I love trying new pies for Thanksgiving, and I usually gravitate toward classics with a twist. This year I made the pumpkin creme pie I make every year at Ryan's request, and a candy apple pie. The candy apple pie was pretty neat because it had a delicious cider-caramel sauce on the inside and a hot cinnamon candy shell on the outside. If you have trouble choosing between caramel apples and candy apples when you go to the fair, then this is the pie for you. It was pretty hard to cut, though. So, if I made it again, I'd make less hard candy to give it more of a drizzle that a full coat.
Recipe slightly adapted from First Prize Pies
Ingredients:
Crust:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup whole milk (plus extra for glaze)
1 T. apple cider vinegar
12 ounces or 3 cups flour
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
Filling:
2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 pounds granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
Candy topping:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 t. cinnamon extract
10 drops red food coloring
Step 01. Cut butter into roughly 1/2 inch cubes. Combine dry ingredients in a food processor with a quick whirl. Add butter and blend until mixture is the texture of rough sand. In a measuring cup, stir vinegar into milk. Turn on food processor, and slowly pour milk mixture through the feed tube. Turn processor off as soon as combined. Do not over mix. Wrap dough in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Step 02. Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Roll out half the dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Trim overhang to 1 inch and refrigerate crust.
Step 03. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat, boil cider until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Lower heat to medium-high, melt butter into cider syrup, and whisk in brown sugar, cream, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and cook until dark, thick, and glossy (about 7 to 10 minutes). Remove from heat and cool until just warm.
Step 04. Layer apple slices in pie crust and pour caramel sauce over. Brush edges of pie shell with some of the milk reserved for glaze. Roll out remaining pie dough, lay it over the filled pie shell, and trim overhand to 1 inch. Roll edges of both crusts together and crimp. Brush top and edges of pie with remaining milk reserved for glaze.
Step 05. Back pie on a baking sheet for 20 minutes, rotating once halfway through. Lower temperature to 350ºF (175ºC) and back for 30 to 40 minutes until crust is golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Step 06. Wait until pie is cooked to begin candy shell. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat sugar, corn syrup, and 1/3 cup water over high heat. Cook until the syrup reaches 300ºF (150ºC) on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and whisk in cinnamon extract and food coloring. Use a fork to drizzle liquid candy over pie. Do not refrigerate pie (it will soften the candy crust), and serve as soon as possible.
Crust:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup whole milk (plus extra for glaze)
1 T. apple cider vinegar
12 ounces or 3 cups flour
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
Filling:
2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 pounds granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
Candy topping:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 t. cinnamon extract
10 drops red food coloring
Step 01. Cut butter into roughly 1/2 inch cubes. Combine dry ingredients in a food processor with a quick whirl. Add butter and blend until mixture is the texture of rough sand. In a measuring cup, stir vinegar into milk. Turn on food processor, and slowly pour milk mixture through the feed tube. Turn processor off as soon as combined. Do not over mix. Wrap dough in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Step 02. Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Roll out half the dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Trim overhang to 1 inch and refrigerate crust.
Step 03. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat, boil cider until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Lower heat to medium-high, melt butter into cider syrup, and whisk in brown sugar, cream, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and cook until dark, thick, and glossy (about 7 to 10 minutes). Remove from heat and cool until just warm.
Step 04. Layer apple slices in pie crust and pour caramel sauce over. Brush edges of pie shell with some of the milk reserved for glaze. Roll out remaining pie dough, lay it over the filled pie shell, and trim overhand to 1 inch. Roll edges of both crusts together and crimp. Brush top and edges of pie with remaining milk reserved for glaze.
Step 05. Back pie on a baking sheet for 20 minutes, rotating once halfway through. Lower temperature to 350ºF (175ºC) and back for 30 to 40 minutes until crust is golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Step 06. Wait until pie is cooked to begin candy shell. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat sugar, corn syrup, and 1/3 cup water over high heat. Cook until the syrup reaches 300ºF (150ºC) on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and whisk in cinnamon extract and food coloring. Use a fork to drizzle liquid candy over pie. Do not refrigerate pie (it will soften the candy crust), and serve as soon as possible.
