Caramel Apple Crumble Pie

The days have been blurring together, an amalgam of daily commutes, hastily pieced together dinners, and the bright glow of the television screen. Each day feels the same in color and energy as the one that came before it. This routine, exciting once, grows monotonous. While the familiarity may be comfortable, the pattern feels stagnant and tired.

After weeks of this repetition, I needed variety, a fresh feeling and a new experience. So I took it upon myself to make a change. I joined a hot yoga studio. I signed up for glass blowing classes. I announced to my boyfriend that we were going to go for a walk.

Sometimes I forget I have the power to change my everyday. 

Baking is one of the activities I do to keep life interesting. As a recipe developer, I rarely come back to the same recipes once they are complete, trying to invent new takes on old favorites instead. The dessert table becomes an ever evolving area of flavors and textures. This Caramel Apple Crumble Pie was born from a combination of two of my favorite fall desserts: apple crisp and apple pie. 

While there will be a few failures now and then, when the recipe comes together as easily as this recipe did, it turns out right.

Caramel Apple Crumble Pie brings together spiced apples, flaky pastry, and a crisp oatmeal crumble. Drizzled in warm caramel, the dessert becomes a play on autumn flavors and textures. Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy alongside friends and family.

One Year Ago: Maple Syrup Cake with Toasted Almonds
Two Years Ago: Butternut Squash Biscuits, Apple Crisp, and Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts
Three Years Ago: Pear Crisp, Pumpkin Rolls, Butternut Squash Cake, and Filled Molasses Cookies
Four Years Ago: Applesauce, Caramel Apple Cider, Honey Cinnamon Chickpeas, and Caramel Apple Tart
Five Years Ago: Apple Chips, Apple Cider, Ginger Pear Cake, Fig & Balsamic Jam, and Pumpkin Oatmeal

Caramel Apple Crumble Pie

Yields 8-10 servings

Apple Pie Filling
Single Pie Crust Recipe, chilled
3 lbs (1.4 kg) apples, peeled, cored, & sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon boiled cider (optional)

Crumble Topping
1/4 cup (57 grams) butter, room temperature
1/3 cup (66 grams) brown sugar
2/3 cup (60 grams) old fashioned oats
1/3 cup (40 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Milk, for brushing
1/2 cup (280 grams) caramel sauce*

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

For the apple filling, in a medium bowl, coat the apple slices with lemon juice to prevent browning. Add the brown sugar, flour, spices, salt and boiled cider and toss over the apples until they are evenly coated. Set aside.

For the crumble topping, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light. Stir in the oats, flour, spices, and salt until uniform. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough round into a 12-inch circle. Place the round into a 9-inch pie plate (or tart pan), folding the edges under and pressing into a decorative pattern. Place the prepared apples into the pie round, mounding them in the center. Break off small pieces of the crumble topping and sprinkle uniformly over the top.

Brush the exposed edges of the pie dough with milk to help them brown. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the crumble and crust are golden brown. If the edges begin to darken too quickly, cover with aluminum foil to prevent additional browning.

Cool the pie for at least 3 hours before slicing to allow the juices to set. Drizzle each slice with 1-2 tablespoons of warm caramel sauce before serving.

*To create a vegan version of the pie, use a dairy-free margarine for the butter in the crust and crumble (I prefer Earth Balance Vegan Butter), almond or soy milk for brushing, and a recipe for vegan caramel sauce.

Rustic Apple Tart

The nearest apple orchard is a half hour drive on a gravel road. Cars come away wearing jackets of dust and teeth chatter from the bumpy ride, but the bushels of fresh apples make the journey worthwhile. After pulling up at the orchard a few weeks ago, eyeing the rows of apples trees lining the nearby hills, I was told by an exasperated owner that there were no apples to be had. It had been a bad year for the fruit and the orchard was bare before the season even hit its stride. I laughed at the irony—how could an apple orchard be out of its namesake?—and was handed a small box for raspberries and shuffled off to the greenhouse to do some picking.

I came away with a pint of raspberries, a carving pumpkin, and arms scratched up from the thorns. My bushels of apples would have to wait.

The neighbors at my childhood home have an apple tree in their backyard that hangs over the fence. It is a difficult tree, producing ping pong-sized apples on the good years, and little to nothing on the bad. When my sister and I were much younger, we would pick the small apples from the low hanging branches as treats before dinner, burying our cores beneath the leaves to hide the evidence. I cannot imagine the neighbors or my parents becoming upset over our secretive afternoon snacks, but it was a game we played with ourselves.

I visited my home this past weekend and was welcomed by a tree full of large apples. The tree had finally thrived. The neighbors asked me to take some off their hands so I picked a couple boxes full. This year, it seemed the apples had come to me.

