Candy Apple Pie

Recipe from Penzeys Spices

INGREDIENTS:

Pastry for 9" double crust pie:

• 11/2 sticks butter, room temperature (3/4 Cup)
  
• 11/2 Cups flour
  
• 1/2 tsp. salt
  
• 3-5 TB. milk
  

Filling:

• 6 Cups thinly sliced, peeled tart apples, 8 or so (Karen uses Granny Smith)
  
• 2 TB. lime or lemon juice
  
• 3/4 Cup sugar
  
• 1/4 Cup flour
  
• 11/2 tsp. CINNAMON (Karen likes VIETNAMESE)
  
• 1/2 tsp. GROUND NUTMEG
  
• 1/4 tsp. salt
  
• 2 TB. butter
  

Topping:

• 1/4 Cup butter
  
• 1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
  
• 1 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
  
• 2 TB. whipping cream
  
• 1/2 Cup chopped pecans
  

LET'S MAKE THE PIE:

Preheat oven to 400°. For the filling: In a bowl, toss the apples with the lime or lemon juice. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the apples and toss to coat. Line a 9" pie plate with the bottom crust pastry. Add the filling and dot with a little butter. Place the top crust over the filling. Trim the crust, seal and flute the edges. Cut slits in the top crust and bake at 400° for about 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the apples are tender. Meanwhile, make the topping. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the brown sugar, VANILLA and cream. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, roughly 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pecans. Pour over the top crust when the pie is done and bake an additional 3-4 minutes. It helps to place a pan on the rack under the rack the pie is on to catch any topping that drips off.

Crust:
Using a fork or your fingers, mix the butter with the flour and salt until it looks likes peas and crumbles. Drizzle the milk in bit by bit, using the fork or a spoon to blend the crust until it just sticks together. You may not need all the milk. Divide the dough in two pieces, one a bit bigger to be the bottom crust. Pat the pieces into disc shapes and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes, which is about as long as it takes to peel and chop the apples. Dust tabletop with flour before gently rolling out crust.

Prep. time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 55 or so minutes
Serves: 8

IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, PLEASE LEAVE US A COMMENT BELOW. WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT. :)