Salted Caramel Apple Pie
Tart, juicy apples baked in rich homemade salted caramel sauce, surrounded by a buttery flakey pie crust, and drizzled with even more heavenly caramel!
Ingredients
Salted Caramel:
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
Crust:
- 7 Tablespoons water
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 Tablespoons shortening cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter cold
Apple Filling:
- 6-7 Apples peeled and thinly-sliced (about 2 and 1/2 pounds)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk
- Coarse sugar (optional)**
Instructions
Make the Salted Caramel:
- Pour the water into a medium 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 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 8 to 10 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 continue to thicken as it cools.
Make the Crust:
- In a small bowl, combine the water and sour cream; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, sugar and salt together. Scatter the shortening over the flour, then use a cheese grater to grate the butter on top. Using a fork or a pastry blender, cut the mixture together until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sour cream mixture and use a stiff rubber spatula to stir and press the dough together until it forms one big mound. If dough is still too dry and doesn’t hold together, add water a tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds.
- Divide the dough in half, then wrap each half individually in plastic wrap. Flatten them each into a 5-inch disc, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Once chilled, remove one of the dough discs from the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Carefully place the dough into a greased 9-inch pie dish, tucking it in with your fingers and making sure it's smooth. Using a knife, trim the extra overhang of the crust. Refrigerate while you work on the filling.
Make the Filling:
- In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with the lemon juice; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, and spices together. Add the sugar mixture to the apples and toss to coat.
- Layer one-third of the apple filling along the bottom of the crust, making sure there are few gaps. Top with 1/4 cup of the salted caramel. Repeat these steps two more times with the apples and caramel.
Make the lattice crust:*
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF and place a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack of the oven.
- Remove the other dough disc from the refrigerator, and roll it out into a 12-inch circle. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut 9 strips 1-inch wide. Carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. Trim the extra overhang with a knife, then crimp the edges of the dough with a fork or your fingers.
- Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar. Place the pie on the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Keeping the pie in the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes. If the crust begins to brown too quickly, tent a piece of aluminum foil on top of the pie. The pie is done when the juices begins to bubble up, and the crust is golden brown.
- Transfer the pie to a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 4 hours before serving.
- To serve, place a slice of pie on a plate and drizzle with the extra caramel sauce. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
*You don't necessarily have to do a lattice crust. You can also just roll out the dough, place it on top of the apples, trim the excess, then crimp around the edges. Make sure to use a knife to cut several little steam holes into the top crust, if you opt for this method instead.
**If you don't have coarse sugar, you can also use regular granulated sugar.
***Leftover pie can be covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, slice a piece, and heat in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.