the topping, replace half the Bisquick with crushed gingersnaps.
- Get creative with your crust and make a cinnamon crust. You can find a recipe for it in my book, Your Perfect Pie.
- Use a lattice topping instead of the crumble topping.
- Add chopped pecans or walnuts to the topping.
- Add in 1/2 tsp ground ginger to the cinnamon sugar mixture of the filling and replace 1/2 cup of the Bisquick with crushed gingersnaps for the topping.
- Mix and match any of these suggestions, as well as any ideas of your own!
Notes
- If you want to make the slicing task easier, use a apple peeler, slicer and corer. I show you how to use one here.
- You can use one you make yourself, one that is pre-made and you roll out onto your pie pan or one that comes already in an aluminum pan. Regardless, I highly recommend using a deep-dish pie pan. I’ve also used a large tart pan.

I've researched the best pie-making tips -- from ingredients to techniques to tools -- and gathered them in this special Top 8 Pie Tips report.
Armed with these tips, you'll make your perfect pie time and time again.
Grab your copy of Top 8 Pie-Making Tips to find out what the expert pie-makers know.
Simply enter your name and valid email address below to subscribe to Carma's Cookery updates and monthly newsletter. Jump start your kitchen creativity today!
I respect your privacy. I will never sell or give away your information.