What, Pray Tell, Is Mock Apple Pie?

Published on Wednesday, September 7, 2011, by Sarah Perry / Edit Post

What is mock apple pie, a long-running recipe on boxes of Ritz Crackers? acgold7 says, "It used Ritz crackers instead of apples. I remember seeing the recipe on the box but not the exact ingredients, but as I recall it had a ton of sugar and cinnamon in it as well as, obviously, a lot of Ritzes. Still seems to me it would be awfully salty."

"Apparently you make a sugar syrup and pour it over the crackers," continues acgold7. "Sounds lovely. Frankly, if it's supposed to simulate apple pie, I'd use apple juice for the syrup instead of water."

The illusion is in the seasoning. "I read somewhere that because of the ingredients: sugar, cinnamon, and lemon—our taste buds identify it (taste-memorywise, that is) as apple pie because of the duality," says mamachef. "It's like a flavor/texture confusion, because you kinda are primally 'expecting' that taste...and that's what you get."

"My neighbor, who makes a lot of Shake N Bake and tuna casserole, brought us one of these when we moved into our house in 85," says magiesmom. "It was actually very good, in a junky kind of way!"

Discuss: What is the most ridiculous recipe suggestion you have ever read on the "back of the box"?

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  • I really like mock apple pie and always use the recipe from the Ritz box although I buy generic Ritz-type crackers because they're much cheaper. Mock apple pie is a very old concept (like back to the pioneer days) and there are recipes that use soda crackers rather than Ritz. I haven't tried them but I will at some point; they're all over the Internet.

    BTW, I've made mock apple pies for many a...+READ

    I really like mock apple pie and always use the recipe from the Ritz box although I buy generic Ritz-type crackers because they're much cheaper. Mock apple pie is a very old concept (like back to the pioneer days) and there are recipes that use soda crackers rather than Ritz. I haven't tried them but I will at some point; they're all over the Internet.

    BTW, I've made mock apple pies for many a picnic or other such get-togethers and everyone loves them. FWIW, I use cider vinegar rather than lemon juice and Penzeys Apple Pie seasoning rather than cinnamon and I also use a frozen, deep-dish pie crust. I always make them with a single crust and they turn out great.-COLLAPSE

  • Here I go, dating myself again. When I was first married, in '65, I had never cooked before and I found a recipe for Ritz Cracker Apple Pie that sounded easy for a beginner. I made it, and my husband and I both thought it tasted a lot like the real thing. Well...sort of like the real thing. At least the spices were right. I still have the recipe; it includes 20 Ritz crackers, 2 cups of water, 1...+READ

    Here I go, dating myself again. When I was first married, in '65, I had never cooked before and I found a recipe for Ritz Cracker Apple Pie that sounded easy for a beginner. I made it, and my husband and I both thought it tasted a lot like the real thing. Well...sort of like the real thing. At least the spices were right. I still have the recipe; it includes 20 Ritz crackers, 2 cups of water, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and some butter to dot on top. Sounds grossly sweet now! I just hang onto the recipe for sentimental reasons. I have no intention of ever using it again.-COLLAPSE

  • My college housemates and I made this decades ago on a lark. It looked exactly like apple pie. It tasted like Ritz crackers with sugar syrup and lemon juice.