Caramel Apple Pie

You can never have too many pie recipes during the holidays! This one for Caramel Apple Pie is a great spin on a traditional apple pie that adds caramel to really amp up the flavor. The recipe comes from Organic Valley and uses their Salted Butter, Whole Milk, and Eggs.   Note: I was sent a coupon to receive one Organic Valley product for free.

Organic Valley is a co-op of organic farmers based in La Farge, Wisconsin. The cooperative was founded in 1988 and markets its products in all 50 states as well as Canada and Japan.  Organic Valley promotes organic agricultural methods, with each participating farm certified as organic by the National Organic Program.

A problem I still run into when cooking/baking is I rarely read the directions all the way though before starting (a huge no no). So I made a completely different pie crust by accident because I got confused as to where the sugar and egg was supposed to go in the original recipe. Luckily it turned out fine (whew!) but for the original recipe, be sure to head over to the Organic Valley website.

Ingredients:

• CRUST:
• 4 cups organic, all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups Organic Valley Salted Butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, chilled in freezer at least 15 minutes
• 2/3 cup Organic Valley Whole Milk, cold
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 Organic Valley Large Egg
• 1 tbsp sugar
• FILLING:
• 2 pounds organic Granny Smith apples (10-11 medium-sized apples or 4 large), peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch thick slices (coat slices with juice of 1 lemon to prevent browning)
• 4 tbsp Organic Valley Salted Butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp apple cider
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cardamom
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (I used vanilla powder but vanilla extract works just as well)
• OTHER:
• 1 Organic Valley Large Egg
• 1 tbsp sugar

Note: I am testing out the Samsung Galaxy Camera courtesy of Verizon Wireless, so all photos in this post are taken with the Galaxy Camera. The camera runs on VZW’s 4G LTE network, allowing me to upload photos straight to the web and apps such as Instagram straight from my phone. To check out some of my photos, go to my Instagram and look for the #galaxycamera hashtag. 

 

First start by making the dough. Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.

Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or fork or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized pieces of butter. (I got tired of doing this after 5 minutes so pea-sized became quarter sized. shh)

Add the egg. Gradually add milk until mixture is just combined. you want the dough to stick together when pinched with small dry cracks. (I ended up using almost a full cup of milk). Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and divide in half. Shape into a disk and tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to 1 week.

 

When ready to make the pie, position the rack at the bottom third of your oven and preheat to 375 degrees.

 

Slice and peel your apples, coating them with lemon juice after cutting to prevent from browning.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.

 

 

While waiting for the dough to sit, combine the cornstarch and apple cider and stir. Set aside.

In  a large heavy pot, melt the butter and sugar on medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves (7-8 minutes) and turns a caramel color.

Add the apples, stirring, and cook for about 8 minutes or until apples soften.

Add the cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, vanilla, and cider-cornstarch mixture. Stir constantly, cooking, until mixture thickens and the apples are coated. Remove from heat and reserve.

Roll out on a lightly floured work surface into a 12-inch round of about 1/8 inch thickness. Set one aside. Take the other rolled out dough, roll it around your rolling pin, and gently unroll it into a 9-inch pie plate. Press down to line the bottom and sides of the dish. Do not trim excess dough yet.

Fill the pie pan lined with dough with the apple mixture. Pat the apple slices flat with a spoon and top with the reserved dough, pinching the top and bottom of the dough rounds firmly together.

Trim off excess dough and press down on the edges with a fork to create a design and seal the pie. Cut 8 small slits in the top of the crust to allow steam to vent while baking.

Whisk egg in a small bowl. Brush a thin layer of egg over top of the pie and finish by sprinkling with sugar.

Place pie on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet to catch drippings. Bake 20-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool before cutting.

The original recipe has a delicious sounding Bourbon Caramel Topping as well but my attempt at making it failed. So I topped it with some French Vanilla ice cream instead!

I personally think this pie is best eaten warm to melt the ice cream a bit.

I loved the addition of the caramel to the inside of the pie!