When you hear the term "All American" what comes to mind? For me, it's the American flag, baseball, this Chicago hot dog recipe, and my caramel apple pie recipe! You'll absolutely love this lattice-topped apple pie, oozing with caramel, especially when served topped with whipped cream or ice cream!
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My family loves pie, especially my husband, Scott. A few times a year, we make the one-hour drive up to the town of Julian in search of cooler weather, and delicious pies. If you are ever in the area, be sure to check out this adorable town, dotted with cute shops, cafes, and restaurants.
Now that I live in Montana, Julian is a little out of the way... so when I'm craving a comforting apple pie, I make my own! I've tried many recipes over the years and have settled on this one as my go-to recipe.
I entered this caramel apple pie recipe in my church's annual pie contest and it took first place! I really think it's the combination of apple flavors and spices used to make this pie stand out above the rest! The caramel doesn't hurt either. So if you're looking for an award-winning apple pie recipe, give this one a try!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Making a pie from scratch is easy, fun, and rewarding.
- Homemade pie is so much better than store-bought.
- Your house will smell amazing while you're baking the pie!
- You can use the apple peels and cores to make apple cider vinegar!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pie crust: Use your favorite pie crust recipe or buy a Pillsbury pie crust. If the pastry is frozen, defrost it in the fridge.
- Apples: I like to use a combination of apples, including Granny Smith apples and Pink Ladies (my personal favorites). Three of each would be ideal!
- Sugar: Brown sugar
- Butter: Unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, leave out the salt.
- Spices: Cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, and freshly ground nutmeg.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh or bottled lemon juice.
- Flavoring: Vanilla extract
- Egg wash: One egg and 2 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash (optional).
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card!
🔪 Helpful Tools
- rolling pin
- cutting board
- wheel pastry roller
- 9" pie pan
- small saucepan
- silicone pie crust shield
🍎 How to Make A Caramel Apple Pie
Preheat oven to 425°F
Step 1: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and nutmeg. Add water and vanilla extract and whisk until the mixture comes to a rolling boil, then remove from heat and set aside until needed.
Step 2: Peel, core, and slice apples into ¼" thick slices, then add to a large bowl. Sprinkle apple slices with lemon juice as you go to keep them from browning, then toss with flour.
Pro Tip: Using an apple peeler and slicer can make this job easier and more fun!
Roll Out Pie Dough & Fill Pie
Step 3: Roll out half of the pastry dough and fit it into a 9" pie plate. Leave ½" of pastry hanging past the rim of the pie plate and trim the rest. Fold the excess dough under and flute the edges or leave it rustic.
Step 4: Arrange apples on the pie plate, making sure to fill in all the gaps. Pour cooled caramel sauce over the apples. Another option is to mix the caramel sauce with the apples, and then add it to the pie pan.
Step 5: Roll out the remaining crust over a lightly floured cutting board. Using a pastry wheel, cut the dough into ½" strips. Using a ruler can help you make straighter lines.
Pro Tip: If you prefer, you can make the lattice strips thicker so you have less to work with.
Step 6: Lay one of the center (longest) pieces of pastry over the middle of the pie. Continue working towards the outer edges using every other strip. Weave the remaining pieces (over and under) perpendicular to the other strips. Slice off excess dough and either crimp the edges or leave it as is.
Step 7 (optional step): Roll out excess dough on a cutting board or work surface. Use an apple-shaped cookie cutter or trace an apple and leaves freehand and use to decorate the pie. Brush the pie with egg wash if you'd like.
Pro Tip: To make an egg wash, whisk one small egg with 2 tablespoons of cold water. This can be used to attach the decorative apple and leaves as well!
Step 8: Cover the pie with a silicone pie crust shield, place it on a foil-lined cookie sheet (in case it boils over), and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, then bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, or until the caramel begins to ooze out of the lattice and the pie is nicely browned.
