350 Bake

Caramel Apple Pie

My mom made this recipe yesterday.  We had a piece before bed.  =)  I didn't take pictures of the whole process, only a finished product picture.  This is a rather complicated recipe. Its a very good pie; the crust is especially good.

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon butter flavored shortening, chilled
• 1/3 cup ice water
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar
• 1 egg, beaten

Filling:

• 6 cups apples (Jonathan or Granny Smith)
• 1/2   1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed   (My mom used half the amount of sugar.  It tasted fine.)
• 1/2   1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 Tablespoons heavy cream (My mom says she wouldn't use the cream next time.) 
• 4 Tablespoons butter

Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• About 3 oz. Heath baking bits  (These are toffee, but don't have any chocolate on them.)

Directions:
(Before you begin place all ingredients for the crust, including the flour, and vinegar in the refrigerator.  Also place your rolling pin in the refrigerator, for best results)

• Filling:

Peel, core, and slice apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice.  Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and add apples.  Toss to mix.  Add vanilla and cream.  Melt butter in a heavy skillet.  Add apple mixture and cook approximately 8 minutes, to soften apples. Preheat oven to 450˙ F.

• Pie crust:

All ingredients, and your rolling pin should be chilled.  Combine the flour, salt, and sugar.  Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal.  In another bowl, mix water, and vinegar with the beaten egg.  Add the liquid mixture, 1 Tablespoon at a time, to the flour mixture, tossing with a fork to form a soft dough.  Divide dough into two pieces, one slightly smaller than the other.  Cover smaller piece with plastic wrap, and chill until you are ready to use it.  On a lightly greased counter top roll out the larger piece of dough to fit in your pie plate.  Place filling inside of crust.

• Streusel Topping:

Combine flour and sugar.  Mix in butter with fork making coarse crumbs.  Stir in the crushed toffee bars.  Sprinkle over pie.  Add top crust.  (My mom did a lattice top crust instead of a full crust.)  Seal, flute edge, and vent top.  Brush with beaten egg white, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Bake for 15 minutes at 450˙ F.  Reduce heat to 350˙F. and bake 45 minutes longer.  (Be careful of the crust; don't let it burn.  If the edges start getting dark, cover them with foil.)

~Samantha