Caramel-Pecan Apple Pie

Treat yourself to a decadent caramel apple pie with a sweet, spiced filling and a crunchy pecan streusel topping.

When your family tastes this pie, they may never settle for basic apple pie again. With apples and pecans in peak season, this pie captures the best of fall flavors and is perfect for any gathering.

It might even be declared one of the world’s best apple pies!

Our caramel apple pie combines fresh apples, Better Halves Pecan Pieces, and caramel, all wrapped in a buttery crust. Save time by using store-bought caramel or make your own for an extra homemade touch.

The finish? A sweet, crunchy pecan-streusel topping drizzled with luscious caramel.

Recipe adapted from A Taste of Home

Ingredients:

Dough for single-crust pie

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more to dust
1/4 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 lb COLD unsalted butter, (1 stick) diced into 1/4″ pieces
3.5 Tbsp ice water, (3.5 to 4 Tbsp)

Caramel from scratch or Use store-bought caramel sauce

1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup cream, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Pie Filling

7 cups sliced peeled tart apples (about 6 medium), sliced about 1/4″ thick
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup Better Halves Pecan Pieces chopped
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup caramel topping, room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Streusel Topping

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
2/3 cup Better Halves Pecan Pieces chopped
1/4 cup caramel topping, room temperature, for drizzling over streusel

Directions:

Dough

Combine flour, salt and sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Shape into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Or in food processor:

Place flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
Add cold diced butter and pulse the mixture until coarse crumbs form with some pea-sized pieces then stop mixing. Mixture should remain dry and powdery.
Add 3.5 Tbsp ice water and pulse just until moist clumps or small balls form. Press a piece of dough between your finger tips and if the dough sticks together, you have added enough water. If not, add more water 1/2 teaspoon full at a time. Be careful not to add too much water or the dough will be sticky and difficult to roll out.
Transfer dough to a clean work surface, and gather dough together into a ball (it should not be smooth and DO NOT knead the dough). Flatten to form a disk. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour before using.

Caramel

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, heat the sugar on medium low heat until it’s completely melted, swirling the pan gently every 20 seconds or so. The sugar will start to form clumps before melting slowly. Be patient and keep an eye on it to make sure it does not burn.
Once melted, remove from heat immediately and stir in the butter. The mixture will bubble.
Next, pour in the heavy cream and 1/2 teaspoon of the sea salt. Stir until everything is combined. Taste a spoonful of cooled caramel. If desired add the remaining sea salt to taste!
Pour into small bowl or cup and allow to cool completely before using.

Pie

Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and vanilla. Mix pecans, sugars, cinnamon and cornstarch; add to apples and toss to combine.
Spread caramel topping onto bottom of crust. Fill with apple mixture. Drizzle with butter.
For streusel topping, mix flour and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly; stir in pecans. Sprinkle over filling.
Bake on a lower oven rack until filling is bubbly, 65-75 minutes.
Drizzle with caramel topping. Cool on a wire rack.
If desired, serve with whipped cream or ice cream…

Caramel-Pecan Apple Pie