McDonald's apple pie has managed to remain a staple American fast-food dessert for more
than half a century.
But as time-honored and beloved as the little pie in a cardboard pouch has become, there
are secrets hidden beneath that doughy crust you may not be aware of.
In the 1960's, McDonald's had a problem: none of the company's attempts at a dessert menu
had proven successful.
Luckily, franchisee Litton Cochran had a secret weapon: his mom's apple pie.
Cochran hired his mom and sister as dessert chefs.
Using mom's original recipe, they created the fried turnover-style apple pies fans know
and love.
They soon became so popular, the family had to bring in a corporate supplier, and by 1968
the apple pie had been added to the official McDonald's menu.
Everything was chugging along fine for McDonald's hot apple pie until the early '90s.
Then, on one earth-shaking day in 1992, McDonald's stopped deep-frying its apple pies and began
baking them instead.
Fan reaction was… predictable.
“ah.”
Over a quarter of a century later, devotees of the fried apple pie are still grumbling,
creating internet petitions to try and Make America's Apple Pies Great Again.
That kind of demand even led to black market apple pies being offered, with one L.A. chef
even cutting a deal with McDonald's former pie supplier to produce what he called "Throwback
Apple Pies."
So did McDonald's learn their lesson?
Apparently not, because in 2018, McDonald's changed the recipe yet again in another apparent
attempt to produce a healthier dessert option.
The Twitter outrage was palpable.
One user tweeted,
"McDonald's changed their apple pie crust & we should be rioting in the streets."
While another added,
"Where's the green box?
Where's the apple PIE?!!
The Franken-Strudel you have offered 2 nite is yet another example of big business sticking
it to the common man!!"
In other words, if you are lucky enough to ever find an original McDonald's Apple Pie,
don't waste it by throwing it at Nic Cage.
"I have to see my kid with pie on me man?
See how this s--- looks on you!”
“No man."
Before McDonald's recent change, the apple pie filling used to be a gooey mix of diced
apples, which could be from anywhere: Italy, New Zealand, an enchanted forest, etc.
Now, however, McDonalds has pledged to use only fresh, home-grown apples.
Specifically, the franchise will offer pies made from six types of apples: Golden Delicious,
Jonagold, Rome, Gala, Idared, and Fuji.
A McDonald's spokesperson explained,
"Our new freshly baked Apple pie recipe is in line with other positive changes we have
made.
We removed, for example, artificial preservatives from our Chicken McNuggets and switched to
real butter in our breakfast sandwiches because those changes matter to our guests."
In addition to apples, the company has experimented with more than 40 different fillings and seasonal
flavors in pies over the last half century in the U.S. and beyond.
Most famous, of course, is the cherry pie, but they also have been known to cough up
seasonal flavors like pumpkin pie, as well as all sorts of rando types like strawberry
and creme, pineapple, and blueberry.
And that's just in the U.S.
Overseas, you can find variants like Australia's Hot Chocolate Pie, China's Taro Pie, Thailand's
Corn Pie, and Japan's Bacon and Potato Pie.
Yum?
Given the success McDonald's had with their apple pie, it's no surprise lots of other
fast food chains have copied them.
But how do their pies stack up?
Let's start with Burger King's Dutch apple pie: Unlike the McDonald's apple pie ,which
is really a turnover, Burger King's dutch apple pie is an actual slice of actual pie.
It's less portable as a result, but it's also more… pie.
How about Taco Bell's caramel apple empanada?
It's a pastry pocket of diced apples and brown sugar, and a little stingy on apples, but
it gets bonus points for being only $1.
Popeye's cinnamon apple pie is a turnover covered in a blanket of cinnamon, so that's
great if you happen to be really into cinnamon.
At 430 calories, Arby's apple turnover is the most caloric of all these pies.
However, it also comes with the flakiest crust and a drizzle of vanilla icing.
"Arby's: technically, it's food."
In 1971, McDonald's introduced McDonaldland, a magical fairytale world where McDonald's
characters like The Hamburglar and Mayor McCheese romped around.
And the pre-eminent flora in this wonderland?
The Apple Pie Tree, which skipped the middleman by growing fully cooked pies rather than boring
old apples.
Sadly, McDonaldland was essentially razed by the early 2000's in the name of progress,
but wayward Apple Pie Trees may still exist in the wild, haunting older restaurants as
you devour the fruits of its imaginary branches.