We all love our apple pie. The thought of warm apple filling and a crisp tender crust
gets the mouth watering. McDonald's sure knows how to tap into that Pavlovian apple pie psyche.
“Would you like an apple pie with that” sounds real tempting, but did you know there
are secrets behind making this item so pielicious? Sit back and grab a slice while we go through
10 McDonald's secrets that makes their apple pie much more interesting than it looks.
Variety is the spice of life
McDonald’s apple pie goes back to as early as 1968 and is a menu classic. It is the first
ever dessert item to dot the menu of the fast food chain, way before hot fudge sundaes or
McFlurrys. Over the years the pie has come in different sizes, shapes, appearances and
even tastes. And it seems that no matter the changes, people continue to order the delicious
apple pie at Mickey D’s. So what makes the McDonald’s apple pie different from the
rest? I mean all you gotta do is throw a bunch of apples together and then put them in a
pie crust and go from there. Easy right? Well the fast food chain would disagree with that,
as it makes their pie with its own style and motif. It’s no big secret, but the McDonalds
apple pie is comprised of six different types of apples to make it look and taste so good.
Rome, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Gala, Ida Red and Fuji are part of the ingredients that
make up the pie. This is the secret to getting the right taste: the blend and varieties of
apples used. So if you do plan to make a pie at home trying to replicate that distinct
McDonald’s flavor, just keep in mind that no one kind of apple is going to give you
the results you’re looking for. You would probably have to have your very own orchard
or a heap of different apples to replicate what the chain does.
Changes for better, or worse?
In order to keep on top of their game, popular chains make changes to keep relevant and stay
ahead of the competition. This often involves changing or updating their menu options. So
as consumers started to look for healthier options when it came to fast food, restaurants
had to adapt. Not wanting to fall behind, McDonalds jumped on the bandwagon. One classic
item to get a makeover was the apple pie. Back in the day, some people might remember
the pie used to be fried with a crispy, flaky crust. But that changed in the 90s, as people
became more health conscious. As a result, instead of frying, the chain started baking
the pie instead. Recently in 2018, it again decided to revamp its menu and its apple pie
as well. The new pie is now made using fewer ingredients. A pastry style crust and a sugar
coating is part of the new appearance. Although this change is an attempt to endorse healthy
eating, not everyone likes the new version. Some changes may go unnoticed, but in this
case, it has not gone over well with Mickey D’s hardcore sweet tooths and who were familiar
with the earlier iteration of the pie. The outcome? Lots of rage on social media, because
isn’t that what the internet is for? The apple pie makeover has made headlines for
all the wrong reasons, which makes one wonder, is the next makeover going to please the fans
or will they bring out the torches and pitchforks? Whatever the case, it will be up to the chains’
PR department to extinguish the fire.
Why does Mickey D’s apple pie taste so good?
We all know that apples are a must when making apple pie. Pretty self-explanatory after all,
I mean it is right there in the name. Besides the usual sugar and a touch of cinnamon, what
else could be added to make the McD’s version so delicious? It’s said that McDonald's
uses dehydrated apple powder to keep the filling together. The apple powder soaks up the liquid
discharged when the apples are cooked and what you end up with is an extra apple flavor
punch when you sink your teeth in. Other food chains use more common thickening agents to
hold everything together within the pie, but McDonald's does its own thing to make the
pie as delicious as possible. Getting more apple essence with every bite, only makes
those rectangular treats taste all the better.
