Friday Pie-Day: Caramel Apple Walnut Pie

After the 45 different pies we've made over the last 4 years, you would think we had covered all possibilities. But you would be wrong. After all our apple creations, this was in a league of its own.

Maybe it was the homemade caramel…

Or maybe it was the toasted walnuts. (We baked them for 5 minutes in the oven to bring out their flavor before using them with the pie ingredients.)

It could have been the fact that the apples were sliced perfectly thanks to our apple corer-peeler-slicer. 

(Our contraption has trouble with the peeling part, but I don’t mind taking care of that with the perfect uniform slices it gives me.)

Maybe the cute little fork marks around the edges were the reason it tasted so good.

I also considered this little guy as a contribution to the success. I mean, no one else was willing to stick their head in a bubbling vat of corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and walnuts for the good of the pie!

It might have been the topping that put it over the edge - the pie at this point looked like it could have been done, caramel apple filling and all.

But after it was fully baked in the oven, we got to top it off with the delicious caramel walnut topping.

Or it could have been the garnish of apple peels (which were accused of being onions, bean sprouts, grass shavings, etc. until they were tasted!)

Could it just be the effort and creative frenzy of pie-making that causes us to appreciate the taste every time?

Possibly it was a combination of all these wonderful factors.

In any case, we can now attest that apples were in fact created to be joined with caramel and walnuts.

We tried this recipe from Taste of Home just for a twist on the classic apple pie, but it blew us away. It tastes like the essence of fall!

Caramel Apple Walnut Pie (from Taste of Home)

pastry for double-crust 9-inch pie

6 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced

⅓ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup sugar

2 T. butter

1 T. cornstarch

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. salt

TOPPING:

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

¼ cup packed brown sugar

3 T. dark corn syrup

2 T. butter

1. Line a 9-inch pie plate with bottom pastry; trim even with edge of plate. Arrange apples in crust; set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine light corn syrup, sugar, butter, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Cook and stir over low heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Pour over apples.
3. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal, and flute edges; cut slits in top.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary.
5. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the topping ingredients. Cook and stir over low heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
6. Place pie on a baking sheet. Pour topping over top crust. Bake for 3-4 minutes or until bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Garnish with apple peel if desired.