When Jason and I were in Washington for Thanksgiving, I decided to bake a salted caramel apple pie on a whim – my small contribution to the family dinner. It pained me to use Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust, but I was trying to keep things simple. Since I wasn’t doing the grocery shopping or the dishes, there was no way I was making my own pâte brisée, which would require additional ingredients and time in our host’s kitchen.
Despite the shortcut, the pie was a hit. So I immediately knew what to whip up when Pottery Barn asked if I’d like to work on a sweet, wintry shoot for the holidays.
When it comes to dessert, I believe pie takes the cake, and so I’d recreate the recipe I tested in November but with a homemade crust and a touch of spirit.
You can use store-bought pie dough in a pinch, but know that it’ll never be as flaky, light and buttery as one made from scratch. If you’ve prepared shortcrust pastry, you know what I’m talking about. And if you haven’t, you’ll just have to trust me.
The crust is so good that you’ll want to show it off. So ditch the deep dish pie plate for a springform pan. That way, after the dessert bakes, you can remove the ring to reveal its glory.
And then the waiting game begins. You have to let the pie sit for at least two hours so the filling can set and the flavors can marry. When you’re ready to serve it up, cut thick wedges and drizzle them with a little (or a lot of) salted bourbon caramel sauce and invite your guests to dig in.
A big thank you to Pottery Barn for providing the festive table decor. Nothing makes a pie look prettier than a shimmering backdrop, clear glass pillar holders and snowy white candles, in my opinion.
Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma.
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
- 6-8 tablespoons ice water
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- 4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 slices each
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
- 1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar and salt. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons water and mix with a fork. If it is crumbly, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the ingredients start to come together. Then use your hands to lightly knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the granulated sugar, water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon during the first 2-3 minutes but do not stir after this point, instead swirling the pan occasionally to ensure even cooking. Cook until the mixture is amber colored, about 9 minutes total, watching very carefully as it will go from amber colored to burned in a few seconds.
- Remove the pan from the heat and slowly and carefully add the heavy cream, stirring with a wooden spoon; the mixture will bubble. Then stir in the bourbon and salt until smooth.
- Cook the sauce over medium-high heat for 1 minute and then transfer to a glass jar with a lid. Let cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate if not using right away.
- In a large pot, combine the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender, about 20 minutes.
- Uncover and let the apples cool to room temperature. Stir in the cornstarch, salt and ¾ cup caramel sauce; reserve the remaining sauce for serving.
- Remove 1 disc of dough from the refrigerator and let it sit for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 14” circle. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9” springform pan, pressing it against the bottom and sides. Use a sharp knife to trim the edge of the dough so it comes about 2 inches up the side of the pan. Transfer the crust to the freezer and let chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the other disc of dough from the refrigerator and let it sit for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 14” circle. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into diamonds. Lay cutouts in a single layer on a baking sheet and transfer to the freezer; let chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell. Arrange the cutouts over the filling, working in a spiral from the outside in to the center, overlapping them slightly. Brush the top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with the Demerara sugar.
- Place the springform pan on a baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown and the apples are very tender, about 1 hour. Check the pie after 30 minutes; if the top crust gets too brown before it is done baking, cover loosely with foil.
- Remove pie from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Then remove ring and transfer pie to a wire rack to cool for at least 2 hours before serving.
- When ready to serve, reheat reserved caramel sauce to drizzle over pie slices.
The way you write and all those yummy recipes you have here, keeps me glued to your blog. I am new to your blog and loving my stay here. Merry Christmas to you! Stay in touch!!
Thanks so much, Purabi! Happy holidays to you, too!
Could this be made the day before or do you recommend making it the day of?
Hi Lisa – Yes, you can certainly make the pie a day before you plan to serve it!
Awesome thanks for the reply!! I already made the sauce and it’s amazzzzinnnggg!!! I think I’m going to make the filling tomorrow and then put it all together on Thursday for Thanksgiving!!
So glad you are enjoying the recipe, Lisa! Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Hey, Alison! This looks wonderful. I want to set up the pie before the day I’m going to bake it so it’s fresh baked the following day. Is that possible? Can I assemble it, put it in the fridge, then bake it the next morning? Thanks!
Thank you, Cat! It doesn’t hurt to bake the pie a day ahead … in fact, it’ll help ensure the filling sets up properly. You may find this article from The Kitchn helpful, too. Enjoy!