Dutch Caramel Apple Pie

I absolutely love apple crisp! Love, love, love it! So warm and crispy and full of fruit. What's not to like. But Thanksgiving is all about the pies, right? So I decided to combine the two and do a dutch apple pie which is basically an apple pie with a streusal topping. It turned out so good! I was so excited to eat it, I almost didn't make it through Thanksgiving dinner before digging in! The caramel just takes it over the top.

I used a refrigerated pie crust because with everything else I needed to bake, I didn't want to have to worry about that as well. I did sprinkle some rolled oats on the crust and rolled it out a bit. Then for the apples I mixed them with some butter, brown sugar, and cream to make a caramely flavor. Topped with an oat streusal and some caramel ice cream topping. Mmmm, can't get better than this!

Dutch Caramel Apple Pie

Apple Filling
8 large honey crisp apples
  1/4 cup packed brown sugar sugar
  1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
  3 Tbsp unsalted butter
  1/2cup half and half

Streusel Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 heaping cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

 Pie Crust

1 refrigerated pie crust (or make your own)

1 Tbsp rolled oats

Caramel ice cream syrup

Directions

1. For the pie crust: Lay refrigerated pie crust on work surface that has been sprayed with cooking. Spray top of crust with Pam and sprinkle with oats. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the oats into the crust. Carefully transfer crust to a pie pan. Take a piece of aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Place sprayed side down and gently press down into pie crust, covering the edges. Fill with pie weights, rice or beans. This will keep the crust form shrinking. Bake in a 375° oven for 25 minutes. Carefully remove beans and foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes. or until it is lightly golden brown. 

 

2. For the apple filling: Peel, quarter, and core the apples; slice each quarter crosswise into pieces 1/4 inch thick. Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven (or pot) over high heat until foaming subsides; add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and toss to coat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the the apples are tender, about 10 minutes.

Apples tossed in butter, cinnamon, and sugar.

Apples after they have cooked down.

3. Set a large colander over a large bowl; transfer the cooked apples to the colander. Shake the colander and toss the apples to drain off as much juice as possible. Put the apples in the pie crust. Bring the drained juice and the half and half to a boil in the Dutch oven over medium high heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and a wooden spoon leaves a trail in the mixture, about 5 minutes. Pour the reduced mixture over apples and smooth with a rubber spatula.

4. For the streusel topping: Combine the flour, oats and sugars in a medium bowl; drizzle with the melted butter and toss with a fork until evenly moistened and the mixture forms many large chunks with pea-sized pieces mixed throughout. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the pie filling. Set the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake until the streusel topping is light golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Drizzle with caramel ice cream syrup and and serve.

Pie before baking.

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