Imagine this: A flaky, buttery crust cradling a symphony of tender, cinnamon-spiced apples, their juices melding with a luxurious ribbon of golden caramel. Each bite is a burst of flavor and texture, the apples yielding with a satisfying softness, the caramel clinging with a sticky sweetness, and the crust crumbling in a delightful contrast. It’s a dessert that transcends mere words, a culinary masterpiece that is caramel apple pie.

Ingredients

Caramel Sauce

½ cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
½ tsp salt

Pie

1 premade pie crust
1 lb apples of choice we used Granny Smith
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbs all purpose flour

Crumb Topping

½ cup unsalted butter melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1¼ cups all purpose flour

Instructions

In a saucepan, heat the sugar on medium low heat until it’s completely melted. It will start to form clumps before melting. Make sure it doesn't burn.
Once melted, remove from heat immediately and stir in the butter until bubbles.
Pour in the heavy cream and sea salt. Stir until combined.
Pour into a small bowl or cup and allow to cool completely before using.
Blind bake the pie crust. Fill it with rice or beans to weigh it down and prevent it from bubbling up. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
Peel the apples and slice them into ¼” thick slices.
Add the spices, salt, flour, lemon juice, vanilla and sugar to the filling and stir to combine.
Reserving a ¼ cup of your homemade caramel for drizzling on the top of the pie, add the remaining caramel to the apple pie filling. Stir to distribute the caramel evenly.
Combine all the ingredients for the crumb topping in a medium bowl and use a fork to stir together until the mixture forms a crumbly dough.
Remove the rice from the blind baked pie crust and pour the apple filling into the crust.
Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apple filling.
Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
Allow to cool before drizzling with the remainder of the caramel sauce.

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Fun fact!

Early forms of caramel sauce:

1,000 AD: Some say the earliest caramelized sugar appeared in Arabic cookery, simply by heating sugar and water to form a crystallized candy.
14th century: Brittany, France, claims early fame with their “caramel au beurre salé,” featuring salted butter for a distinct taste.

Check out other fruit pies!

Caramel Apple Pie