Lucille Ball’s Easy Apple John Recipe Is Classic

Lucille Ball was undoubtedly famous for her comedic talents, but it turns out she had a few tricks up her sleeve in the kitchen, too. And I’m not talking about her giant loaf of bread, but rather the Apple John that she often treated her real-life dinner guests to. Her quick and easy dessert was featured in the December 1964 issue of Good Housekeeping—alongside those of other celebrities of the time—and it’s perfect for the holidays.

If this is the first time you’ve heard of an Apple John (also known as an apple pandowdy), you can think of it as a sort of cobbler-meets-apple pie. Instead of placing the fruit filling over cake batter, or between layers of pie crust, it’s spread over the bottom of a baking dish, then topped with generous dollops of biscuit dough.

During a time when packaged foods were popular thanks to the innovations of companies including Betty Crocker and Pillsbury, it was common to see recipes that called for time-saving ingredients, like boxed biscuit mix. And Lucy’s did too—which is good news if your holiday cooking schedule is already looking hectic. Other than that swap, her recipe is pretty similar to those that home cooks would have used to make the classic dessert hundreds of years ago.

Lucy’s filling features traditional apple pie flavors, including nutmeg and cinnamon, as well as lemon juice and lemon zest. She also added water to the filling to help the apples braise, creating a fork-tender texture and a delicious sauce. As for the type of apples she used, her recipe simply calls for thinly sliced, pared “cooking apples,” but I would guess that she opted for something along the lines of Granny Smith or Braeburn—two apple varieties that work well due to their tart flavors that balance the sweetness of the dessert, and their firm texture that doesn’t turn to mush during the cooking process. You can read all the details of the recipe as transcribed by blogger Lucy Hoag over on her WordPress site.

Once the apples emerged from the oven after about an hour of baking covered at 375 degrees F, Lucy cranked the temperature up to a scorching 450 degrees F and dotted the apple base with big spoonfuls of boxed biscuit mix (prepared per the package instructions), then baked it for an additional 12 to 15 minutes, until the biscuits were fluffy and golden brown and the edges were crispy.

Her recipe notes to serve it warm with vanilla ice cream on top for a classic a la mode finish. It would also taste great topped with fresh whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel or butterscotch sauce, and even with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese—the apple pie topping of choice for many New Englanders.

Whether you want to impress your guests with an unexpected twist on a traditional dessert, you’re looking for recipes that will save you time in the kitchen this holiday season or you need a dish to turn to for those last-minute potluck invites, this classic from the Queen of Comedy herself won’t disappoint. 

And don’t be afraid to make this dessert your own by replacing the filling with your favorite, like peach or blackberry, or taking additional shortcuts—a good quality canned filling or thawed frozen fruits can save you time while providing in-season flavors.