Apple Pan Pie with Caramel Sauce

The perfect ending to my week of celebrating Fall: An apple pie! Pumpkin recipes and apple recipes, that's what Fall is all about. Pumpkins, apples, and lots of spices. I adore baked apples in just about any form, unfortunately two of my three menfolk disagree. So I rarely bake apple-y desserts. Then again, they also care the least about sweet things in general, so I should really just make whatever I want and hang the consequences! But alas, tis hard for me to resist the urge to please everyone. I got close with this one. The Geologist ate almost half of his serving, and said, "I can tell it's probably completely awesome." Well, he's absolutely right!!

Apple Pan Pie (adapted from A Kitchen Addiction)
Printable Recipe

6 1/2 cups apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 Tb lemon juice
1/2 Tb vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tb sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 + 1/4 cup cold water (divided)

1/2 cup of cornflakes, crushed (you can use oats if you don't have cornflakes, but cornflakes disappear into the filling better)

1 egg plus 1 tsp water, beaten

coarse sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, vanilla, sugars, and spices. Set aside.

Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in another large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in 1/3 cup water and egg. Stir with a fork just until dough clumps together. Add additional 1/4 cup water as needed until all dry floury bits are incorporated.

Divide dough in half. Roll out one half to fit the bottom and halfway up the sides of a greased quarter-sized rimmed sheet pan (or a 9x13 baking dish). Press dough into the bottom and up sides of pan. Sprinkle crushed cornflakes over bottom crust. (These will help soak up some juices and keep your bottom crust from getting soggy) Spread apples and juices that have formed over the top. 

Roll out the other half of the dough to fit over the top and place over the filling. Crimp edges. Cut a few vents in the top with a sharp knife. Brush with egg and water mixture and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and filling bubbles. Remove pan to a wire rack to cool for ten minutes. Serve warm, with cream, ice cream, or caramel sauce. 

Perfect Caramel Sauce (adapted slightly from Baking A Moment)

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
anywhere from 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water

In a small pot, gently heat the cream, butter, and salt over medium-low heat until the butter has melted and the salt has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

In a larger pot, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Heat over a medium high flame, swirling the pot occasionally to distribute the heat evenly instead of stirring. Continue to boil the sugar mixture until the bubbles begin to get smaller and it becomes amber-colored.

Reduce the heat to low, and pour in the warm cream mixture, whisking constantly to avoid lumps or crystals. Keep whisking till smooth and darkened slightly. (There are awesome step-by-step pictures over at Baking a Moment, go check them out, and the rest of this wonderful blog!)

Immediately transfer the hot mixture to a heat-safe vessel and cool completely. 

This is my new favorite apple pie. Of course, adding the caramel sauce is just gilding the lily, but why not?! Apples and caramel, a classic combo, right?

First, the crust. A cinch to mix together, and because it's just a pan pie, the pressure for it to turn out "pretty" is eliminated. If you've ever been intimidated by pie crust, this is a great one to start with! It turns out light, crispy and flakey, barely sweet, and completely perfect.

My biggest issue with most apple pies is the filling. I want spices galore, tender apples, and plenty of thick, saucey, spicey-apple filling in between. This apple filling is heaven! Not too apple-y, not too much spice, not the least bit watery, oh, it is SO good! With that drizzle of truly perfect caramel sauce over the top, this is a sure crowd-pleaser. In fact, the other apple lover and I had some for breakfast!