Sweet And Salty Caramel Apples 12 Recipes

Steps:

• Use a bench scraper to cut butter into ½-inch cubes. (If butter begins to "sweat," dust with flour.) In a large, flat-bottomed bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter cubes and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour; do not smash or smear the butter. Scrape butter off the pastry blender during the mixing process and continue mixing. (If butter is softening too fast, put the bowl in the refrigerator until butter firms up, 2-5 minutes.) Continue cutting, working quickly, until butter is broken down and looks like a coarse crumble with only a few larger pieces.
• Combine vinegar with water and ice; you'll use 10-12 tablespoons of this liquid in the pie dough. Begin by sprinkling 4 tablespoons of liquid over the flour mixture; use a bench scraper or your hands to incorporate until the mixture begins to come together. Sprinkle in 4 more tablespoons of liquid and continue the mixing process. Squeeze a fistful of dough: if it holds, like wet sand, it's ready. If it falls apart, add 1-2 more tablespoons of liquid at a time, squeezing the dough to check if it holds. Bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of liquid as necessary; dough will look shaggy. Knead in the bowl just until incorporated.
• Turn dough onto a work surface and use a bench scraper to divide dough into two equal pieces. Shape into flat disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. (Note: dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen up to 1 month, tightly wrapped.)
• Generously grease pie dish with softened butter. Dust a work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Place one chilled pie disk on the work surface and lightly dust it with flour. (Keep the other disk refrigerated until it's time to make the lattice top in Step 6.) Roll dough by starting at the center and lightly pressing down with the rolling pin to flatten slightly. Rotate the dough and repeat, pressing down so it's evenly flattened all around, about ⅛-inch thick. Then roll outward to make a circle, rotating the dough a quarter-turn at a time to keep it even. (If dough is softening too fast, chill in the refrigerator until firm, 2-5 minutes.) Roll the dough until it's about 2-3 inches larger than the pie dish, all the way around.
• Overturn pie dish onto the center of the dough circle, and use a pizza wheel to trim away the rough edges. (Save the scraps to make crust cookies!) Remove the pie dish and place it right side up on your work surface. Use the light indentation created by the rim as a guide for gently positioning dough into the center of the dish. (If dough is softening too fast, put it back into the refrigerator until it firms up, 2-5 minutes.) Fit crust gently into dish, being careful not to stretch the dough. Begin crimping the edge by using your fingers to roll the dough firmly so it rests on top of the rim. Crimp by using your index finger and thumb on one hand to squeeze a letter "C" into the dough rim. (Lightly flour your fingers if the dough is sticking.) Repeat, crimping the entire pie and making sure the final fluted crust sits directly on top of the pan's rim. Place in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to let the dough set again before adding the filling.
• Lattice: Dust a clean surface with flour. Roll out second chilled dough disk to a circle slightly larger than the pie dish, between ⅛- and ¼-inch thick. Using a pizza wheel, trim rough edges from left and right sides to square them off. Cut the dough into 8 strips of equal width. Transfer strips to a baking sheet and refrigerate, 30 minutes.
• Apples: Prepare the apples using an apple­ peeling machine or peel, core, and thinly slice with a sharp knife or mandoline. Place in a bowl and toss with lemon juice and sugar. Set apples aside to soften slightly and release juices, 20-30 minutes.
• Caramel Sauce: Whisk sugar and water together in a medium saucepan, and cook over medium­-low heat until the sugar is just dissolved. Add the butter and bring to a slow boil. Continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture turns a deep, golden brown color, almost copper. Turn off heat and immediately but slowly add the heavy cream (use caution, as the mixture may bubble up rapidly). Whisk the final mixture well to combine; set aside to cool while you prepare the pie filling. Makes about 2 cups. (Caramel Sauce can be made several days in advance. Cool, then store in the refrigerator in an airtight container; bring to room temperature before using.)
• Filling: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, add the bitters to the raw sugar and mix with your fingers to combine. Add salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, black pepper, and flour; mix well. Leaving behind excess liquid, add prepared apples to the sugar spice mixture. Gently toss the apples to coat.
• Assembly: Tightly pack the apples into the chilled pie shell, mounding the apples slightly higher in the center. Spread ½ cup Caramel Sauce evenly over the apples with a spatula (use more sauce if you'd like a sweeter pie). Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
