As the crisp air of autumn sweeps in, bringing with it the bounty of apple season, thoughts invariably turn to warm, comforting desserts. Among them, the classic apple pie reigns supreme. But what if you could elevate this beloved treat to an even more irresistible level? Imagine a luscious, homemade Caramel Apple Pie, where tender, spiced apples mingle with rich, gooey caramel, all encased in a perfectly flaky crust. This isn’t just a dessert; it’s a celebration of fall, a symphony of flavors that promises to be a highlight of any gathering.
For those who adore the delightful combination of caramel-dipped apples, this pie takes that iconic pairing and transforms it into a truly magnificent, autumnal masterpiece. It’s a nostalgic flavor, reimagined in a comforting pie that’s perfect for cool evenings and cozy moments. Get ready to bake a pie that will leave everyone asking for more!
Why This Caramel Apple Pie Recipe Is a Must-Try
There are countless reasons to add this Caramel Apple Pie to your fall baking repertoire. Beyond its comforting allure, this recipe offers a truly unique and memorable dessert experience:
- A Classic Combination Elevated: The pairing of crisp, tart apples with sweet, buttery caramel is a match made in heaven. This pie brings that beloved flavor profile to a whole new level, creating a dessert that is both familiar and exciting. The caramel isn’t just a topping; it’s woven into the very fabric of the pie’s filling, ensuring every bite is infused with its rich essence.
- Unforgettable Depth of Flavor: By incorporating a generous amount of caramel sauce directly into the apple filling, this recipe achieves an unparalleled depth of flavor. The caramel not only adds sweetness but also a complex, toasted note that beautifully complements the natural tartness of the apples and the warmth of the spices. It transforms a simple apple pie into a gourmet experience.
- The Ultimate Dessert Experience: Serving a warm slice of this Caramel Apple Pie with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, then dousing it with even more homemade caramel sauce, is nothing short of heavenly. The contrasts in temperature and texture – warm pie, cold ice cream, creamy caramel, tender apples, and flaky crust – create an exquisite sensation that is truly addictive. It’s the kind of dessert that elicits gasps of delight and satisfied smiles.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: Whether it’s a cozy family dinner, a festive holiday gathering, or a potluck with friends, this Caramel Apple Pie is sure to be the star of the dessert table. Its impressive presentation and irresistible taste make it a showstopper that will earn you rave reviews and requests for the recipe.
Expert Tips for Crafting Your Perfect Caramel Apple Pie
Making a truly exceptional Caramel Apple Pie involves a few key techniques and considerations. Having baked this pie for many Sunday dinners, delighting even my caramel-skeptical husband, Bill, I’ve gathered some insights to help you achieve pie perfection.
Selecting the Best Apples for Your Pie
The foundation of any great apple pie is, of course, the apples themselves. Autumn offers an abundance of fantastic pie apples in grocery stores and farmers’ markets. Don’t be shy about asking your local farmer or produce expert which varieties are best for baking. For optimal flavor and texture, I highly recommend using a blend of 2-3 different types of baking apples.
- PRO-Tip: Aim for a mix of sweet, tart, firm, and slightly softer apples. This combination ensures a wonderful depth of flavor and prevents your pie from becoming a monotonous mush. While some apples will soften beautifully, you definitely want the majority to hold their shape, giving your pie a delightful texture rather than an applesauce-like filling. Consider classic pairings like Granny Smith (for tartness and firmness) with sweeter, softer varieties like Honeycrisp, Northern Spy (a personal favorite for its baking qualities), Rome, Jonagold, Jonathan, or Braeburn.
The Secret to a Flawless Pie Crust
While a good quality store-bought pie crust is a convenient option, nothing beats the taste and texture of a homemade crust. The pie crust recipe I’ve included is a tried-and-true winner from America’s Test Kitchen, renowned for its incredible flakiness and ease of handling.
- The Vodka Advantage: This particular crust recipe has a unique ingredient: vodka. Don’t worry, there’s absolutely no alcoholic taste in the final product! The vodka provides extra moisture to the dough, making it supple and easy to roll out. Crucially, it evaporates completely during the baking process, leaving behind an exceptionally tender and flaky crust because it inhibits gluten formation more effectively than water.
