Caramel Apple Pie
This caramel apple pie makes a delightfully spiced pie. It’s a classic made even better with the addition of caramel sauce, which is in the apple pie filling and drizzled over the top of the pie at the end.
The pie fillings are like traditional apple pie, but with caramel sauce to bring sweetness and caramel flavor to the apples. I add it to this caramel apple crisp, too!
The best apples to use in a pie like this are tart apples that can hold their shape well when they are baked. Apple pie is baked for a really long time to ensure that the crust is properly cooked and the filling is set. Therefore you need an apple that doesn’t turn to mush when baked for a long time.
Some of the best varieties of apples for apple pie are
- Granny smith – This green-skinned apple is tart and crisp. I like to use half granny smith apples then mix in a couple of sweeter apple types too.
- Braeburn – Crisp and sweet, this apple holds its shape well when baked.
- Golden Delicious – This apple variety is very flavorful in a pie.
I use my all-butter flaky pie crust, but if you’re short on time, you can use a store-bought crust.
The spices
You’ll find the traditional apple pie spices in this recipe, but with the addition of a little ground cardamom too. Cardamom’s citrus flavors bring the perfect balance of flavor with the apples and the rest of the spices. The spices used are:
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Cardamom
The caramel sauce
Caramel sauce makes this pie extra special, especially if it’s a buttery homemade caramel sauce. You can use salted caramel sauce too. Homemade caramel sauce is easy to make, and you only need 4 ingredients: granulated sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt.
If you don’t feel like making your own, storebought caramel sauce can be used too. The sauce is drizzled on the top of the apples of the unbaked pie, and also over the pie when it’s time to serve.
You could also make a spiced version! Check out this spiced caramel sauce.
How it’s done
- Peel and core the apples, add to a bowl and squeeze over lemon juice, spices, sugar, and all-purpose flour. Toss to coat.
- Roll out the first lot of pie crust and drape it into a 9-inch pie plate.
- Add the apples to it and drizzle over caramel sauce.
- Roll out the second piece of dough, cut into strips and lattice over top of the apples.
- Cut off the excess but leave an overhang. Roll the top and bottom crust together and flute the pastry.
- Brush the pastry with egg wash.
- Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake until bubbling and deeply browned.
- Let the pie cool before slicing.
Caramel Apple Pie
Ingredients
Filling
- 1.4 kg apples around 8-9 apples
- ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- 6 tablespoons caramel sauce
Topping
- 1 egg
- Coarse sugar optional
- Extra caramel sauce and ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Peel and core the apples. Use a sharp knife to slice the apples into equal ¼ – ⅛ inch slices.
- Add the apple slices to a bowl and drizzle over the lemon juice, spices, sugar, and all-purpose flour. Toss together to coat.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one portion of pie crust into a 12-inch circle and drape it over a 9-inch pie pan, leaving an overhang.
- Add the apples to the prepared pie dish, holding back the juices that have accumulated. You can mound the apples up a bit in the middle of the pie to make them fit.
- Drizzle the top of the apples with caramel sauce.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the second disc of pastry into a 12-inch circle. You can drape this second layer over the pie, or create a lattice pie crust. If you're not making a lattice top, add 2-3 slits in the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape when baking.
- Cut off the uneven excess dough overhang. Leave enough overhang so you can roll and pinch together the top crust and bottom crust of the pie. Flute the edges of the pastry with your fingers.
- Whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the pie with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake the pie at 425°F/220°C for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375°F/190°C and continue baking for a further 55-65 minutes until the apples are soft and the filling is bubbling.
- If the pie crust is browning too much at the end, loosely cover with aluminum foil.
- Let the pie cool down for at least 4 hours before slicing. Serve with extra caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.
