Caramel Apple Pie

We have a thing for pie and especially apple pie. This is a riff on Grandma Ceil's award winning apple pie. She didn't do the caramel part, but her pies were always on point. Apples are pretty much always in season somewhere so play around with the different varieties you find. By creating a caramel first, the flavors of the apples and the honey really shine. And, yes, we also have a thing for #pieart. Grab your favorite cookie cutters or practice the braids you did as a child and have FUN!


Caramel Apple Pie
1 9 “ pie
 
6 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ cup butter
¼ cup white honey
½ cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg whisked
Sugar for sprinkling
 
Dough
(Makes 2 9 inch shells)
1 cup chilled butter
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
6 tablespoons ice water 
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

 
 
Dough- Put butter, shortening, 2 cups of flour,  sugar and salt into food processor. Pulse until you have small pea sized pieces. Add the rest of the flour and briefly pulse. Pour mixture into a bowl and add vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Add chilled water to the flour mixture and fold with a large flat spatula until dough comes together, pressing dough as you fold. Flip dough onto floured surface and push into a ball. Divide into two, and gently flatten each half into a disc. Wrap in plastic and let rest in fridge or freezer until ready to use.  If freezing the dough, put in fridge the night before you want to make the tart.
 
Preheat oven 425
 
Place apples in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice, flour, and cinnamon. Set aside.
 
In a sauté pan on medium high heat add butter, honey, and brown sugar with a pinch of salt. Swirl pan carefully to mix and let mixture get bubbly. Watch carefully and keep swirling or stirring until the caramel thicken slightly and begins to brown.  Add in apples and stir to coat for one minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
 
Remove dough from refrigerator and let warm up for ten minutes. Roll one disc out until about 1/8 inch thick and line pie dish. Leaving over hanging dough. Fill with apples and then roll our second disc. Cover apples with dough and crimp the edges together either with a fork or rolling and using your fingertips to pinch along the edges. With a sharp knife make some small slits on the top to let steam out. You can make little trees or arrows.  

You can also create a lattice with strips and braids or play with cookie cutters. You just want to leave some negative space so steam can escape. 
 
Brush with the whisked egg and sprinkle with sugar. Place in oven and after 10 minutes drop heat to 350 and cook for another 40 minutes or until apples are soft when tested with a knife or tooth pick. If the pie is browning to quickly cover the tip with tinfoil.
 
Let rest before cutting.
 

​Serve with ice cream or whipped cream