Caramel Apple Pie

5 from 1 vote

Level up apple pie with caramel! Tart juicy apples, cinnamon, and buttery caramel nestled in a flaky crust. It's lovely for holidays!

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 20

Total Time1 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 343kcal

Author: Sara Smith | Eat Dessert Snack

Ingredients

1 pie crust recipe, top & bottom crust
4 lb Granny Smith & Honeycrisp apples about 3 lb peeled and chopped
2 Tablespoons butter salted, 56 g
1 cup brown sugar, packed 225 g
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup water 118 mL
2 Tablespoons lemon juice 30 mL
3 Tablespoons cornstarch 24 g
½ cup thick caramel 230 g
1 egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon granulated or raw coarse sugar for top of pie

Instructions

Peel, core, and slice apples into THIN slices, about ¼ inch (about ½ cm) thick. You can do this with a apple peeler/slicer, or with a peeler and knife.
Add the sliced apples, butter, brown sugar, and all spices and vanilla to a large pot.
Over medium heat, cook apples for 20 minutes until soft with a little bite to them.
Combine lemon juice, water, and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk together. If you want a sweeter filling, use water in place of the lemon juice to equal almost ⅔ cup.
Pour cornstarch mixture into the apple pie filling and stir over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the filling is thickened.
Let the pie filling cool completely to room temperature (or chilled) before pouring into a prepared raw pie crust.
Prepare pie crust recipe (enough for top and bottom crust) and chill while pie filling is cooling.
Preheat oven to 400℉ with empty baking sheet inside. Roll pie crust into a large enough circle to fill a 9 inch pie dish, about ¼ inch (.63 cm) thick.
Pour cooled pie filling into prepared pie crust. Spoon caramel onto the pie filling. (you can do half the filling, then the caramel, then the rest of the pie filling on top if you wish so there's more caramel in the middle)
Roll out the second pie crust to ¼ inch thick and either cut 1 inch strips for a lattice pie crust, OR lay the whole crust on the pie.
If doing a lattice, you'll need 10-12 strips of dough, 5 or 6 going each direction. Lay them alternating over and under.
It's easiest for me to lay 3 strips down vertically and lift the middle one back before laying a horizontal strip down closest to the bottom edge.
Then replace the middle strip straight and lift the 2 edge vertical strips back before laying another horizontal strip. Alternate lifting the middle and edge strips between laying a horizontal strip to complete the lattice. Trim the edges before crimping to help prevent butter dripping while baking.
Crimp the edges by pinching two fingers together on the outside of the crust, then pressing a finger between them to make a "V" in the dough. Repeat around the edge until the whole pie is crimped and the edges sealed shut.
Brush beaten egg on top of pie crust, covering the entire crust. If doing a solid crust (not a lattice), make sure to cut 3-4 slits in the top of the pie to allow air to escape so it doesn't bubble on top.
Sprinkle sugar on top of crust. Transfer pie to preheated oven onto the empty baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400 ℉, then reduce heat to 350 ℉ and bake for 40-45 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Cool to room temp for more even slices. Or warm for melty caramel goodness!

Notes

Prepare pie crust and/or pie filling up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate or freeze. Thaw to room temperature before using to bake.

Storage: Room Temperature: covered up to 3 days

Refrigerated: up to 5 days

Frozen: (baked & cooled) up to 3 months.

Nutrition