Mom’s original recipe and the rise of the fried apple pie
In the 1960s Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, was busy scratching his head trying to come
up with a dessert idea that would be a guaranteed success story. After all, his cheeseburgers
and fries were roping in the customers. After many short lived experiments in the dessert
department and looking for inspiration, Kroc asked for ideas from other McDonald's franchise
owners. Desperate times called for desperate measures after all, and one of the owners
from Tennessee asked his mother about the apple pie she used to make for him, when he
was a kid. Litton Cochran loved his mom’s apple pie so much, that he hired his mother
and his sister to handle the dessert selections of his Knoxville McDonald’s. Like Cochran,
customers quickly became fans of the apple pie recipe and eventually, Kroc had a classic
dessert item to roll out nationwide. It was officially added to the menu of select McDonald’s
in 1968 and from there it spread across the whole United States by the early 70s. If it
wasn’t for one franchise owner’s mom, who knows if the McD apple pie would even
exist as does today. If things didn’t work out the way they did, we could’ve been talking
about the famous McDonald’s oatmeal cookie instead. We’re glad that pie thing worked
out.
Apple pie on the black market
Who would have thought something as delectable and harmless as an apple pie would become
a hot commodity on the black market. It’s common practice for certain items to pop up
from behind closed doors once they have been shelved for good or have become extremely
valuable in nature. Alcohol, toys, artifacts, comic books and so on, are part of a never
ending list of things you can buy via non traditional means. One thing that you would
not expect to buy anywhere else other than McDonald’s would be their apple pie. So
imagine the surprise of Eric Greenspan, a chef who came across the famous pie for sale
at a food convention. He had stumbled upon a salesman that apparently had contact with
a vendor who was providing the pies to McDonald’s before the recipe change. Greenspan saw an
opportunity and couldn’t miss out. A deal was done, he had the pies shipped to L.A.
With the golden crispy pies in his possession, he sold them as “Throwback apple pie”
for 3 bucks. I wonder how many were sold - and how many were eaten by Greenspan. This sounds
like a great find, but for most of us, all we can do is hope to find another food convention
in a shady place and wait for the right person to come out of the shadows and say “pssst,
wanna buy some pies?”. If something as normal and unassuming as a pie can be found on the
black market, who knows what could turn up next. Big Macs?
The apple pie and its siblings
The dessert menu is not just limited to a single apple pie at McDonald's. The fast food
giant has dabbled with other types of pies as well, experimenting and keeping the menu
interesting. For instance, after the release of the apple pie, the cherry pie also became
part of the menu and is still served in select locations. Like its cousin, this pie was also
fried rather than baked. Then there’s the pumpkin pie which has seen a few different
variations and has been served as a limited edition item. During the holiday season, McDonald's
comes up with holiday pies and there are even some which come with a vanilla custard filling
with sprinkles on top. To complement the holiday vibe, the crust is like a sugar cookie. Some
other pie flavors that have made appearances include pineapple, blueberry, and strawberry.
All of them have come and gone, changing with the seasons and special offers. But the one
pie that has stood the test of time and has been a permanent resident of the Mickey D’s
pie family is the one and only, apple pie. Due to its success as a staple dessert, doppelgangers
have hit other chains like Burger King, Taco Bell and Arby’s. Dutch apple pies, caramel
apple empanadas and apple turnovers are some of the competitions’ attempts at trying
to capitalize on McDonald’s prized possession. This was bound to happen as the cutthroat
fast food business has no mercy, not even for apple pies. While the copycats keep trying,
Mickey D’s famous pie remains the king of the hill, at least for now.
McDonald’s apple pie - vegan and lovin’ it
Vegan friendly is not usually the first thought that comes to mind when thinking about McDonald’s.
But recently, the chain has managed to make some changes in that department to attract
vegan customers. The apple pie is one those items. As part of a vegan menu, it doesn’t
get any tastier than that. While the salads and drinks are considered vegan friendly,
neither can compare with the deliciousness of the classic apple pie. The ingredients
used in making the pie are animal product free and comprise of cinnamon, sugar, palm
oil, flour, salt and apples off course. But the same thing cannot be said for the pies
being sold by the competition as they are not animal by-product free. Most of them contain
milk and butter and that is a red flag for any vegan customer. This also makes the pie
perfect for someone with dairy intolerances, and a great dessert option for those who are
allergic to eggs -no eggs here! Even though options are still limited for vegans, as time
passes by, hopefully more items will get added. But for now, we should be glad that the apple
pie is here to save the day and our taste buds.
