#SecretRecipeClub ~ Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Today for The Secret Recipe Club I am jumping in on a Group C post and had the pleasure of visiting Pumpkin and Peonies.  So many beautiful recipes to choose from and gorgeous photos to browse through!

It didn't take me long to pick what I wanted to make. I was given a large quantity of gorgeous, tart granny smith apples very recently and knew I wanted to bake with them, but hadn't decided on what just yet. I did a quick search for apples - and this beautiful pie popped up. The rest is history.

We had another busy, busy weekend around here - it's now been a full month straight of busy weekends and the days are blurring together! May 27 - 30th I went with my friend Ben for a road trip to Indy 500. The following weekend we went camping with friends, the weekend after that we went to Destin Saturday through Monday to celebrate my 35th birthday and our amazing friend Tasha and her daughter were there as well for part of our trip so I got to spend my birthday with them and finally had my "cake by the ocean" (I've been singing that song for the past month saying I was having cake by the ocean for my birthday)!

Then this weekend we had friends over on Saturday and did a girl's night out with me, Kylie and Devon. A nice dinner out and spent a couple hours at a bar / club. We hoped for more dancing than there was, but it was still fun to get out! We got home late that night, and after breakfast they left. Then mid-afternoon Tasha and her mom came over and spent the afternoon and had dinner before heading back home. It was lots of friends, company, cooking, and good conversation! I am a social butterfly and love all the activity (not that I'm not tired - because I totally am!) but am beginning to think my poor introvert sister may have reached her max. I think we're due for a weekend of no plans.

This pie was made at the perfect time - I was able to share with our friends and it made for the perfect way to end the day last night. I did think that next time I wouldn't precook the apples - the texture reminded me of thick applesauce and I couldn't really distinguish any apple pieces which I prefer in my apple pie (I'm leaving the instructions as written, and as I followed but that is my only change I would make next time). The flavor was rich, tart, salty, and caramel kissed. It was lovely. I served it with some disaronno flavored homemade whipped cream... YUMM!! The pastry dough was lovely, buttery, flaky, and fairly easy to work with.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie from Pumpkins and Peonies

Ingredients

Double Pie Crust:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/4 - 1/2 cup iced water

Apple Pie Filling:

6 - 7 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced

1 TBS lemon juice

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 TBS heavy whipping cream

4 TBS butter

Heavy whipping cream, to coat crust
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1. For the pie crust, place flour, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk together.  Cut the butter in with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles.  Slowly add just enough cold water, blending dough with a fork, until it just holds together.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, gently knead together and divide dough into two disks; wrap with plastic wrap and keep chilled until ready to use.
2. Preheat oven to 450°F.  In a large bowl, place apples and lemon juice and gently toss to coat.  In a small bowl, place light brown sugar, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt, and stir to combine. 
3. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream and stir to combine. Add apple mixture along with brown sugar and flour mixture; stir gently until evenly mixed and cook about 8 to 10 minutes or until apples are soft and liquid is golden and thickening.  Remove from heat and let cool while preparing the dough.
4. Roll out the bottom crust to fit a 9" pie plate. Roll out the top crust. Fill bottom crust with prepared apple filling, then cover with top crust. Use a fork or your fingers to decorate the pie edges as desired.  Brush the top crust with heavy whipping cream and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar if desired.
5. Place a cookie tray on the rack beneath the pie to catch drips. Bake 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350°F.  Bake another 45 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.  Let cool before serving.

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