Salted Caramel Apple Pie with Sea Salt

Introduction

Salted caramel apple pie combines tart Granny Smith apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, buttery pastry, homemade caramel sauce, and flaky sea salt in one dessert. The apple filling is enclosed between two premade pie crusts, and the top crust is brushed with beaten egg before baking. Once the baked pie has cooled completely, thick caramel is poured over the top and finished with sea salt.

This dessert makes 8 servings and belongs to the desserts category. Its preparation has a clear sequence: coat the apples, assemble the crusts, vent and brush the top pastry, bake the pie, cool it completely, prepare the caramel, and finish the dessert. The filling brings the apple layer, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, flour, and lemon juice together, while the caramel topping adds heavy cream, brown sugar, honey, and butter.

The finished pie has a flaky, buttery crust around juicy apples and gooey caramel. Flaky sea salt is added after the caramel, giving the topping its sweet-and-salty finish. The complete preparation time is 1 hour 45 minutes, including 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking.

One serving contains 543 calories, 23 grams of fat, 88 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 61 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Ingredients

The ingredients cover the apple filling, the bottom and top pastry, the egg wash, the caramel sauce, and the final garnish. The apples are peeled and thinly sliced before they are coated. The two premade pie crusts are used for the base and cover; if frozen, they should be thawed before use.

• 8 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 2 premade pie crusts, thawed if frozen

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 3/4 cup heavy cream

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Sea salt for garnish

The apple mixture uses lemon juice, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. These ingredients are tossed with the sliced fruit until the pieces are coated. The seasoned apples then go into one crust and are covered with the second crust.

The beaten egg is reserved for the top pastry. After four slits are cut into that crust, the egg is brushed across its surface. This creates the egg-wash step before the pie enters the oven.

The caramel sauce uses heavy cream, light brown sugar, honey, and unsalted butter. These ingredients are cooked together in sequence, then the finished sauce is cooled briefly before it is poured over the cooled pie. Sea salt is held back until the caramel has been added.

The pie is assembled in a 9-inch (23-centimeter) pie dish. Keeping the ingredients in their assigned stages makes the process easy to follow: fruit mixture first, crust assembly next, egg wash before baking, caramel after cooling, and sea salt at the finish.

How to Make It

1. Set the oven to 375°F (190°C). Have the 9-inch (23-centimeter) pie dish ready, and make sure the premade crusts have thawed if they were frozen.

1. Peel the 8 large Granny Smith apples and slice them thinly if they are not already prepared. Put the slices in a large bowl.

1. Add the lemon juice, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg to the apples.

1. Toss the apples and the other filling ingredients until the slices are coated. The lemon juice and dry ingredients should be distributed through the bowl before the filling is placed in the pastry.

1. Place one premade pie crust in the pie dish. Add the coated apple slices to the bottom crust, keeping the filling inside the pastry.

1. Cover the apples with the second pie crust. Trim away excess dough so the top pastry fits the dish.

1. Crimp the edge by pressing the rounded edge of a spoon around the rim. The spoon shapes the edge while joining the two crusts together.

1. Cut four slits in the top crust. Brush the beaten egg over the top pastry, including the area around the vents.

1. Bake the assembled pie for 50 to 60 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and no grayish or undercooked pastry remains.

1. Remove the baked pie and let it cool completely. The caramel topping is prepared separately and is added only after the pie has cooled.

1. Put the heavy cream, light brown sugar, and honey in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves; this takes about 2 minutes.

1. Whisk the unsalted butter into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil.

1. Reduce the heat and simmer the caramel for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes thick.

1. Let the caramel cool for 5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the completely cooled pie.

1. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the caramel. Slice the finished pie and serve it as 8 portions.

The sequence keeps the separate parts in their intended order. The apples are coated before they touch the pastry, the top crust is vented and brushed before baking, and the baked pie is cooled before the caramel is poured. The caramel is also allowed to cool briefly before it reaches the pie, and sea salt remains the final garnish.

The visible finish develops in stages. Before baking, the pie has a top crust with four openings and a layer of beaten egg. After baking, the pastry is golden brown when no grayish or undercooked portion remains. After cooling and topping, the pie carries thick caramel and flaky sea salt over the crust.

