Blue Ribbon Caramel Apple Pie will take First Place at the County Fair. Made with white and brown sugar, this pie is sure to please.
Blue Ribbon Caramel Apple Pie
“Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and……” This Blue Ribbon Caramel Apple Pie is soooooo good. It’s got a caramel sauce mixed in with the apples and also is all over the top of the crust.
I hate to admit it, but remember when McDonalds had those disgusting delicious fried apple pies for a buck? Well, this sort of tastes like that, but it is not fried. See how the crust is bubbled up?
Cast of Ingredients for Blue Ribbon Caramel Apple Pie
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Ingredients to Cast Iron Caramel Apple Pie
- 8 Large Granny Smith Apples
- Butter
- White Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Nutmeg
- Ground Cinnamon
Pro Tip: Refrigerator pie crust is fine!
Roll Out Pie Crust, Cut in Strips
Type of Pie Crust
- Homemade pie crust of course is always the best. We don’t always have time and luckily, there are delicious alternatives.
- Refrigerated Pie Crust works well and tastes great!
- Pie Crust Mix works well too.
How to Make Lattice Pie Crust
- To make lattice crust for the top, lay down a couple of sheets of parchment paper on your Pastry Board and then roll out the pie crust dough. Take a pizza cutter or sharp knife and cut the dough into strips.
- The lengths of the strips will be different and I recommend using a pizza cutter or knife and cut down each side to make a straight line and then take the little pieces and attach them to where they are needed.
- Smoosh them together again with a drop of water and stretch the crust, just a smidge, if you are using a 10 inch cast iron skillet, like I am.
Lattice Cut Pie Crust
What if Dough Breaks?
- If your dough is broken, like mine was, don’t panic. Smoosh it back together and seal it with a touch of water.
Lattice crusts are not my forte, but it doesn’t matter. Just do your best. After the strips are baked on the pie, you won’t be able to tell if any had broken.
For a super easy and delicious apple dessert, I suggest making my Apple Pie Enchiladas with Caramel Sauce. No skill needed!
Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top of your egg white.
Using a pastry or barbecue brush, brush the crust (top, we’ll do the bottom later) really well and push a large dinner plate underneath the waxed paper. Put the plate, with the crust in the refrigerator, so that you can make the caramel.
I like to do the crust first, as the caramel will start to harden if you wait to prepare the top crust after you make the caramel sauce.
Best Apples for Apple Pie
- Generally speaking, Granny Smith Apples are best for baking since they keep their structure and remain firmer with heat. Granny Smith Apples chunks will become soft, but not turn into mush after baking. Plus, the tartness combined with the sweetness of the sugars adds a lot to the flavor.
- Both Jonagold and Honeycrisp are hardy apples and will withstand the heat in the over without becoming completely mushy.
- Jonagold apples have a honey sweetness while the Honeycrisp have a tropical sweetness.
Get your apples peeled, cored and sliced and put then into a bowl of water with some lemon juice or vinegar, so they won’t turn brown.
Heat a Stainless Steel 3 Quart Saucepan over medium low heat and then add the butter and whisk it around to melt. Whisk in the flour and completely combine.
Then add in the water and vanilla and continue whisking. Don’t let this boil yet.
Making Caramel Sauce
Add in the sugars and continue whisking. Turn up the heat just a bit until you get a low boil and then immediately, turn the heat back down and continue whisking until thick, but pourable.
One the mixture is thick, turn off the heat and add cinnamon and fresh nutmeg into the mixture. Whisk in the spices well.
Another delicious dish with apples and crust is my famous Instant Pot Apple Crisp recipe. Super simple to make and wonderful to enjoy warm right after a meal. In fact. you the apple crisp can be cooking while eating dinner and be ready right in time for dessert.
Place Bottom Crust into 10 inch Cast Iron Skillet
Grab the bottom crust out of the refrigerator and put it into a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet, or pie dish.
Here is where the cinnamon egg white comes in again. Brush the bottom crust with the egg white. This will help keep the bottom crust from getting soggy and breaking.
Soak Apples and Dry Well before pouring on Caramel Sauce
Size of Apple Slices
- Apples should be cut approximately 8-10 slices per apple.
Drain the water from the apples and dry them off with a tea towel. Place at least half of the apples into the pie pan/skillet on top of the prepared bottom crust.
Pour in 3/4 of the caramel sauce into the bowl with the rest of the apples and coat well.
Putting the Lattice Crust and Caramel Sauce on the Pie
Place the caramel coated apples on top of the uncoated apples in the prepared bottom crust. At this point, grab the top crust and flip it over, on top of the apples and stretch the crust to seal the sides.
