Placinta cu Mere (Romanian Apple Pie)

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Pies tarts Vanilla: Extract Easy

Placinta cu mere is a tray pie of tender yogurt pastry around soft cinnamon apples, cut into squares. The dough is stretched or pressed by hand and needs no rolling skill. Makes 16 squares in about 2 hr 10 min.

Prep 60 min

Cook 40 min

Cooling 30 min

Total 2 hr 10 min

Yield 16 squares

Ingredients

Adjust yield

squares

3 ¼ cups (400 g)all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 g)unsalted butter, cold, cubed
7 tbsp (100 g)plain whole-milk yogurt
½ tsp (2 g)baking powder
¼ tsp (2 g)fine salt
1 tsp (5 ml)vanilla extract, for the dough
2 ¼ lb (1000 g)apples, peeled, cored and coarsely grated
⅔ cup (120 g)granulated sugar
1 ¼ tsp (3 g)ground cinnamon
1 tsp (5 ml)vanilla extract, for the filling
1 tbsp (15 ml)lemon juice
2 ½ tbsp (20 g)powdered sugar

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Instructions

Rub the butter into the flour, baking powder and salt until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in the yogurt and vanilla and knead briefly into a soft dough.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces, wrap and chill 30 minutes.
Filling: cook the grated apples with the sugar in a wide pan over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring, until soft and most of the juice has cooked away. Stir in the cinnamon, vanilla and lemon juice and cool completely.
Heat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with parchment.
Press or roll one piece of dough to fit the pan base, spread the cooled filling over it.
Roll the second piece to the same size, lay it on top and press the edges together with a fork. Prick the top a few times.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until golden. Cool completely in the pan, dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares.

Tips

Cook the apples until the pan is nearly dry so the base stays crisp.
Cool the filling fully before closing the pie.
Cutting is neatest when the pie is completely cold.
Good with black tea or coffee.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make placinta cu mere (romanian apple pie)?

Plan on 60 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes to chill. The recipe makes 16 squares.

How should I store placinta cu mere (romanian apple pie)?

Cover and keep at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days.

Can I make placinta cu mere (romanian apple pie) ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 1 tsp vanilla extract, for the dough (5 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

Placinta is a pie of thin dough around a filling such as apples or cheese, made in Romania and Moldova; apple is one of the most common sweet versions. Serve it with black tea or coffee.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 16 servings this recipe makes.

276 Calories / serving

13.3g Fat

37.1g Carbs

3.1g Protein

15.5g Sugar

Whole recipe (16 servings): ~4416 cal · 213g fat · 594g carbs · 50g protein · 248g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.