Cool completely before serving. If you are ready to throw all caution to the wind, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I dare you!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
I think most bakers would agree that Granny Smith apples are the go-to apples for making an apple pie. Other suitable apples include Honey Crisp, Braeburn, Cortland, Jonagold, and my personal favorite, Pink Lady.
Ideally, you want an apple with a good balance of sweetness and tartness. You also want to avoid apples that release a lot of liquid during the cooking process so that they can retain their shape, even after baking.
There are a few different ways to thicken apple pie filling. All-purpose flour is the most common thickener; however, cornstarch or tapioca can also be used to thicken apple pie filling.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Keep pie dough chilled until needed. It will not only be easier to work with, but it will also give you a flakier crust.
- If you don't have a pie shield, just wrap the edges of the pie with foil.
- If you use an egg wash, you can also sprinkle the apple pie with coarse sugar for extra crunch.
- Store leftover pie in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for longer storage.
🥧 Other Pie Recipes
🍏 More Apple Recipes
If you enjoy this caramel apple pie recipe, be sure to try these related recipes!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and nutmeg. Add water and vanilla extract and whisk until the mixture comes to a rolling boil, then remove from heat and set aside until needed.
- Peel, core, and slice apples into ¼" thick slices, then add to a large bowl. Sprinkle apple slices with lemon juice as you go to keep them from browning, then toss with flour.
- Roll out half of the pastry dough and fit into a 9" pie plate. Leave ½" of pastry hanging past the rim of the pie plate and trim the rest. Fold the excess dough under and flute the edges or leave rustic.
- Arrange apples in the pie plate, making sure to fill in all the gaps. Pour cooled caramel sauce over the apples. Another option is to mix the caramel sauce with the apples, then add to the pie pan.
- Roll out the remaining crust over a lightly floured cutting board. Using a pastry wheel, cut dough into ½" strips. Using a ruler can help you to make straighter lines.
- Lay one of the center (longest) pieces of pastry over the middle of the pie. Continue working towards the outer edges using every other strip. Weave the remaining pieces (over and under) perpendicular to the other strips. Slice off excess dough and either crimp edges or leave as is.
- (Optional Step) Roll out excess dough on a cutting board or work surface. Use an apple-shaped cookie cutter or trace an apple and leaves freehand and use to decorate the pie. If you'd like, brush pie with egg wash.
- Cover pie with silicone pie crust shield, place on a foil-lined cookie sheet (in case it boils over) and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, then bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, or until the caramel beings to ooze out of the lattice and the pie is nicely browned.
- Cool completely before serving. If you are ready to throw all caution to the wind, serve with vanilla ice cream. I dare you!
Nutrition
Notes
- Using an apple peeler and slicer can make this job easier and more fun!
- If you prefer, you can make the lattice strips thicker so you have less to work with.
- To make an egg wash, whisk one small egg with 2 tablespoons of cold water. This can be used to attach the apple and leaves as well!
- Keep pie dough chilled until needed. It will not only be easier to work with, but it will also give you a flakier crust.
- If you don't have a pie shield, just wrap the edges of the pie with foil.
- If you use an egg wash, you can also sprinkle the apple pie with coarse sugar for extra crunch.
- Store leftover pie in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for longer storage.
nancy cook says
wwhat is cardamon what elese can it used for?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Nancy, It's a spice that can be used in jams, desserts, and much more. If you search "cardamom" on my blog you'll see all the recipes it's used in. For this recipe you can just use cinnamon if you don't have it.
Lori says
Super yummy! Made this yesterday...one for us and one for a neighbor:)
Monami says
Looks so yummy
HildaSterner says
Thank you, that's why it's my favorite apple pie recipe. Hope you give it a try!
GiGi Eats Celebrities says
Hubba Hubba! THIS LOOKS OUT OF THIS WORLD!! My mouth wouldn't be able to handle it!!
HildaSterner says
Haha, I KNOW you can handle it!
Sarah Fern says
This looks so yummy!! I cannot wait for to try it.
HildaSterner says
Thanks, if you end up making it, I'd love to hear what you think of it!