The apple filling should stay inside the two crusts as the pie is assembled. The bottom crust supports the fruit layer, while the second crust covers it. Trimming excess dough and crimping the rim gives the pastry a joined edge before the egg wash is applied.

The caramel has its own short preparation sequence. Heavy cream, brown sugar, and honey are heated until the sugar dissolves. Butter is whisked in before the mixture reaches a boil. The heat is then reduced, and occasional stirring continues while the caramel simmers until thick. Cooling the sauce briefly completes the topping preparation before it is spread over the pie.

Toppings and Serving

Caramel sauce and flaky sea salt are the defined toppings for this pie. Pour the caramel over the fully cooled dessert, then sprinkle flaky sea salt across the caramel. Slice after the topping has been added and serve the pie in 8 portions.

The crust is flaky and buttery, the apple filling is juicy, and the caramel is gooey and thick. Sea salt balances the sweet and salty flavors described for the finished dessert. Together, the pastry, fruit, caramel, and garnish create the full salted caramel apple pie presentation.

The topping is added after baking rather than placed inside the crust before the pie enters the oven. The apple mixture is baked between the two pastries, while the caramel is cooked separately and poured over the cooled pie. This gives the completed dessert a distinct caramel layer above the crust.

The nutrition values for one serving are 543 calories, 23 grams of fat, 88 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 61 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein. These values describe one portion of the completed pie.

Variations

The pie can be prepared with the stated two premade crusts whether they are ready to use or need thawing first. If the crusts were frozen, thaw them before placing one in the pie dish and using the other as the cover.

The finishing choice is caramel followed by sea salt. After the pie has cooled completely, pour the caramel over its surface and add flaky sea salt as the garnish. The apple filling remains the combination of Granny Smith apples, lemon juice, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

The pastry and caramel also remain distinct parts of the dessert. The crusts form the enclosure, the apple mixture fills the center, the beaten egg is used on the top crust, and the sauce is made separately with heavy cream, light brown sugar, honey, and unsalted butter.

These choices preserve the defining combination of tart apples, warm spices, buttery pastry, homemade caramel, and sea salt. No additional topping, spice, sweetener, fruit, or garnish is part of this version.

Storage and Make-Ahead

The provided directions do not specify a storage method, refrigeration instruction, freezing instruction, or reheating step. No additional storage claim is included here.

The preparation can be organized in advance by following its stated order. The apple filling is combined and placed into the bottom crust, the second crust is added, and the edge is crimped. Four slits and the beaten egg finish the top pastry before baking.

After the pie is baked, it must cool completely before the caramel is poured over it. The caramel is prepared separately after baking, then cooled briefly and used as the final sauce. Sea salt is added after the caramel, just before slicing and serving.

This order identifies the make-ahead boundary that is given for the dessert: the pie and caramel are separate stages until the cooled sauce is poured over the cooled pie. Beyond that sequence, no holding time or storage condition is specified.

FAQ

What apples are used?

Use 8 large Granny Smith apples. Peel and thinly slice them before combining them with lemon juice, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

How many servings does the pie make?

The completed pie makes 8 servings.

What size dish is needed?

Assemble the pie in a 9-inch (23-centimeter) pie dish.

What happens if the crusts are frozen?

Thaw the premade pie crusts before using them. One crust forms the base and the other covers the apple filling.

How many openings go in the top crust?

Cut four slits in the top crust, then brush it with the beaten egg.

What temperature is used for baking?

Bake the assembled pie at 375°F (190°C).

How long does the pie bake?

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and no grayish or undercooked pastry remains.

When is the caramel added?

Prepare the caramel after baking and pour it over the pie once the pie has cooled completely. Cool the caramel for 5 minutes before pouring it over the top.

What is in the caramel sauce?

The sauce contains heavy cream, light brown sugar, honey, and unsalted butter. The cream, brown sugar, and honey are cooked until the sugar dissolves, butter is whisked in, and the mixture is brought to a boil before it is simmered until thick.

What finishes the top?

Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the caramel. Slice the pie after this final garnish and serve it as 8 portions.

What are the nutrition values?

One serving contains 543 calories, 23 grams of fat, 88 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 61 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.