• Lattice top: Assign a number to each strip of dough: 1 being the longest and 8 being the shortest. Lay strip 1 across the top of the pie, just slightly to the left of center. Lay strip 2 over strip 1 at a 90-degree angle, just below the center of the pie. Lay strip 3 over strip 2, to the right of and parallel to strip 1. Lay strip 4 over strip 2, to the left of and parallel to strip 1. Fold back the right end of strip 2 so it's on top of strip 5; fold back the top ends of strips 1 and 5 and lay strip 6 above and parallel to strip 2. Return the top ends of strips 1 and 5 to their original positions. Fold back the bottoms of strips 1 and 5 and lay strip 7 below and parallel to strip 2. Return the bottom ends of strips 1 and 5 to their original positions. Fold back the top ends of strips 3 and 4 and lay strip 8 above and parallel to strip 6. Return strips 3 and 4 to their original positions.
• Trim the lattice edges so they're flush with the edge of the pan. Roll and pinch the bottom crust overhang inward to build up the crust edge. Crimp the edge of the pie all the way around so that the final fluted crust sits directly on top of the pan's rim. Brush the crust with the egg wash, being careful not to smudge the caramel (it will burn as the pie bakes). Sprinkle with raw sugar and flaky sea salt. Pie will bake for a total of 50-55 minutes. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack of the preheated oven. Bake until crust is set and beginning to brown, 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F, move the pie to the center oven rack, and continue to bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 30-35 minutes longer.
• Test the apples for doneness with a skewer or sharp knife; they should be tender and offer only the slightest resistance. Cool completely on a wire rack, at least 2 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Prepare the pie crust: Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add butter and toss until butter pieces are completely separated and coated with flour mixture. Using your hands, work butter into flour mixture until well combined and butter pieces are no larger than a pea. Add 1/4 cup cold water and gently stir with a spatula until completely absorbed. Add remaining 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, gently stirring between each addition, until dough begins to form into a ball. Depending on how humid it is in your kitchen or how hydrated your flour is, you might not need to use all of the water.
• Transfer dough to a clean work surface and gently knead, being careful not to overwork it, until smooth and slightly tacky. Divide dough evenly into 2 pieces. Form each piece into a flat disk and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Chill dough in a refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. If chilled longer than 1 hour, let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes before rolling.
• While the dough is chilling, prepare the caramel sauce. Heat sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely melted and amber in color, 10 to 15 minutes. Add butter to melted sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and completely combined, about 1 minute.
• Carefully add heavy cream to sugar mixture, stirring constantly, until bubbly, 15 to 30 seconds. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in sea salt. Set caramel sauce aside to cool slightly at room temperature until ready to use.
• Prepare the filling: stir apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until well combined. Set apple mixture aside at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• Pour apple mixture through a strainer into a large bowl. Set apple mixture aside, and transfer the liquid to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove saucepan from heat and set aside at room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Position oven rack in bottom third of oven.
• Working with one dough disk at a time on a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll each disk into a 1/8-inch thick circle that measures 12 inches in diameter. Place one dough circle in a 9-inch pie pan and gently press dough into the corners and sides of the pan.
• Stir together apples and reduced apple liquid in large bowl; arrange apple mixture in the pie crust, and drizzle with 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce. Place remaining dough circle over apple mixture and press into apple mixture and into edges of pan. Using your fingers, fold edges under and crimp to seal. Brush top and edges of dough with egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cut eight 1-inch slits in dough with a sharp paring knife to allow steam to escape. Place pie on a rimmed sheet pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is light golden in color, about 20 minutes. Without removing the pie, reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and continue baking until dough is deep golden brown and the filling is starting to bubble, about 25 minutes. Gently cover pie with aluminum foil, and continue baking until a knife inserted removes mostly clean, about 25 minutes.
• Remove pie from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Serve pie with remaining caramel sauce, if desired.

Steps:

• Insert wooden sticks 3/4 of the way into the stem end of each apple. Place apples on a cookie sheet covered with lightly greased aluminum foil. Combine caramels and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring often, until caramel melts and is smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Dip each apple into the caramel and gently run apples around insides of saucepan to scrape off some of the caramel. Scrape excess caramel from the apple bottoms using the side of the saucepan. Place on the aluminum foil. Sprinkle lightly with the coarse salt and chill. Put the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Drizzle over the apples and return them to the refrigerator until ready to serve.