Pour the rest of the caramel sauce over the top pie cruse and spread the sauce so it is over all the crust, letting some drip into the apples under the lattice crust.
Brush the caramel so that it is all over the top crust. You want most of the caramel to start off on top of the apples, so the bottom crust isn’t too wet.
Slice of Blue Ribbon Caramel Apple Pie
It’s not pretty, but it’s damn delicious! The caramel on top of the crust, sort of “fries” the crust. Allow the Blue Ribbon Caramel Apple Pie to cool before you cut into it, so that it can properly set.
More Delicious Desserts to Make:
- Pressure Cooker Coconut Almond Fudge Cheesecake
- Instant Pot Bhapa Doi {Steamed Yogurt Pudding}
- Choco-Spice Layer Cake [Instant Pot]
- Best Old Fashion Sugar Cookies EVER!
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk – a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- Bellemain Porcelain Ramekins
- Pastry Board
- Stainless Pizza Cutter
- 3.5 Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl
- Microplane Stainless Steel Zester
- Lodge 10.25″ Cast Iron Skillet
- Candy Thermometer
- Stainless Steel 3 Quart Saucepan
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 9-10 inch Pie Crusts
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Kerrygold Butter
- 3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- 3 Tablespoons Fresh Water
- 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup White Sugar
- 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- Whole Nutmeg optional
- 8 large Granny Smith Apples peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 - 1//2" thick
- 1 Egg White
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- In a bowl place egg white and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Prepare the Lattice Pie Crust, brush with egg white/cinnamon and place in refrigerator. Set aside remaining egg white/cinnamon.
- Prepare apples and place in bowl of water with lemon juice or vinegar.
- Heat a Saucepan over medium low heat and then add the butter and whisk it around to melt. Whisk in the flour and completely combine.
- Then add in the water and vanilla and continue whisking. Don't let this boil yet.
- Add in the sugars and continue whisking. Turn up the heat just a bit until you get a low boil and then immediately, turn the heat back down and continue whisking until thick, but pourable.
- One the mixture is thick, turn off the heat and add cinnamon. Using a Microplane Stainless Steel grate the fresh nutmeg into the mixture. Whisk in the spices well.
- Place the bottom crust in your pie pan. Brush crust with egg white/cinnamon mixture.
- Fill pie pan with apples, mounded slightly.
- Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the caramel over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until apples are soft.
Notes
Best Apples for Apple Pie
- Generally speaking, Granny Smith Apples are best for baking since they keep their structure and remain firmer with heat. Granny Smith Apples chunks will become soft, but not turn into mush after baking. Plus, the tartness combined with the sweetness of the sugars adds a lot to the flavor.
- Both Jonagold and Honeycrisp are hardy apples and will withstand the heat in the over without becoming completely mushy.
- Jonagold apples have a honey sweetness while the Honeycrisp have a tropical sweetness.
What if Dough Breaks?
- If your dough is broken, like mine was, don't panic. Smoosh it back together and seal it with a touch of water.
Nutrition
PIN this Cast Iron Blue Ribbon Caramel Apple Pie!
Cast Iron Blue Ribbon Caramel Apple Pie
Very good recipe! The hubs gave it 5 stars and couldn’t quit telling me how good it was. Thanks for another great recipe Jill. It was a great topper to our Thanksgiving meal, and I will confess, a great breakfast the next morning!
Thank you so much, Karen. I am thrilled my pie was such a hit. I agree with it being great for breakfast. Jill
I tried it! Mine was ugly too. Wish I could have shared a picture but my pie didn’t last long enough for a photo OP. It was delicious! Don’t forget to put a cookie pan underneath to prevent spills in your oven.
Hi Debby. I am glad you enjoyed the apple pie. Good tip on the sheet pan! Jill
This looks like “grandma Opel’s apple pie” recipe. It’s my go to ape pie recipe!
I am glad you enjoy my recipe, Mary. Jill
Hi Jill, The first time I made your apple pie I followed the instructions that are with the pictures. It was the best apple pie I have ever had. I printed the recipe and recently made it again. This time the pie was not very good. I noticed that the printed recipe is different than the picture recipe. You might want to fix the printed recipe. I will definitely make the pie again, but I will use the right recipe this time.
Hi Jennifer~
What was different? I added the same language that was with the pictures.
Jill
You left off that you should add at least half of the apples to the pan, then pour 3/4 of the sauce into the bowl with the remaining apples, etc.
Well fabulous I didn’t do the half apples ??♀️ I hope it turns out