The recipe
The Apple Pie With No Apples in It
Mock Apple Pie, contributed by Sandra Bechtold of McClusky, is exactly what the name promises: a pie designed to resemble apple pie without using apples at all.
Instead, the filling starts with coarsely broken Ritz crackers and a cooked syrup made from water, Splenda, lemon juice, butter, and cinnamon. Once baked between two crusts, the crackers soften into a filling the contributor says resembles apple pie.
Why it matters
Why This One Is Worth Bringing Back
Mock Apple Pie is worth preserving because it captures a kind of kitchen ingenuity that is easy to lose when recipes are stripped of their context. Sandra Bechtold says the recipe was given to her by her friend Sue Tucker from Kansas, and that the two shared recipes because they were both diabetic.
The ingredient list is also inherently curious: thirty-six Ritz crackers stand in for the apples, while lemon juice and cinnamon build the familiar flavor cues of an apple pie.
The result is less interesting as a substitute for apple pie than as a record of how two friends adapted and traded recipes around their dietary needs.
For recipes that put actual apples back at the center, try Raw Apple Muffins or Caramel Apple Delight. Both are part of the broader 75 Years of Caring and Sharing archive.
Modern kitchen notes
If You're Making It Today
These are modern editorial suggestions, not changes to the archived recipe. When a variation comes directly from the original source, we will say so.
Break the crackers coarsely
The source specifically calls for coarsely broken Ritz crackers, not crumbs. Keeping some structure helps the filling behave more like sliced fruit.
Cool the syrup before pouring
The printed method tells you to simmer the water and Splenda for 15 minutes, add lemon juice, and cool the syrup before it goes over the crackers.
Use the double crust as written
The pie is built as a two-crust pie and baked at 425°F until golden brown.
Keep the original sweetener distinction clear
This preserved version uses Splenda because that is what the source specifies. Any change in sweetener should be treated as a modern adaptation rather than a correction.
Recipe card
The Preserved Recipe
Mock Apple Pie
Ingredients
- pastry for 2 crust 9 inch pie
- 36 Ritz crackers coarsely broken
- 2 c. water
- 2 c. Splenda
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- Place crackers in prepared crust.
- In saucepan, over high heat, heat water and Splenda to a boil.
- Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add lemon juice; cool.
- Pour syrup over crackers.
- Dot with butter; sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Place remaining crust on pie.
- Trim, seal, and flute edges.
- Bake at 425° for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
Give Something Back
Help preserve the community behind the cookbook.
This recipe traces back to a Jersey County community cookbook created in the spirit of sharing, service and local connection. If you’d like to carry that spirit forward, consider supporting the Jersey County Historical Society and its work preserving local history for future generations.
Support Jersey County History →
Nostalgic Foodie is not affiliated with the Jersey County Historical Society and does not receive any portion of donations.
From the archive
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