Caramel Apple Pie

Prep: 45 mins

Cook: 80 mins

Chill/Cool: 2 hrs

Total: 4 hrs 5 mins

Servings: 8 slices

Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie

Apple pie isn't just about that warm slice piled high with freshly whipped cream during the holidays. It's about the intoxicating spices that fill the air as it bakes in the oven. It's about that bite you sneak for breakfast the next morning. It's all the memories shared around it.

This version takes the classic and makes it even more tantalizing with a salty, sweet caramel that oozes out of each bite. We top it all off with a buttery crumble much like the traditional Dutch apple pie. The flaky crust comes together in no time, but if you want to make your life easier, use a store-bought crust. You can also use a store-bought caramel sauce if you’re looking to save time.

Serve this pie warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream. You can even make the pie ahead of time and serve it chilled. It’s a great dessert for Thanksgiving or just a nice slow Sunday evening.

«This apple pie has all the elements I look for in a pie—flaky pie crust, delicious apple filling, a sweet and crunchy topping, plus a caramel sauce to top it all off. I loved this recipe and would definitely add it to my recipe book for the holiday season—or any season, actually!» —Tracy Wilk

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cubed

• 1/3 cup ice water

For the Salted Caramel

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup water

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling

• 3 pounds baking apples, about 6 (any combination of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Braeburn)

• 3/4 cup prepared salted caramel

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, or cornstarch

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Crumble

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Steps to Make It

Prepare the Crust:

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. Place the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add in the cubed butter, then use a pastry blender or your hands to cut the mixture together until the butter is in walnut-sized pieces.

   

3. Slowly add 2 tablespoons ice water, mixing the dough until it holds together when pinched. Add more water as needed. You've added enough water when the dough feels moistened but not wet when pressed.

   

4. Form the dough into a ball, then flatten into a round disc. Cover and chill if not using right away.

   

5. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle.

   

6. Place the pie crust onto a 9-inch pie plate.

   

7. Use scissors to trim any excess so that only 1/2-inch of dough hangs over the edge of the pie plate. Fold excess dough under itself to make it flush with the pie plate. Crimp the edges as desired.

   

8. Chill the pie crust for at least 1 hour.

   

Prepare the Caramel Sauce:

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. Cook the granulated sugar and water in a medium saucepan or pot over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally to dissolve the sugar, until the sugar turns a deep amber color, about 10 minutes.

   

3. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the butter (careful as the sugar will bubble rapidly) until melted, then add the heavy cream and stir to combine.

   

4. If the caramel appears lumpy, it may have seized up from the addition of cool ingredients. Simply heat over medium, stirring, until all of the ingredients come together in a smooth consistency.

   Stir in the salt and vanilla extract. The caramel will thicken as it cools.

   

Prepare the Filling:

1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

   

2. Peel, core, and dice the apples. Transfer to a large pot.

   

3. Add 3/4 cup of the prepared caramel (reserve the remaining for serving), flour, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla to the pot with apples. Fold together until the apples are evenly coated in the mixture.

   

4. Cook the apple mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are slightly softened and the juices are thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the butter, then let the mixture cool slightly while you prepare the crumble. (You can spread onto a chilled baking sheet or baking dish to help cool faster.)

   

Prepare the Crumb Topping:

1. Gather your ingredients.

   

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter until clumps form.

   

3. Once the apple filling is cooled to about room temperature, transfer to the chilled crust. (Pouring in a hot filling will melt the butter in the crust and remove all the flaky layers.) Sprinkle the pie with the crumb topping.

   

4. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the apples are softened and the crumb topping is lightly browned. (If the crust is browning too much before the pie is done, cover with foil and continue to bake.)

   

5. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes, then slice and serve with remaining salted caramel.

   

Tips

• Make sure you use very cold butter for the pie dough to get nice flaky layers in the baked crust.
• It's very important to chill the pie dough for at least one hour once it's been rolled out and lined in the pie pan or it could shrink back and yield a tough crust. This chilling period allows the fat to harden and gives time for the gluten to relax.
• When making the caramel sauce, don't walk away! It may seem like you're waiting a long time for the sugar to caramelize, but once it starts to brown, the process goes quickly and you'll want to catch it before the sugar goes from caramelized to burnt in seconds.

Recipe Variations

Based on your time and preference, you can make a number of changes to this recipe to make it your own:

• If you don't like to make your own crust or you're in a pinch, feel free to use store-bought.
• If homemade caramel isn't your thing, use store-bought for this as well.
• Apple pie is all about warm spices, but you can play around with ones that fit your palate, including pumpkin pie spice, allspice, cloves, or even upping the spices already present.
• Try adding flavor to your crust by incorporating spices or even cheddar for flakier layers.
• You can swap half of the apples out with another fruit like pears, peaches, or even strawberries.

Double Crust

• You can omit the crumble and opt for a double crust, if desired. Simply double the crust recipe.
• Roll out both crusts. Place the bottom crust in the pie pan, add the filling, then lay the top crust over top.
• Press all around the edges to seal, then use scissors to trim off any excess so that there is only 1/2-inch hanging off the edge of the pie plate.
• Tuck the overhang under itself, so that the crust is flush with the pie plate.
• Crimp edges however desired, then bake for about 55 minutes.

Sliced vs. Diced

• Dicing the apples helps to cut clean wedges from the pie and also makes for a smoother bite. If you love the look of sliced apples versus diced, feel free to do as you like. No changes to the recipe.

How to Store

Refrigerator

• You can hold the fully made pie in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezer

• You can wrap the pie tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 4 months.
• Thaw in the fridge overnight, then let come to room temperature before serving.

Do you cook apples before putting them in a pie?

Some pie recipes call for cooking the apples before filling the pie, such as this one for a caramel apple pie, but some others have you toss the filling ingredients together and add them to the pie raw. One method isn’t better than the other, but keep in mind that a pie with a raw filling will take longer to bake and what looked like a huge mound of apples at first will cook down to a much thinner layer of filling.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	751
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 39g	50%
Saturated Fat 24g	121%
Cholesterol 105mg	35%
Sodium 293mg	13%
Total Carbohydrate 98g	36%
Dietary Fiber 5g	18%
Total Sugars 56g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 7mg	35%
Calcium 57mg	4%
Iron 3mg	14%
Potassium 252mg	5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.