Apple desserts, joined by warm spices, compose a chord in the flavors of autumn. Each year, I hunt for new ways to create and enjoy them. Still thinking longingly of the Plum Almond Galette from last July, I made this apple dessert in a similar vein. It feels like it fits somewhere between a pie and a tart, with a flaky crust and spiced filling to round out the textures. It is a relatively quick dessert to assemble, when compared against the complexity of assembling of a pie or the time spent blind baking a tart crust.

When drowned in warm caramel, it just feels right.

The Rustic Apple Tart comes together using a pie crust (homemade or storebought) and thinly sliced apples. A cinnamon spiced almond filling rests below the apples to round out the flavors and absorb juices while baking. Though the tart can stand alone, do yourself a favor and serve it with warm caramel and whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

One Year Ago: Butternut Squash Biscuits
Two Years Ago: Caramel Apple Granola, Chewy Vanilla Bean Cinnamon Bars, Chai Spiced Rice Pudding, and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Three Years Ago:Ants on a Log, Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread, Pumpkin Granola, and Chocolate Cherry Bread
Four Years Ago:Apple Tart with Almond Cream, Pumpkin Alfredo, and Baked Apple Chips

Rustic Apple Tart

1/4 cup (25 grams) almond flour*/**
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Single crust pie dough 
3-4 large apples (6-8 small), peeled, cored and sliced thinly
Milk or cream, for brushing
Caramel sauce, for drizzling (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, and spices. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to roughly a 14-inch circle. Spread the flour mixture out evenly over the pie dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the outside. Place the sliced apples over the filling, arranging them in overlapping patterns. Fold up the pie dough over the filling, pleating the dough every two or so inches. Brush the visible pie dough with milk and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the dough and apples. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to firm up the crust before baking.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the apples have visibly softened. Serve with a topping of whipped cream or side of vanilla ice cream, with a drizzling of warm caramel.

*To make a quick almond flour, process whole almonds in a food processor until it resembles a fine sand. It may take only a handful of seconds. Be careful not to overprocess or the almonds will release too much oil and begin to turn into almond butter.

**The almond flour may also be substituted for oat flour.

Boiled Cider

The leaves crunching beneath my shoes are shades of orange, yellow, and red. The temperature outside is steadily dropping. A bright pumpkin is sitting outside my window, waiting to be carved. It is beginning to feel like autumn should. 

At the start of a season full of cinnamon and nutmeg, I needed a new staple to liven up my baking repertoire. Since I adore apples (I eat one every day with lunch),  it felt natural to play around with the ingredient a bit further. I first heard of boiled cider last spring, when it was used to add an extra touch to an apple pie. Since then, I have been hooked on the idea, anxiously awaiting fall to try it out in my baking. Boiled cider is just as it sounds—pure apple cider that has been boiled down into a rich, thick syrup.

Boiled Cider has an seemingly endless possibility of uses, which is why am I so excited to have it on hand this fall. The syrup can be added to apple dishes to brighten and intensify the apple flavor, including applesauce, apple pie, apple crisp, or apple tarts. Boiled Cider can also be heated and drizzled over pancakes, as an alternative to maple syrup. For savory dishes, a spoonful or two can be used to season pork roasts or enhance meat sauces. The list goes on. 

Boiled Cider has a single ingredient, which makes it virtually impossible to mess up. I would suggest springing for a jug of pure apple cider found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. It will boil down into a richer, more flavorful syrup than a juice that has been pasteurized. I did not specify a specific amount of juice in the recipe because it is not necessary. You can boil as much or as little cider as you please. Just keep an eye on the pot and, whenever you need another lungful of the delicious scent, give it a little stir. 

Boiled Cider is a versatile ingredient and autumn kitchen staple. A spoonful can be added to sweet and savory dishes to lend a bold, welcoming apple flavor. As a bonus, while the cider boils down, it makes the whole house fragrant with the scents of the season.

One Year Ago: Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread
Two Years Ago: Rum Raisin Oatmeal Cookies, Cucumber Zucchini Cream Cheese Slices, Banana Rum Bread, and Vanilla Bean Cardamom Peach Pie
Three Years Ago: Grilled Apricots with Honey Greek Yogurt, Malted Chocolate Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Filling, Coconut Pancakes, and Rocky Road Cookies
Four Years Ago: Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes, Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, and Maple Roasted Bananas with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Boiled Cider

Pure apple cider (no sugar added)

In a large pot, pour in the apple cider. Take a wooden chopstick or skewer, place it into the liquid, and mark the height of the apple juice onto the wood. Remove the chopstick and mark the wood into thirds. This will help you keep track of the progress of the cider.

Bring the apple juice to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until it is 1/3 of the original volume. Stir and check frequently with the chopstick to judge how far the juice volume has decreased. Depending on the amount of cider, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours to boil down into a thick syrup. 

If fresh apple cider was used, run the syrup through a fine mesh strainer to remove any solids. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.