Candy and Caramel Apple Pie
A few years ago, when I was a brand new food blogger, I was a member of Tuesdays With Dorie. That was a group of bloggers that bonded every week over Dorie Greenspan’s Cookbook – Baking:From My Home to Yours. We would all tackle the exact same recipe each week, and then on Tuesday, unveil our results. Some people followed the recipe as is, some expanded on it, some really went the extra mile creatively. I adored that group, and truly credit the friendships I made there to be the reason I am still blogging and baking today.
It changed my life. This blog? It is my full time job now, and I am humbly thankful for it.
It was during Tuesdays With Dorie that I also ran across this recipe for Candy Apple Pie. I’ve posted it once before, but it’s been so long, I hate that it’s buried where new readers may not find it. So here I am, bringing it back. You’ll thank me for it someday.
Rebecca, of Ezra Pound Cake featured the dessert on her blog one day. A bit later, I saw it on Tastespotting, too, and fell in love with it. So one warm weekend, I made it for my parent’s Church Homecoming Dinner. I didn’t have all of the pecans it called for, so I did use toffee with it. I also used nice, tart apples from our neighbors apple tree instead of Granny Smith…they were delicious! And, as you can see, I made it in a springform pan…and though this pie looks complicated, it was really very simple to put together and looked fantastic! Not a drop was left…so that’s a good sign.
Candy Apple Pie
Adapted From MiMi Hodge, winner of Good Morning America’s “Pie of Emeril’s Eye” Contest, 2000
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup Toffee Bits
Apple Filling:
- 5 Granny Smith apples or other tart apples (peeled, cored, sliced very thin)
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Cream Cheese Topping:
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
Topping:
- 3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Mix well and press into a 10-inch pie plate or springform pan and up the sides. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until golden in color. Remove pie shell from oven and cool completely. Pour caramel into pie shell and sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped pecans and toffee. Refrigerate pie shell while making apple filling.
3. In a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a wooden spoon. Add apples and stir. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes until apples are softened and tender. Let cool for 10 minutes and pour into pie shell. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F.
4. In a medium bowl, using a hand-held mixer on low speed, combine cream cheese and sugar for about 1 minute until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice and vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until fully blended. Pour over apple filling in pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean. Remove pie from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Let stand outside the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Top with whipped cream, caramel and pecans, and swirl with a knife. Slice and serve.
