Caramel Apple Crunch Pie

I think Fall might be my favorite season. I think Spring is magical too. But there is just something special about Fall. I love scarves and boots. I love pumpkins. I love the changing leaves and fall colored mums. I love the crispness in the air. More than anything, I LOVE FALL FOOD. As soon as the air turns a bit cooler, I am thinking of pies... warm fall pies... with icecream... and hot coffee... on my porch swing... pie is joy that you can eat. 

For our girls night, I made my own version of caramel apple crumble pie. It was divine! I thought I would share the recipe with ya'll.

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/8 t. salt 

5 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, sliced

9-inch pie crust

cinnamon & sugar mixed for sprinkling

Pre-heat oven to 425. Set your store bought pie crust on the counter to bring to room temperature. (I used Pillsbury brand and it was yummy. You can find these crusts in the refrigerated cookie dough section.)

Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. (A whisk works well for mixing dry ingredients.) Stir in your apples. Mix together until the apples are all coated and look a little gooey. Note: I don't know the official rule on this, but because this pie is baked at 425, I cooked it in a store bought foil pie pan. I have heard that you aren't supposed to bake anything in glass at temperatures higher than 350. I don't know if glass pie dishes are an exception, so to be safe I used the foil pan. You can get two, with plastic travel container for around $3 at the grocery store. Easy travel. One less dish to wash. Unroll your crust over your pie pan/dish. Crimp the edges however you like. Spoon the apple mixture into crust. Top with the crumb topping; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. (the sprinkling is important. It gives the pie that golden brown glow...the fall glow.) Bake at 425 degrees for 45-50 minutes. At about twenty minutes, I loosely wrapped foil around the edges so they wouldn't burn. And I baked my pie on a cookie sheet. Those foil pans aren't firm, and sometimes the pie will bubble over. PLEASE don't forget the cookie sheet. :o)

crumb topping:

1 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 a stick of butter, chilled

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

Mix ingredients together until crumbly. And for Julia's sake, USE REAL BUTTER. 

Now for the special part...

Buy a jar of caramel/butterscotch topping from the icecream topping section. Put a couple spoon fulls in a piping bag or a ziplock with the corner cut, just a tiny hole.  When the pie is warm out of the oven, drizzle the caramel all over in a crazy fashion. This is important.

Serve with warm vanilla icecream.

This pie is so yummy. It is definitely joy you can eat!

Happy Fall!