Baking for Dummies – Cider Caramel Apple Pie

Well I put those apples to good use! I finally baked my first FROM SCRATCH apple pie. Carmel Apple Pie to be exact. And it was delicious. Mouthwatering.

We were EXTREMELY fortunate to never lose power at our building – I was worried since we are right on the river, I expected flooding, no electric, no heat! Trapped in our home with the baby – but somehow Astoria was completely bypassed by Hurricane Sandy. It’s crazy to see how one neighborhood is completely gone, the other completely untouched. Just down the street Long Island City flooded, right on the river as well!

So, to make the best of it, we held trick or treating for all the kids in our building, and had a little competition with the neighbors. haha – watch out if you say you have candy and LEAVE! Halloween was spent handing out candy, watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” and of course – baking Apple Pie from scratch. So here is the PROOF! and Here is the recipe. If I can make it (in a tiny NYC apartment too!), you can make it!!!

Cider Caramel Apple Pie

The best part of this pie is the apple cider caramel. Caramel-making sounds a little fussy, but it’s actually as easy as standing over a pot for a few minutes. It adds such a depth of flavor and intensifies the apple taste. You’ll want to save the left over caramel for pancakes or ice cream!

Tip: Let this cool completely before cutting. I always want to dive right in, but you have to let it set, otherwise you’ll have a watery mess. Enjoy!

For the cider caramel:

4 cups apple cider
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter

For the pie:

5-6 cups sliced apple (gala or granny smith are best)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cider caramel, warmed
1 large egg, beaten

For the crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed

To make the crust:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender.)

With machine running, add ice water through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

To make the caramel:

Pour cider into heavy bottomed pot. Boil cider until reduced to 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Add butter & sugar, cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and is reduced to 1 1/4 cups. Can be made 2 days ahead, transfer to bowl and keep refrigerated.

To make the pie:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Let pie dough rest on counter for 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into two 1/8 inch thick rounds. Press one round into lightly greased pie plate.

In a large bowl, combine apples, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, vanilla, and caramel. Mix well. Spoon apples into pie plate. Cover with remaining crust. Cut 4 steam vents into top. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sugar & cinnamon.

Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool before serving.