The touch of globalization
The international market for popular US brands is massive and chains like KFC, Burger King,
and so on have established themselves in many different countries, other than the USA. When
we look at McDonald's, they have roots in more than 100 countries. This fast food chain,
like many others, has tailored their international menu according to the local tastes and culture
of these countries. Because of these differences, paying a visit to one of these locations becomes
a lot more interesting than a typical trip to your local McDonald's in the United States.
Like many other items on the international menu, the pies also get a makeover from region
to region. For instance in Malaysia and South Korea, there is the corn pie, which is a mix
of corn and custard. If that doesn’t raise your eyebrows, then how about the fried taro
pie available in China with its main ingredient being the taro plant. Word is, that this pie
flavor is also available at locations in Hawaii. And at a McDonald’s in the Ukraine, they
have a ginger plum pie in store for you, while Japan Mickey D’s serves up a bacon potato
pie, which is a combination of bacon, potato and onions. For all those who love their bananas,
locations in Brazil offer the banana pie. Thai McDonald's serves both the pineapple
and corn pies. If you like to improvise and want to be adventurous with your food by adding
toppings, never fear. Hong Kong locations give you the option of adding chocolate or
strawberry toppings to your apple pie. When visiting a McDonald's restaurant abroad, an
exotic touch will be found in the variety of pies served. If you’re tired of the traditional
baked apple pie and want to taste something new, a trip overseas is all you need to get
the taste of these exotic pie flavors. For a true pie connoisseur, what’s the cost
of airfare when it comes to satisfying your tastebuds.
The nightmare of McDonald Land
Back in the 1970s, there was McDonald Land. A fictional place where Ronald McDonald and
his cast of mascot friends could eat hamburgers and fries. Today the restaurant has the happy
meal to attract kids, but back then, McDonald’s marketing campaigns centred around the fictional
setting of McDonald Land. The advertisements featured characters like Officer Big Mac,
Mayor McCheese and the Hamburglar to name a few. Then there were the apple pie trees
featured in the commercials. With giant bulging eyes and a creepy smile, these anthropomorphic
trees were not the friendliest looking characters. As the commercials popularized the McDonald
Land characters, it was only a matter of time before they would get turned into toys and
other marketing items. The apple pie trees became the star attraction of McDonald's PlayPlaces
everywhere as the giant trees stood, happily giving shade to the seating areas. With time,
they too withered away, along with that disturbing grin. Although if you are unlucky enough,
you might still find one in one of the old restaurants staring back at you, while you
devour your apple pie into nonexistence. Whoever came up with the design for these pie trees
must have had a love for all things horror. After all, these trees seem more like something
that belong in the Warren’s Occult Museum. Not a restaurant.
McDonald’s so called “healthy” revamped pie
In a move to market itself as a brand shifting towards healthier items, McDonald's has made
many attempts to redeem itself when it comes to revamping everyone’s favorite pie. The
company has come under fire by those who grew up with the original fried incarnation and
dislike the changes made to the pie over the years. But all of the experimentation and
changes have been done because McDonald’s wants to sell the ‘healthiest’ apple pie
on the market. They put their money where their mouths were by abandoning certain ingredients
and baking the pies instead of frying them, with the goal of reducing calories. But the
question is, was it worth it? Is the pie healthy at all? Even in its baked format and with
the implementation of apple juice concentrate and invert syrup, instead of corn syrup and
brown sugar? According to the company’s nutritional summary, the new pie has 240 calories.
The old version of the apple pie had 248 calories. Top that with near identical carbohydrate
figures and the health benefits are not that big. Well I guess the fact that it’s baked
now instead of deep fried will help ease your conscience. Although let’s be honest, when
you want a delicious Mickey D’s apple pie, are you going to let anything stand in your
way? Probably not.
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