Cinnamon Pie

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You are going to love this Cinnamon Pie! This unique (and delicious) pie is perfect from Fall straight through the holidays!

Slice of Cinnamon Pie with Apple Cider Meringue on a white plate.

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This Cinnamon Pie has a flaky pastry crust filled with a cinnamon cream cheese filling, piled high with apple cider meringue, then topped with homemade apple chips!

If you enjoy this recipe, check out the posts for my Apple Date Pie, Pumpkin Coconut Cream Pie, and Apple Crisp Macchiato Bars!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
FAQ
Other Recipes You May Like
Cinnamon Pie
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Ingredients

Here's everything you need for this pie, as well as some explanations as to why I chose to use some of the ingredients. You can find the amounts for all the ingredients in the recipe card, below.

Pie Crust Ingredients

Flour - Provides structure for the crust. I used all-purpose flour.
Vegetable Shortening or Unsalted Butter - For moisture and a flaky texture. You want your shortening or butter to be cold. I like an all-butter crust as much as the next gal, but sometimes I prefer shortening because it's so much easier to work with the dough, and the dough will keep it's shape better when baked. The butter, of course, has more flavor. If you're curious about a better-quality shortening option, check out the kind that I use here. It's organic, fair-trade certified, and only uses sustainable palm oil.
Egg - For moisture and making the crust more pliable and easier to roll out.
White Vinegar - To help prevent the formation of gluten, so your pie crust will be more tender.

Cinnamon Filling Ingredients

Cream Cheese - For flavor and creamy texture. I used full-fat cream cheese. You want your cream cheese to be at room temperature so that your filling will mix well with the other ingredients and have a smooth texture.
Brown Sugar - For sweetness and a slight molasses flavor.
Eggs - For thickening and structure for the pie. The eggs also lend the pie an extra smooth and rich texture. The eggs should be at room temperature.
Heavy (Whipping) Cream - Softens the texture of the pie and adds moisture. You want the cream to be at room temperature.
Flour - For structure for the pie filling. The flour helps to ensure that the pie doesn't crack and makes the pie easier to slice cleanly. I used all-purpose flour.
Ground Cinnamon - For flavor.
Vanilla Bean Paste - For flavor. I love the flavor of vanilla bean paste, so I couldn’t resist adding some to the filling (and the meringue)! If you’d rather substitute, you can use an equal measure of vanilla extract.
Salt - To balance and enhance the flavors of the pie.

Apple Cider Meringue Ingredients

Egg Whites - The main component in the meringue, the egg whites get light and fluffy when whipped.
Sugar - For sweetness, and helps to stabilize the meringue so that it doesn't collapse.
Vanilla Bean Paste - For flavor. If you'd rather substitute, you can use an equal measure of vanilla extract.
Salt - To balance and enhance the flavors of the meringue.
Reduced Apple Cider - For flavor. You want to use reduced (or "boiled") cider. This allows for more flavor with less liquid, which is important as too much liquid can collapse the meringue. You can buy boiled cider, but it's pricey, especially if you don't have multiple recipes to use it in. Your best bet is to reduce apple cider yourself (details in the recipe card).

Apple Chips Ingredients

Apples - Can't have apple chips without them. 😉 I used Granny Smith apples since they would complement the super sweet meringue, but you can use whatever apples you prefer.
Ground Cinnamon - For flavor.

Top view of Cinnamon Pie with Apple Cider Meringue.

Instructions

Here are step-by-step instructions and some process photos to help you see how this pie comes together! Additional details are included in the recipe card, below.

Making the Pie Crust

Combine the flour and shortening or butter and cut the butter in until no large pieces remain.

Combine the remaining ingredients and add to the flour mixture. Stir until a soft dough forms. Chill for at least one hour.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface large enough to fit your pie plate.

Line the pie plate with the dough, then place the lined pie plate and chill while you prepare the filling.

Making the Cinnamon Filling

This filling is so smooth and creamy because of it's cream cheese base, and has fantastic depth of flavor from the cinnamon!

Beat the cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and combine.

Add cream, flour, ground cinnamon, vanilla bean paste, and salt. Mix to combine.

Pour filling into the pie crust and bake until filling is set around the edges, but still jiggles in the center.

Making the Apple Cider Meringue

This looks like any old meringue, but you won't believe the flavor! The reduced cider gives the meringue fantastic apple flavor that complements the cinnamon pie filling so well!

Whisk egg whites, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl.

Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, warm the mixture to 160° F.

Whip to soft peaks. Add the vanilla bean paste, then gradually add the reduced cider and whip to medium-stiff peaks.

Pipe or spoon the meringue on top of the chilled pie.

Making the Apple Chips

Cut apples into thin slices, about ⅛" thick, and lay in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake apples for about an hour. Turn the pan around, then bake another 1-1½ hours, or until apples are crisp.

Substitutions

Instead of White Vinegar - If you don't have white vinegar, you can substitute another vinegar, but be sure to consider taste. Apple cider vinegar would be a good fit, but your aged balsamic would lend a strange flavor.

Instead of Vanilla Bean Paste - If you prefer not to use vanilla bean paste, you can substitute with one vanilla bean or an equal measure of vanilla extract.

Variations

Here are a few meringue variations for a slightly different flavor profile:

Cinnamon meringue - Instead of the reduced apple cider, add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the meringue for an all-cinnamon treat!

Vanilla bean meringue - Instead of the reduced apple cider, add a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste to the meringue. The meringue will have beautiful black flecks of vanilla bean throughout and the flavor complements the cinnamon filling so well!

Equipment

Pastry Blender - While a pastry blender isn’t necessary to cut in the shortening/butter, it does make the job faster and easier.

Parchment Paper - Lining the baking sheet with parchment when making the apple chips makes cleanup much easier!

Storage

Because of the cream cheese in this pie, it should be stored in the refrigerator. The pie will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to four days. The meringue will be best in the first two days, as it starts to dry out and get gummy over time.

You can also freeze this pie (minus the meringue)! Bake and cool the pie completely, then wrap well. The pie can be frozen for up to three months. Thaw the pie in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours).

Slice of Cinnamon Pie with Apple Cider Meringue with a bite missing.

FAQ

How can I keep my pie from cracking?

A cracked pie isn't the end of the world, especially when it's going to be covered with meringue, but it will have prettier slices if it doesn't crack. A few tips: Make sure your oven is appropriately preheated, take the pie out of the oven before it's completely set, and allow the pie to cool slowly (let it come to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator).