American As Apple Pie

Happy Labor Day! We spent yesterday at the pool (our last session of the season) explaining to our four-year-old that Labor Day Weekend unofficially marks the end of summer. I mean, it's pretty sweet that the U.S. sends us off into fall with a holiday 😊

What screams fall? Why the bushel of apples we have in our kitchen right now, courtesy of our local CSA. And what's more American than... apple pie? If you're looking to usher in autumn properly, whip one of these up and you won't be disappointed!

Apple Pie Recipe (adapted from Lauren Conrad)

Ingredients:

• 8 apples (I used golden from our CSA), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

• 1 Tbsp cinnamon

• ½ cup brown sugar

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• 3 Tbsp flour

• ¼ cup caramel sauce (recipe below)

• 1 recipe pie crust (I used store bought refrigerated)

• egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 Tbsp water)

Caramel sauce

• ½ cup butter

• 3 Tbsp flour

• ¼ cup water

• ½ cup sugar

• ½ cup brown sugar

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour to form a paste. Add water and sugar, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 10 minutes. (You want the sugars to be melted in and not grainy anymore.) Note: you don’t want to turn this into a dark caramel sauce—just a good sugar/butter mixture that caramelizes once baked. 

Instructions:

1. Mix apples, sugars, flour, and cinnamon all together in a bowl.

1. Roll out your pie dough circles and add one into a pie pan. Add the apple mixture into the pan and drizzle caramel sauce over apples. Cover with another crust and flute the edges. Cut vents in top, or use cut cookie cutters to cut out shapes in the tops of pies. 

1. Brush top of pie with egg wash. Bake pie in a 425-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350, and bake for an additional 35 to 45 minutes, until top is golden and the juices are bubbling.

makes 1 pie

Happy Baking!