Flat Apple Pie and Caramel Sauce
I got the rare moment the other day to sit on my sofa and watch the tv I wanted to, no video games, no Bubble Guppies and no Toy Story (1, 2 or 3) so I snuggled down in my quilt and turned on The Pioneer Woman’s show which is my new favorite cooking show. On the episode I caught she made an amazing flat apple pie with a really easy caramel sauce and I knew I had to make it for Sunday dinner at my grandparents.
The pie crust was super yummy and the filling was great, and the whole thing sliced perfectly (though I did cheat and add some Clear Gel to my filling).
Dean watched my every move while I was making the pie and when I went to peel the apples they were missing! I found them on my dresser, all lined up in a row lol. I don’t know when he snuck away with those!
I read the reviews on the pie before baking it and yes mine did leak too but I just kept an eye on it and tried to wipe up as much leakage (that sounds kinda gross lol) as a I could.
The result was an amazing apple pie with just the right amount of crust and filling and then topped with vanilla ice cream and that homemade caramel it was to die for. I had it for dessert, midnight snack, breakfast and then dessert again, it was just that addicting.
The caramel sauce was a cinch to make. I have made caramel before but it wasn’t as easy as this recipe and the results tasted the same, so now I can just dump all the ingredients in a pot, give a few stirs and voila homemade caramel. I packaged mine up in mason jars (adorable) then I could just throw the leftovers in the fridge, but that caramel did not last long at all…..time to make more!
Flat Apple Pie (adapted from The Pioneer Woman)
Ingredients
- 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (you can add a little cornstarch or Clear Gel in addition)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Sprinkle or 2 of cinnamon
- 1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust, recipe follows
- 4 tablespoons butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In large bowl, stir together the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice. Set aside and see how long you can keep from sneaking a slice of apple.
With a rolling pin, begin rolling out the Perfect Pie Crusts (that you have chilled in the fridge for a couple hours) into large circles. Roll the dough from the center outward. Be gentle and patient, it’ll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out.
If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below, use a nice, sharp spatula to loosen the dough and sprinkle some extra flour on top. Then flip it over to finish rolling. Remember to roll from the center in single, outward strokes, no back-and-forth rolling.
Again with a spatula, loosen and lift the dough and carefully place the circles on large baking sheets.
Place half the apple mixture on one crust and the other half on the other crust. Fold over the edges of each crust so that it covers 2 to 3 inches of the apple mixture. No need to be artistic – the more rustic the better. Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of the butter.
Bake until the filling is golden and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. If the crust appears to brown too quickly, cover the edges with aluminium foil for the remaining baking time.
Allow to cool slightly, then slice into wedges with a pizza cutter.
Perfect Pie Crust:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 sticks cold butter
- 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 egg
- 5 tablespoons cold water
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add in the butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter, gradually work the butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles. This step should take 3 or 4 minutes.
Lightly beat the egg with a fork, and then add it to the mixture. Next, add in the cold water and vinegar. Stir the mixture together until it’s just combined, and then remove half the dough from the bowl. Yield: dough for 2 crusts.
Easy Caramel Sauce (adapted from the Pioneer Woman)
Ingredients
- 1 packed cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions
Mix the brown sugar, half-and-half, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until it gets thicker. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat, cool slightly and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate leftovers.
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Best PIE DOUGH EVER!!! Wel I haven’t tried it yet, but i know that it will be easy and fun to make coz I hate recipes of pie dough that calls for Add enuogh water to make a ball of dough I hate that because the pieces of dough keeps falling .I like your recipe coz it’s soft and I can knead it Thank you for sharing all of you wonderful recipes!!! I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!! ^_^
Glad you like it!! :)