This Caramel Apple Pie is an amazing apple pie to bake this fall. Not only is it caramel and apple, but this pie is actually less sweet than your traditional apple pie because I only use Homemade Caramel Sauce, and no sugar!
If you're looking for more apple pie recipes, try my Vanilla Bean Apple Pie, Honey Lemon Apple Pie, or my Dutch Apple Pie.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This Caramel Apple Pie is actually a less sweet apple pie, if you can believe it or not. I don’t use any additional sugar in this pie, just caramel sauce. And while caramel is mostly sugar, it still uses less sugar than all of my other apple pies on my site!
So, if you are looking for a less sweet apple pie this fall or Thanksgiving, then this is the pie for you. It’s very simple to make as there are less ingredients in the filling – making it really easy to put together. You can also use store bought caramel sauce if you are feeling lazy, though I promise it will be worth it to make my Homemade Caramel Sauce for this recipe!
If you are looking for a sweeter Caramel Apple Pie, all you have to do is add a dollop of caramel sauce on top of the pie before serving. This makes this pie a great option for Thanksgiving, as someone at your table might be looking for a less sweet apple pie, and someone else might want the extra caramel added.
This simple Caramel Apple Pie is a must bake this fall, with only 7 ingredients in this pie (and that’s if you make your own Caramel Sauce!) it really comes together quite easily. This impressive Caramel Apple Pie will be a hit at your Thanksgiving table this year.
FAQ's
Can you add caramel to apple pie?
Yes! I was honestly unsure about this at first, because I though the caramel sauce could get too gooey in the pie or it would ooze out. So, if you are wondering can you add caramel to apple pie, you definitely can!
There are a couple tricks I used in order to add caramel to apple pie. The first was I mixed in some cornstarch into the caramel sauce. This will help it not run out of the pie as it melts, just like when you add cornstarch to fruit pies for the fruit juices.
The second thing I did was I didn’t add any sugar to this apple pie. Caramel sauce is just sugar, with the addition of butter and cream. So, it’s plenty sweet. I added enough caramel sauce to sweeten the apples, so I didn’t need additional sugar. This makes this Caramel Apple Pie super easy to make!
Plus, it was honestly less sweet than a traditional pie. So, if you are looking for a less sweet apple pie or a low sugar apple pie, then this is it! You can add a dollop of caramel sauce on top of the pie slice before serving if you want more caramel flavor or a little extra sweetness! So, be sure to keep that extra caramel sauce for serving.
What apples go best with caramel?
Traditional caramel apples are made with Granny Smith Apples. These are the caramel apples you’ll find at the grocery store and the pumpkin patch this time of year. And most commonly, they will have peanuts coating them. So, I use Granny Smith Apples in this Caramel Apple Pie to be reminiscent of these nostalgic caramel apples.
Can I use store bought caramel instead of homemade caramel?
Yes, if you are feeling lazy you can use store bought caramel sauce in place of my Homemade Caramel Sauce. I recommend using King’s Cupboard Organic Caramel Sauce if you are going to buy it.
Ingredients for Caramel Apple Pie
Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour (use code MIMIORGANIC15 for 15% off your order!)
Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream
Organic Granny Smith Apples
Frontier Co-Op Organic Cornstarch
Iberia Organic Turbinado Sugar
Why Organic
Why use organic ingredients in this recipe? You all know I’m a huge organic advocate, and I bet you may be thinking sometimes, Why would I even bother to use organic ingredients in something that is so sweet and indulgent? But, that is the exact reason why you should use organic ingredients! Sweet things need to have flavor in order to be good, otherwise they are just sweet and they don’t taste like much else. Organic ingredients are more pure than conventional ones, therefore they actually have more flavor than the non organic options. Say it with me, organic means more flavor! And not just more flavor but a more true and pure flavor. And organic ingredients are much healthier for you to eat in general as they do not contain GMOs or anything artificial. Plus, you are being environmentally friendly when you choose organic ingredients!
So, I highly recommend that you buy the best organic ingredients for this recipe! You can also shop my Amazon Storefront for all my favorite organic ingredients here. Tip – hover over each ingredient to see the name. And if you want to learn more about organic foods and the difference, read my post here on Food Labels and What They Mean.
This Caramel Apple Pie is actually a less sweet apple pie, believe it or not! Add a dollop of caramel sauce on top for that true caramel flavor. Make this easy apple pie for Thanksgiving this year and please everyone at your table with it!
Ingredients
- Crust
226 grams (1 2/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons) organic all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 teaspoon organic cane sugar
3/4 cup (170 grams) organic salted butter, cold
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold water
- Filling
113 grams (1/2 cup) Organic Caramel Sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons organic cornstarch
3 organic large Granny Smith Apples, sliced
- Topping
2 tablespoons organic heavy whipping cream
organic Turbinado sugar (optional)
Directions
- To make the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour and cane sugar. Turn the mixer on low for two to three rotations to combine the dry ingredients.
- Remove the butter from the fridge and chop into small cubes. The smaller the cubes, the flakier the crust. Cut the stick of butter into four and then chop into small cubes from there. Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Measure out the cold water and have it ready.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly start to incorporate the ingredients. Gradually turn the mixer to medium speed. Once the butter mixture looks like wet sand, immediately add in all the water. As soon as the dough comes together, stop the mixer. Do not over mix.
- Divide the dough into two portions, one should be almost double the size of the other. I prefer to weigh them, the large one should weigh 312 grams and the small should weigh 170 grams. Form them both into disks and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Allow to cool in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- To make the filling: Add the caramel sauce and cornstarch to a bowl and mix together. Add the sliced apples and toss to coat completely. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To make the topping: Add the heavy whipping cream into a small dish, set aside.
- Grease a 9-inch pie pan well with butter. Remove the pie dough from the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap and place on a floured surface. First, roll out the large disk to 1/4-inch thick, it should be about 11-inches in diameter. Place the pie dough into the pie pan, and press lightly to form against the pan. It should be large enough that the dough folds right over the top. Roll out the smaller disk to 1/4-inch thick, it should be about 9-inches in diameter. Set aside.
- Add the filling into the pie pan and spread evenly.
- Place the smaller pie dough on top, crimp and fold over the edges of the dough to seal the top and bottom together. Flute the edges. Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the cream topping. Sprinkle it with Turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn up the oven to 400°F and bake for an additional 5 to 15 minutes or until golden brown to your liking.
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- High Altitude – Bake at 350°F for 1 hour, or until lightly brown. Turn up the oven to 400°F and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown to your liking.
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