This Caramel Apple Cream Pie has a fluffy caramel filling, tender caramel apple topping, and a buttery Biscoff cookie crust!
Tomorrow is the official first day of Fall, which means that the holidays will be here in about two seconds. At least it always feels that way…
But before we ram right into the holidays, let’s first appreciate all the wonderful things that this cozy season has to offer–gorgeous leaves, crisp air, staying in, harvest festivals, pumpkin patches, apple picking, and fall baking. Speaking of, I think I have the perfect dessert to welcome the most beautiful season of all…
Why You’ll Love This Caramel Apple Cream Pie
Buttery Biscoff Cookie Crust: Biscoff cookies are crispier and more buttery than ordinary graham crackers. They also have the most wonderful caramelized, brown sugary, cinnamony flavor that’s incredibly addictive.
Extra Fluffy Caramel Cream Filling: This filling is light, fluffy, and extra creamy. It’s infused with homemade caramel, which pairs perfectly with the Biscoff cookie crust.
Tender Caramel Apple Topping: Made with thinly-sliced juicy apples, this topping is cooked in a bath of butter, sugar, and spices until delectably tender. Just before serving, it’s drizzled in luscious caramel sauce.
A Real Crowd-Pleaser: Not only is this pie an absolute knockout, but your friends and family are guaranteed to rave about how heavenly this pie is. It’s also a great make-ahead dessert, which makes it perfect for the holidays.
Tips for Making the Best Caramel
Use a Stainless Steel Pan: This is absolutely vital to prevent crystallization, AKA grainy caramel. I’ve made A LOT of caramel over the years, and whenever I’ve used nonstick pans, it almost always resulted in gritty caramel. The nonstick coating doesn’t allow the sugar crystals to bond with the pan, which causes them to crystalize. Stainless steel conducts heat better and will ensure even cooking.
Add Corn Syrup. For added insurance, add a tablespoon of corn syrup. It helps to stabilize the sugar syrup and acts as an “interfering agent,” which means it prevents the sugar molecules from joining back together after it melts. A little bit of lemon juice also works great in preventing grainy caramel.
Leave it Alone: Once the sugar and corn syrup are added to the water, leave the pan alone as it cooks. There’s no need to touch it until the color starts to turn yellowish around the edges of the pan. You also don’t want to risk any sugar crystals splashing up against the sides of the pan.
Swirl the Pan: Once it goes from clear to yellowish, lift the pan by the handle and use your wrist to swirl the hot sugar liquid around. Swirling not only ensures even browning, but it also prevents the possibility of any sugar crystals from splattering onto the sides of the pan, thus resulting in crystallization.
Carefully Stir in the Heavy Cream: Once the hot sugar liquid is a nice amber color, remove it from the heat and pour in the heavy cream. The mixture will immediately bubble up, so be VERY careful. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to slowly stir everything together. After a minute or so of stirring, you might need to place the pan back over the heat to slowly melt any large clumps.
Tips for Making the Best Apple Topping
Use the Right Apples: For this apple filling, I used a mix of Gala and Honeycrisp apples. Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn, or Golden Delicious would also be great options! Pretty much any sweet and slightly tart apple will work.
Peel and Thinly Slice Apples: I ALWAYS peel my apples before baking or cooking them. Apple skins tend to be chewy and rubbery when cooked, and oftentimes the filling isn’t as smooth. It’s also important to slice the apples thinly to ensure that they cook evenly and produce a tender bite. I sliced my apples about 1/8-inch thin.
Cook Apples Until Fork Tender: To get the perfect texture, the key is to cook the apples to just the right consistency BEFORE thickening the filling. Start by melting a tablespoon of butter in a large pan set over medium heat, then add the peeled and thinly-sliced apples. Toss the apples with the butter until evenly-coated, then stir in the sugars, spices, and salt. Bring everything to a simmer, and cook until the apples soften and become fork-tender. This can take anywhere from 10-15 minutes.
Thicken After Cooking: Once the apples have softened to your desired tenderness, stir a tablespoon of cornstarch into 2-1/2 tablespoons water. Pour this mixture evenly over the cooked apples, and continue stirring until the filling has thickened. Immediately transfer the apple filling to a shallow dish to cool completely.
Drizzle With Caramel: Just before serving, I like to drizzle some of the homemade caramel sauce evenly over the apple topping. It gives the apples a lovely sheen and adds blissful caramel flavor. You’ll also have plenty of caramel leftover to drizzle over individual slices, or for hot caramel sundaes later on…
Can I use store-bought caramel?
You most certainly can. However, store-bought caramel doesn’t compare to the flavor of homemade.
Can I make this pie with a graham cracker crust instead?
Absolutely! If you’re looking for a good graham cracker crust recipe, just head on over to my Strawberry Cream Pie recipe, and use that crust recipe.
Is baking the crust necessary?
Technically, it’s not. However, baking not only ensures a sturdier, crispier base that won’t crumble when sliced, but it also adds extra flavor by toasting the cookies and caramelizing the sugar. The crust also retains its crunch and doesn’t become soggy.
Caramel Apple Cream Pie
Ingredients
Caramel:
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon corn syrup
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
Biscoff Cookie Crust:
- 1 ½ cups crushed Biscoff cookies
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
Apple Topping:
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 cups peeled and thinly-sliced apples (about 3 medium apples)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 ½ Tablespoons water
Caramel Cream Filling:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup caramel (from recipe above)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
To Decorate:
- Caramel (from recipe above)
- Whipped cream
Instructions
Make the Caramel:
- Pour the water into a medium stainless steel saucepan. Pour the sugar into the center of the pan, making sure none of the sugar crystals hit the sides. Add the corn syrup.
- Place pan over medium heat, leaving it alone for the first 5-7 minutes or until it the color begins to turn yellowish. Once you see some color, gently swirl the pan around occasionally as it boils. Continue boiling until the caramel reaches a golden amber color, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove pan from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. Caramel will sizzle and bubble up. Stir in the salt, and continue whisking until caramel is smooth. If needed, return pan over medium-low heat, stirring until caramel is smooth. Transfer to dish or glass measuring cup to cool completely. Caramel will thicken as it cools.
Make the Crust:
- Spray a 9-inch pie pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- Using a fork, toss the cookie crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter together in a medium bowl. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. While crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Once chilled, bake crust in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Make the Apple Topping:
- Melt the butter in a large pan set over medium heat. Add the apples, and toss until evenly-coated in the butter. Stir in both sugars, spices and salt. Bring to a simmer, then cook until apples soften, about 10-15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together.
- Pour the cornstarch liquid over the softened apples and carefully stir. Continue cooking and stirring until filling has thickened. Cool completely.
Make the Filling:
- In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to another bowl and return bowl to mixer.
- Replace whisk attachment with paddle attachment. Beat the cream cheese on high until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, beating until completely combined. Add the 1/3 cup caramel and vanilla, beating on high until incorporated.
- Add about a third of the whipped cream, and mix until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the filling into the crust and use an offset spatula or butterknife to create a smooth surface. Pour the apple topping evenly on top. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Assemble:
- Drizzle a few tablespoons of caramel over the top of the pie. Pipe whipped cream along the border of the pie. Slice, serve, and enjoy!