CARAMEL APPLE PIE - NEW IMPROVED VERSION

This is hands down, the best apple pie I have ever made.  The Thick Gel (modified cornstarch is the best pie thickener and sauce thickener I have ever used.

Ingredients for pie filling:

8 medium apples, peeled and sliced

A splash lemon juice

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¾  teaspoon apple pie spice

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons thick gel or corn starch Where to buy Thick Gel?

¼ cup pecan chips, optional

2 pie crust shells (Pillsbury)

1 recipe caramel sauce*

Ingredients for Caramel Sauce*:

3 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup butter

½ cup powdered sugar

¼ cup THICK GEL

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a large bowl, add a splash of lemon juice.  Wash, peel and slice the apples.  Stir apples in bowl after each apple is sliced.  Add the cinnamon, apple pie spice, sugar and thick gel (or corn starch) and mix well.  Roll out bottom crust in a pie dish.  Fork around the bottom and edges.

*Directions to Make Caramel Sauce:

In a medium  sauce pan, add all the Caramel Sauce ingredients.  Cook on low heat until ingredients are dissolved.  Turn up to medium heat and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes (you are making caramel candy).  Do not let cool.

Immediately pour ¼ of the hot caramel sauce in the apples and mix in.  Then, quickly pour apple and caramel mixture into prepared pie dish.  Pour the remaining hot caramel sauce over the apples.  Place the top pie crust over the pie and crimp the edges to seal the pie.  Bake for 35 – 45 minutes in the preheated oven on 400 degrees F.  Check after 15 minutes…depending on your oven, turn down to 375 degrees F if the crust looks like it is getting too brown, too soon.  Let cool completely.  Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipping cream.

Making Caramel Sauce

Boiling Caramel Sauce

Caramel Sauce over apples in pie shell

Ready to Cook

Just out of the oven with the pie shield

Just out of the oven

A serving...it is impossible to get a good slice of pie on the first try

SLOW COOKER CARAMEL APPLE CRISP

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Loosely adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/slow-cooker-apple-crisp/detail.aspx

Ingredients:

Apple Filling

4 medium large apples (I used Pink Lady), peeled, cored, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

A splash of vanilla

1 tablespoon corn starch

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/8 – ¼  cup white sugar

3 teaspoons caramel

Streusel/Crisp Topping

½ cup flour (I used white whole wheat)

½ cup quick oats

¼ - 1/3 cup white sugar

¼ - 1/3 cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pinch salt

½ cup butter, cut into little cubes

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Line a slow cooker with a slow cooker liner (it is like a plastic bag).

Pour the lemon juice into a large bowl.  Peel, core and chop each apple individually, stirring them into the lemon juice (to keep them from browning).  Add the cornstarch, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, sugar and caramel.  Stir into the apples.  Place in the lined crock pot and turn on high.  Place the lid on the slow cooker  Meanwhile, prepare the streusel topping.

Combine the flour, quick oats, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Stir.  Add the butter a little at a time and use a pastry blender or a fork to cut into coarse crumbs.  Stir in the chopped pecans.  Pour into the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 4 hours.  Partially uncover for an hour just before serving to let the top get crisp.  Serve with vanilla or butter pecan ice cream.

Ingredients, minus apples

Pink Lady Apples

Chopped Apples

Apples with Spices

Streusel  Topping, before pastry blender

Streusel without nuts

Streusel with nuts

Ready to Cook

Ready to Eat

Just Sreusel

Streusel and Ice Cream

With Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce

PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES & STUFFING

From page 188 of the Taste of Home Most Requested Recipes Cookbook

I found this in the Taste of Home recipe book and I decided to try it out today.  My children loved it.  It was a great way to get them to eat Pork Chops.

Prep: 15 Minutes

Bake : 45 Minutes

Ingredients:

6 boneless pork loin chops (1 inch thick and 4 ounces each)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 package (6 ounces) crushed stuffing mix

1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling with cinnamon

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown the pork chips in oil over medium-high heat.  Meanwhile, prepare stuffing according to package directions.  Spread pie filling into a greased 13-in. X 9-in. baking dish.  Place the pork chops on top; spoon stuffing over chops.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.  Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. 

YIELD: 6 servings.