- PRO-Tip: This crust also expertly combines shortening and butter. The shortening contributes to a wonderfully tender, easy-to-work-with dough, while the butter infuses it with that irresistible rich, dairy flavor. For an even flakier crust, you can substitute quality leaf lard (sourced from a local butcher, not shelf-stable grocery store lard) for the shortening. Be aware that lard-based dough can be a bit more challenging to handle, but the results are phenomenal. Feel free to use your absolute favorite double pie crust recipe if you have one – the key is a sturdy, flavorful base.
Preventing the Dreaded “Air Gap”
Have you ever baked an apple pie only to find a disappointing empty space between the filling and the top crust? This common issue can be easily avoided with a simple technique included in this recipe.
- PRO-Tip: Precooking your apples is the magic solution. When you bake with raw apple slices, they release moisture and shrink significantly during cooking, which creates that unwanted air gap under the top crust. By gently cooking the apples first, they soften, release much of their water, and reduce in volume *before* they even go into the pie. This ensures your pie remains beautifully full, with a perfect ratio of filling to crust, every single time.
The Beauty of Homemade Caramel
While a good quality jarred caramel sauce (look for one with real butter and cream in the ingredients list!) can be used, making your own caramel from scratch adds an unparalleled richness and depth to your pie. The process is simpler than you might think and truly enhances the homemade feel of this dessert.
Explore More Apple-Inspired Delights:
I share your love for all things apple! While a two-crust apple pie is a rewarding project, sometimes a busy schedule calls for quicker, yet equally delicious, apple treats. Here are some fantastic alternatives to satisfy your apple cravings:
- Apple Pie Baked Doughnuts – from Will Cook for Smiles
- No-Bake Apple Pie Lasagna – from Beyond Frosting
- Easy Apple Tart Recipe
- Cream Cheese Apple Torte
- Apple Crisp Cheesecake
- Cinnamon Spiced Apple Bread
- Apple Cobbler
- Best Fall Recipes
- More Apple Baking Recipes
- More Pie Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions About Caramel Apple Pie
For an optimal apple pie, a blend of firm and soft, tart and sweet apples creates a delicious depth of flavor and varied texture. Excellent choices include Granny Smith (for tartness and firmness) and Golden Delicious (for sweetness and softer texture), which combine beautifully and are widely available. Other fantastic pie apples to consider are Northern Spys, Honeycrisp, Rome, Jonagold, Jonathan, and Braeburn. Mixing 2-3 varieties ensures your pie is never one-note.
The inclusion of vodka in the pie crust is a clever technique from Cook’s Illustrated, known for consistently producing superior results. Vodka provides essential liquid to bind the pie dough, making it easier to handle and roll out without becoming tough. Unlike water, alcohol inhibits the formation of gluten, which is what makes crusts chewy. As the pie bakes, the vodka evaporates completely, leaving behind an exceptionally tender, flaky, and delicate crust with no discernible alcohol taste.
Absolutely! This Caramel Apple Pie freezes beautifully, whether baked or unbaked, and can be stored for up to 3 months. For best results, ensure the pie is tightly wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap and then foil to prevent freezer burn and frost development on the crust. To bake an unbaked frozen pie, you’ll need to add approximately 30 minutes to the regular baking time. If you’re reheating an already baked, frozen pie, simply defrost it in the refrigerator overnight, then warm it in the oven (around 350°F or 175°C) until heated through before serving for that fresh-baked taste.
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Caramel Apple Pie
30 minutes
1 hour 30 minutes
2 hours
8 servings
A classic double crust apple pie enhanced by homemade caramel in the filling!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons butter (cut into small pieces and chilled)
- ½ cup vegetable shortening (or lard, cut into 4 pieces and chilled)
- ¼ cup cold vodka
- ¼ cup cold water
For the filling:
- 4 pounds Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and each cut into eighths), I used a combination of Granny Smith, Northern Spy and Jonathan
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
For the caramel:
- 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup corn syrup
- 6 tablespoons butter (cut into pieces)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cream
To finish the top crust:
- 1 egg white (beaten with 1 teaspoon water)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Place 1 ½ cups flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add butter and shortening and process for about 10 seconds (dough will appear crumbly).
- Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup flour and give 4-6 quick pulses.
- Remove the blade from the processor, then sprinkle vodka and water over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, mix and press the dough until it sticks together.
- Flatten the dough into two disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour minimum.
- Roll out one disk of pie crust and place in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Refrigerate the pie shell and remaining dough round for 30 minutes.
Make the filling:
- To prepare the apples, in a large pot over medium heat, stir together the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice.
- Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender, about 20 minutes. Uncover and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the cornstarch.
- To make the caramel, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook until the mixture is bubbling well for about 9 minutes, stirring only during the first couple of minutes of cooking.
- Remove from heat, then carefully stir in ¼ cup of the cream, then stir in the remaining ¼ cup of cream. Let cool until just warm. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- If the dough in your pie pan is really firm, let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the apple mixture and ¾ cup of caramel. Save the remaining caramel to serve the pie.
- Pour the apple filling into the pastry-lined dish and place the top crust over the pie. Trim the edges of the top crust so that both top and bottom crusts are flush with the rim.
- Press crusts together around the rim and crimp as desired. Brush the top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
- Place the pie dish on a baking sheet. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour.
- If the crust is browning too quickly, cover the edges with foil. Remove pie from oven and let cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Serve with ice cream and rewarmed caramel sauce, if desired.
Notes
Crust adapted from The Best of America’s Test Kitchen via The Mom Chef.
Filling and caramel adapted from Williams-Sonoma.
Calories reflect using all the excess caramel to drizzle over pie slices. We found we did not use it all.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1 slice
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 937
Total Fat: 45g
Saturated Fat: 25g
Trans Fat: 1g
Unsaturated Fat: 17g
Cholesterol: 93mg
Sodium: 638mg
Carbohydrates: 126g
Fiber: 8g
Sugar: 83g
Protein: 6g
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My Journey to Caramel Apple Pie Perfection
This delightful pie holds a special place in my heart, marking my second endeavor to conquer its caramel-infused charms. My first attempt back in 2013 was, shall we say, a learning experience. Yet, despite the initial culinary chaos, that pie was devoured with gusto by my pie-loving family, proving that even kitchen mishaps can lead to surprisingly delicious outcomes! I like to share the journey because sometimes, the most cherished recipes come with a story of trial and error.
If you’re curious about the humorous saga of that first attempt, here’s a little excerpt:
“This one had disaster written all over it. First, I inadvertently left the apples simmering on the stovetop a bit too long, transforming the beautiful Golden Delicious slices into an unfortunate mush. Then, the pie crust, a rich blend of lard and butter, didn’t exactly inspire confidence with its less-than-perfect appearance. My next misstep came when I impulsively added the cornstarch to the hot apple filling, instead of allowing it to cool first. The result? A frantic few minutes spent painstakingly picking out unsightly white, pasty bits from the apples.
The caramel wasn’t spared from the drama either; my initial half-hearted attempt yielded a runny mess that required a complete re-cook to achieve the proper temperature and consistency. At this point, I was certain the pie would be an inedible failure and had completely abandoned any plans for photos. However, the tantalizing aroma wafting from the oven proved too much for my son, Nick, home from college for spring break. He insisted on the first slice, and to my utter amazement, we had a surprising success! The not-so-pretty crust was incredibly flaky and utterly delicious. The filling, which I had drizzled with some of the caramel, baked into absolute apple pie perfection. And with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, further doused with more warm caramel sauce, our pie went from kitchen catastrophe to culinary triumph. It was a firm reminder that my next pie-making adventure should definitely happen when I’m not attempting to multi-task in the kitchen. (A girl can dream, right?)”
This pie is a testament to perseverance and the joy of homemade baking. The journey, with all its unexpected turns, often makes the destination even sweeter. So, don’t be afraid to dive in; the reward is truly magnificent.
