Caramel Apple Pie is packed full of tart Granny Smith Apples wrapped in a blanket of sweet, perfectly spiced caramel sauce. One of our favorite cool weather desserts!
Apple pie is traditional fall dessert and easily one of our favorites. It is also one of the easiest pies that you can make! This pie uses pantry staples like apples, sugar and spices and can be made using any kind of pastry you want to use (including the pre-made kind!).
This pie is way better than traditional apple pie because of the addition of one super easy extra step that creates caramel in the pan. Every year this pie gets requested and it never disappoints. Caramel Apple Pie is delicious and best of all, super easy to make!
What You’ll Need to make Caramel Apple Pie
- pie crust pastry, top and bottom unbaked
- granny smith apples
- lemon juice
- brown sugar
- white sugar
- all purpose flour
- ground cinnamon
- nutmeg
- salt
- butter
- vanilla
- heavy cream
- egg white
- raw sugar
How to Make Caramel Apple Pie
A few years back we went to a fall festival at a local community farm. They sold best Caramel Apple Pie I had ever tasted. It was so good that for many years I made a point of going back every year to buy one!
Since the price tag kept getting higher each year I decided I needed to figure out how to make my own Caramel Apple Pie. The truth is that this is one of the easiest pies that you can make. It uses pantry staples like apples, sugar and spices, can be made using any kind of pastry you want to use (including the pre-made kind!), and it won’t cost you almost $20 either!
Like any pie, this pie begins with an unbaked pie crust. This can be homemade, like the recipe for Easy Scratch Pastry here on The Recipe Bandit, or pre-made (refrigerated / frozen and defrosted). It doesn’t matter.
You will need enough pastry for both a bottom and a top crust. Line a pie plate with an unbaked bottom pie crust and set aside.
Line the bottom of the oven with foil and preheat to 450 degrees F. This pie filling has a tendency to bubble during cooking and it is a total pain to get off the bottom of the oven.
Peel and slice apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss to coat.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and add apple slices. Toss to mix.
Add vanilla and heavy cream and stir to combine.
The heavy cream is what will create the caramel sauce when it mixes with the butter and the heat in the next step.
Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple mixture.
Cook approximately 5 minutes, stirring often, until apples are softened and caramel has developed.
Turn apple mixture into prepared pie shell. Add top crust to pie in whichever fashion you prefer, sealing the top and venting the top crust if using a whole sheet of pastry. You can do pastry shapes, a lattice crust like I usually do, or a whole top crust if you prefer (just poke holes).
Using a pastry brush, brush the slightly beaten egg over the top crust. This is what will give the pie that perfect golden brown color.
Generously sprinkle raw sugar evenly over top crust. If you don’t have raw sugar (which is just a little more coarse), you can use plain white sugar or you can skip it entirely.
Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees F then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake 30 minutes longer until crust is golden brown.
Allow to stand at least an hour before serving. Serve with ice cream if desired. Enjoy!
Other Sweet Bites You Might Like
Apple Crumble Cookie Cups – Tender pieces of fresh apple wrapped in a buttery cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar sauce and baked in a bite sized oatmeal cookie cup.
Easy Classic Pumpkin Pie – This traditional dessert is easy to make and is the perfect ending to a Thanksgiving feast!
Fudgy Salted Cookie Bars – a soft and chewy one pan treat with a great balance of gooey chocolate and the perfect hint of flaky sea salt!
Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies – deliciously crispy edges and chocolate in every bite!
Butterscotch Ranger Cookies – a little bit of everything when you want something a little out of the ordinary.
Caramel Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pie crust, top and bottom unbaked
- 4 large granny smith apples peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 egg white slightly beaten
- 1 tbsp raw sugar
Instructions
- Line the bottom of the oven with foil and preheat to 450 degrees F. Line a pie plate with an unbaked bottom pie crust and set aside.
- Peel and slice apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss to coat.
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and add apple slices. Toss to mix.
- Add vanilla and heavy cream and stir to combine.
- Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple mixture and cook approximately 5 minutes, stirring often, until apples are softened and caramel has developed.
- Turn apple mixture into prepared pie shell. Add top crust to pie in whichever fashion you prefer, sealing the top and venting the top crust if using a whole sheet of pastry.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the slightly beaten egg over the top crust.
- Generously sprinkle raw sugar evenly over top crust.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees F then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake 30 minutes longer until crust is golden brown.
- Allow to stand at least an hour before serving. Serve with ice cream if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition *
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
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