Baked Apple Banoffee Crostata Pie

Crunchy crumble meets caramel apples and chocolate. That’s the best way to describe this baked apple banoffee crostata — a rustic, French-inspired pie that delivers on every level of comfort and indulgence.

I came up with this one on a chilly afternoon when a few lonely apples sat on the counter, a jar of banoffee spread lingered in the pantry, and a serious chocolate craving demanded attention. The result is a buttery golden crust on the bottom, a warmly spiced apple-banoffee filling in the middle, and a craggy, crumble-like top scattered with chocolate chips that melt into rich pockets.

It’s the kind of dessert that makes the whole kitchen smell like home.

This crostata pulls together in about 20 minutes of hands-on time and 25 minutes in the oven. No blind-baking, no complicated pastry techniques, no fuss — just honest, satisfying baking that rewards you with eight generous slices.

What Exactly Is a Crostata?

A crostata is an Italian-style open-faced tart or pie, though the French have their own beloved versions too. Unlike a traditional American pie with a crimped top crust, a crostata is deliberately rustic.

The dough gets pressed into the pan for the base, then torn or crumbled over the filling on top. It’s meant to look imperfect — and that’s precisely its charm.

In this recipe, the dough is wonderfully versatile: soft and buttery enough to form a tender base, yet sturdy enough to break into crumble-like chunks for the topping. If you enjoy apple-forward bakes, this pairs beautifully with the approach behind our brown butter gluten-free apple muffins, where the fruit really gets to shine.

Why Banoffee Spread Makes All the Difference

Banoffee spread — that glorious blend of caramel and banana — adds a deeper, more complex sweetness to the apple filling than brown sugar alone. It melts into the apples as they cook, creating an almost toffee-like sauce that clings to every piece.

If you don’t have any on hand, you can absolutely omit it and still have a delicious crostata, but I’d encourage you to try it at least once. The banana undertone is subtle, not overpowering, and it rounds out the tartness of the apples beautifully.

The filling comes together in a skillet over low heat. Diced apples get coated in brown sugar, then the banoffee spread and a cup of applesauce join the party.

Cooking it gently on the stovetop first means the apples soften perfectly by the time the crostata finishes baking — no crunchy surprises inside.

Tips for Getting That Crumble Topping Just Right

The secret to the topping is tearing, not rolling. Once you’ve pressed the first half of the dough into the dish, take the second half and break it into irregular pieces with your hands.

Scatter them over the apple filling so they sit at different heights. As the crostata bakes, these pieces puff up and turn golden, creating that signature craggy, crumble texture that shatters when you bite through it.

For the chocolate, go big. Coarsely chopped chocolate bar pieces create meltier, more dramatic pockets than uniform chips.

I like to press a few pieces right into the crumbled dough so they partially melt into the pastry while still holding their shape. It’s the same kind of indulgent chocolate moment you’ll find in our chocolate apple donuts, where the two flavors complement each other so well.

Make It Your Own

This recipe is wonderfully flexible. A few ideas to switch things up:

• Skip the banoffee spread for a classic apple pie flavor — add an extra tablespoon of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon instead.
• Use dark chocolate instead of milk for a more grown-up, bittersweet contrast against the sweet filling.
• Add a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans to the crumble topping for extra crunch and nuttiness.
• Swap half the apples for pears when they’re in season — they cook down even more tenderly and pair gorgeously with the banoffee notes.

Storing and Serving Your Crostata

This dessert is best served at room temperature or just slightly warm. After it comes out of the oven, let it cool completely in the dish — this lets the filling set so the slices hold together cleanly.

A light dusting of powdered sugar right before serving adds a pretty finishing touch.

Leftovers keep well, covered, at room temperature for a day or two. If you want to stretch it further, refrigerate it for up to four days and warm individual slices in a low oven for a few minutes to bring back that fresh-baked texture.

The crumble topping crisps up again nicely.

If apple desserts are your thing, you might also love our soft baked apple cider donuts — they capture that same cozy, spiced apple warmth in a completely different form. And for a chocolate-forward bake to round out your dessert rotation, these molten chocolate chip protein baked oats are a reader favorite.

Happy baking — and don’t skip the extra chocolate chunks on top. Trust me on that one.