Cinnamon-Bun Apple Pie

It’s the very definition of pie perfection — classic juicy apple pie wrapped in an amazing cinnamon bun crust and served with rich cream cheese icing on the side.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 Tbs. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 1½ pkgs. (11 oz. each) pie crust mix

Filling:

• 3 lbs. apples, preferably Fuji, peeled, cored, cut into ¼”-thick slices, 9 cups
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 egg, beaten

Icing:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup milk

Instructions

To make crust:

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine cinnamon and granulated sugar. Prepare pie crust mix according to package directions together with ½ cup water. Shape ⅓ of dough into ½”-thick rectangle, making sure edges are smooth. Wrap remaining dough; refrigerate.
2. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough into 12″x8″ rectangle, making sure edges are smooth. Lightly coat top of dough with cooking spray; sprinkle with ⅓ of cinnamon sugar. Roll up jellyroll style into log; transfer seam side down to baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until just firm enough to easily slice. 
3. Shape remaining dough into ½”-thick square, making sure edges are smooth. On lightly floured surface, roll out into 12″ square. Lightly coat top with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Roll up jellyroll style into log; transfer seam side down to baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until just firm enough to easily slice. 
4. Cut first log into straight ¼”-thick slices. Cut remaining log into diagonal ¼”-thick slices. Refrigerate diagonal slices until ready to use.
5. Arrange 8 straight-cut slices in circle in center of pie pan, spacing about 1″-1 ½” apart. Arrange remaining straight-cut slices along side of pie pan, spacing evenly. Press slices to flatten and form into pie shell, bringing dough up along rim of pie pan; press along edge. Refrigerate. 
6. For top crust, working with several diagonally cut slices at a time, roll out between 2 sheets of parchment paper to about 1/16″ thickness. (If dough starts to crack, let sit for a few minutes at room temperature to soften slightly). Transfer rolled out slices in between parchment to baking sheet; refrigerate until cold, 20 minutes, stacking parchment on baking sheet. 

To make filling:

1. Place rimmed baking sheet on center rack in oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. In large bowl, combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Transfer to pie shell. 
2. Working in batches, slide small spatula under chilled dough slices to loosen from parchment; reserve 5 slices. Arrange remaining slices over filling overlapping slightly in 2 rows. In center of pie, fold back edges of top row of slices, leaving about 1 ½” opening. Cut 5 reserved slices in half lengthwise. Place along edge of pie, pressing to seal edge; flute if desired. Brush dough with egg. Bake 1 ½ hours or until golden brown and bubbly. Cool on rack.

To make icing:

1. On medium speed, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth; beat in enough milk, a little at a time, until just thin enough to pour. Serve with pie.