The Pillsbury Bake-Off was first held in 1949, and has been held almost every year since. Many of the recipes from those early contests have become classics. The recipes in the later contests mostly include convenience foods, most of which are full of preservatives and other not-so-good things and don't taste as good as from scratch foods. In fact, over the years, Pillsbury has actually changed some of the early classic winning recipes to include some of their newer convenience products; unfortunately, the resulting dishes aren’t nearly as good as the originals. Apple Impromptu was a finalist in the 7th Grand National Bake-Off held in 1955, and is still a luscious apple dessert that is easy to make. The ingredients in the following recipe are almost identical to those published in the 1956 Bake-Off cookbook, but the preparation has been updated to make it easier and quicker to make. The apples are pre-cooked in the microwave for 5 minutes, rather than having to bake them in the oven for 20 minutes. An electric mixer is used to mix the batter, which speeds things up considerably, although it’s a small enough amount that it can be simply whisked together if a mixer isn’t available.

Even after 50+ years, this recipe is still simple and delicious – no unhealthy convenience foods added; it’s an easy dessert that can bake while the family is eating dinner. It’s quick to put together and contains straightforward ingredients that are probably already on the pantry shelf. Apple Impromptu is best served warm with a scoop of premium vanilla ice cream.

6 Servings

Filling:
4 cups apples, pared, cored, and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (this wasn’t in the original recipe, but it really makes it taste good)

Crust:
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Spray a deep 9" pie dish with non-stick spray.
3. Place the apples in the prepared pie dish.
4. Sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg over the apples.
5. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave 5 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar; beat in the vanilla and egg until light and fluffy.
7. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt; spread the mixture over the apples.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Serve with scoops of premium vanilla ice cream or real sweetened whipped cream (no frozen topping, please).
   
   Amount Per Serving
   Calories 217 Calories from Fat 29
   Percent Total Calories From: Fat 13% Protein 4% Carb. 82%
   
   Nutrient Amount per
   Total Fat 3 g
   Saturated Fat 2 g
   Cholesterol 41 mg
   Sodium 157 mg
   Total Carbohydrate 45 g
   Dietary Fiber 2 g
   Sugars 25 g
   Protein 2 g
   
   Vitamin A 3% Vitamin C 7% Calcium 0% Iron 3%