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Caramel Apple Pie with Pastry Cutouts





Prep Time
3 hrs 45 mins




Cool Time
2 hrs 30 mins




Total Time
6 hrs 15 mins

Zoe Nathan of Santa Monica’s Huckleberry Bakery tops her pies with a variety of cutout shapes; for this one, you’ll need a 2 1/2-in. apple-shaped cookie cutter*.

Pies: Caramel Apple  Pie with Pastry Cutouts (1114)




Iain Bagwell
  Cutout Pastry
 1/2 cup unsalted butter
 1 cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar
  About 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
 4 pounds mixed apples, such as Granny Smith and Cripps Pink, peeled and cut into eighths to make 3 qts.
 1 large egg yolk
 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
Step 1
1

Make pastry and chill.

Step 2
2

Meanwhile, melt butter with 1 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. salt in a heavy 5- to 6-qt. pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until a smoky haze comes from mixture and it turns deep golden brown, 6 to 9 minutes. Carefully stir apples into caramel (it will bubble and seize up). Cook, stirring often and reducing heat if needed to maintain a steady simmer, until apples look mostly translucent and are tender when pierced with a fork (a few will have fallen apart), about 20 minutes. Transfer apples and caramel to a rimmed baking sheet. Let cool a bit, then chill until cold.

Step 3
3

In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk, cream, and a pinch of salt until well blended. Chill egg wash airtight up to 1 week.

Step 4
4

Unwrap and lightly flour 1 pastry disk, work surface, and rolling pin. Working from center with short strokes, roll pastry into an even 13-in. round. As you work, lift pastry using a bench scraper or long metal spatula, and reflour board and pin as needed to keep it from sticking.

Step 5
5

Fold pastry in half and open up into a buttered regular 9-in. pie pan, easing it into place without stretching. Fill shell with cold apples and caramel; pat into an even mound. Fold overhanging pastry over apples and trim with scissors to a 1-in. border. Chill scraps and pie shell.

Step 6
6

Roll out second pastry disk the same way as the first to an 11-in. round. Cut shapes close together with a floured 2 1/2-in. cookie cutter. Transfer to a baking sheet. Gather and reroll all scraps and cut the same way (you'll have about 25 cutouts total). Chill cutouts until firm, 15 minutes.

Step 7
7

Brush pie border with egg wash. Lay 10 cutouts in a concentric circle around rim of pie, barely covering the border and barely overlapping one another; brush with egg wash, so they adhere to one another. Make a second circle the same way with 5 cutouts, overlapping the first by about 1/2 in. Set 1 cutout in the center.

Step 8
8

Freeze pie and remaining cutouts uncovered until cutouts feel very firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350° with racks in center and lower third. Brush pie with egg wash again and sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp. sugar.

Step 9
9

Bake cutouts on baking sheet until well browned, 20 to 22 minutes. Bake pie until crust is deeply browned, juices are bubbling, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center reaches 180°, 1 1/2 hours; after 45 minutes, set a drip pan on rack under pie, and after about 1 1/4 hours, tent pie with foil. Cool pie on a rack at least 2 1/2 hours. Serve with extra cutouts for nibbling.

Step 10
10

*Find at globalsugarart.com; $

Step 11
11

Make ahead: Up to 1 day at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving
Calories 769Calories from Fat 49
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 43g67%

Saturated Fat 27g135%
Cholesterol 137mg46%
Sodium 356mg15%
Total Carbohydrate 94g32%

Dietary Fiber 3.8g16%
Protein 6.3g13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.