One down, two more Pillsbury Mini Pies to go. How are we doing after the Pillsbury S’mores Mini Pie?

So good, I can’t even. But let’s reserve judgment until we make our way through their whole lineup. We’ll break up the two chocolate-based ones and see how Pillsbury can do with a play on the most iconic pie the United States has to offer – the apple pie. Introducing Pillsbury Apple Cinnamon Mini Pies!

Now, I understand this is probably the one you’re least excited about. Apple pie is so pervasive in our food culture that we sometimes become numb to its appeal. That is, of course, until we dig our forks in and remind ourselves why it’s withstood the test of time so well. And honestly…it’s the variety that lends itself best to the buttery crust of the Pillsbury Mini Pie. There’s no such thing as a S’mores Pie (at least not through conventional offerings), and Chocolate Lava’s vehicle of choice is the cake which has no crust element whatsoever. But given their success with the S’mores variety combined with the goodwill they’ve amassed through Pillsbury Toaster Strudel, I have high hopes for the Pillsbury Apple Cinnamon Mini Pie.

Pillsbury Apple Cinnamon Mini Pies is made with real fruit, spices, and includes a caramel icing packet. They prepare the same way as the S’mores Mini Pie, but require an extra 3-5 minutes in prep time. That’s basically forever, so Strike One. Browsing the nutrition while we wait forever, the Apple Cinnamon Mini Pies are considerably healthier. One iced pie is only going to run you 150 calories, 7g of fat, 17g of carbs, and 5g of sugar. I better eat two just to feel normal. Perusing the ingredient list, we have both real apples, apple pie spice (allspice, nutmeg, and cloves), and cinnamon spice flavor. Also butter flavor. Lest we forget butter to complete the apple pie experience. I’m swelling with anticipation, people.

Sampling the caramel icing first, eh. Standard artificial caramel flavor; not really that sweet, decent salt element. That’s fine… I wasn’t expecting the caramel to be a big player here, personally. Because some of my apple filling made its escape in the oven, I was able to try it on its own. It’s a a genuine apple filling that delivers plenty of tartness and avoids being sickly sweet. I could actually stand a little more sweetness here. The spices (allspice, nutmeg, & clove) are balanced evenly. This is a solid apple pie filling that’s not far from the real thing, because it pretty much is the real thing.

Now, the dough used for these pies definitely favors the Pillsbury Apple Cinnamon Mini Pie the most. Salty? Check. Buttery? Check yo’self. Doughy? Wreck yo’self. It’s got all of this, and the crust provides a great backdrop for the tart apple filling to shine. Yes, this does taste like a fresh-baked apple pie. But what I’m about to say is going to delight a ton of you and perhaps disappoint just as many others. Pillsbury Apple Cinnamon Mini Pies taste an awful lot like McDonald’s Baked Apple Pies.

How does that news sit with you? I’m very curious. It’s the staple dessert at McDonald’s, and I’ve never complained about it before. It’s pretty awesome to have a product at home that can replicate that flavor whenever you want, but I don’t know. I just… wanted more. The caramel icing did absolutely nothing whatsoever – I forgot I had even applied it by the time I finished eating the pie. Maybe a finer salted caramel icing would have made this feel unique. For comparison’s sake, I looked up the nutritional information for the McDonald’s Baked Apple Pie. They’re almost identical across the board once you adjust for serving size. That said, I could definitely drive to a McDonald’s and back by the time I’ve preheated the oven and waited 15-20 minutes for this to cook. The drawback there is that I’d have to move, but the plus is that I will definitely be returning with a bag full of Big Macs and a McFlurry.

So, let me ask you. If it tastes like a McDonald’s Baked Apple Pie, does this excite you or disappoint you? I would love for some of you to weigh in on the comments below.

How Many Of You Are Going to Weigh In On the Comments Below Rating: 1 out of 10
How Much Weight I Gain Every Time I Go to McDonalds Rating: 10 Quarter-Pounders out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 out of 10