Secret Recipe Club: Hot Buttered Rum Apple Pie

It's another Secret Recipe Club reveal day today! This is one I made awhile ago and we enjoyed piece by piece until it was all gone. I keep debating on whether or not to make another one since the pre-made crust I used just did not do this recipe justice! If you choose to make this one, make sure to use a homemade scratch pie crust. The pie begs of you.

This month I had K and K Test Kitchen - and it is a beautiful blog full of absolutely lovely photos and recipes. Stop by K and K's "About" page to learn more about this mother and daughter team!

I had a wonderful time browsing through many possible recipes, and saving several for later. Some of the goodies you will find at K and K include: Caramel Peanut Popcorn (goodbye Cracker Jack?!), King Cake, Country Bread, Oreo Chocolate Chip Bars, and French Dip! YUMM!! (I am so making those Oreo Chocolate Chip Bars very, very soon).

The recipe I opted for this time around was the Hot Buttered Rum Apple Pie. I love apple pie, and this sounded like a wonderful variation on the classic - I had to give it a try!!

I should have used all of the 3lb bag of granny smith apples I bought, but I got lazy and left about 3 of them in the bag - so my pie was a little "thin". I cheated and used two of the pre-made Pillsbury pie crusts I'd bought awhile back to have on hand as well, and this was the first time I've had a store bought pie crust in awhile, and it just doesn't do this pie justice. It needs a tender, flaky, homemade crust for sure. I probably will make it again, with all the apples, and a homemade crust, just to taste the difference!!

My son in particular loved this recipe - I think he ate at least half the pie by himself. I definitely enjoyed the piece that I ate as well, although I did find the apples to be overly soft in my opinion. They are cooked for quite awhile between the time on the stove and 2 hours in the oven, so keep that in mind when baking (if you like them super soft the cook time is perfect, if you like them to retain some form and have a slightly firm texture you may want to cut them thicker or reduce the bake time).

Hot Buttered Rum Apple Pie from K and K Kitchen

Ingredients

For the pie filling:
3 lbs apples (about 8-10 small / med), I used granny smith
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

To use on top of pie crust before baking:
2 tablespoons heavy cream (I used half and half since I didn't have heavy cream)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions

1. Peel and core the apples, and slice them to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.
2. Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the 1/3 cup sugar.  Cook the sugar, without stirring, until it melts and then caramelizes, turning an amber color. Tilting the pan back and forth a little to move the sugar around as it begins to liquefy, and adjust the heat as needed. Have your apples ready to go - as soon as the sugar has melted it will caramelize quickly and you'll need to add the apples as soon as the color of the sugar has changed to amber. 
3. Add the apples and saute until they are cooked about half way through, and all the excess liquid has boiled off (8-10 minutes). Stir and toss the apples during cooking, to ensure even cooking on both sides. The apples are done if they are beginning to soften, but still hold together well and do not fall apart. Don't overcook.
4. Transfer the apples to a bowl and allow them to cool completely to room temperature.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare your favorite double pie crust recipe.
6. When the apples are cooled, add the brown sugar, rum, butter, cornstarch, vanilla extract, spices, and salt and toss to combine.
7. Divide your dough in half, and roll into two approximately 11 inch circles. Line a pie plate with one of the dough rounds.
8. Pour apple pie filling into the lined pie plate. Transfer the other pastry circle to the top of the pie.  Roll the bottom crust overhang up over the top crust, and seal the edges together.  Use fingers to crimp the crust edges together.
9. Brush the top of the crust and the edges with heavy cream and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
10. Put the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then tent the pie with foil and continue to bake for 1 more hour. Remove the foil and bake for 30 more minutes or until the pie is browned on top (total baking time is 2 hours). Remove the pie from the oven and cool for at least an hour before serving to allow the filling to set.