Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Caramel Apple Pie with Crumble Topping

We didn't tell anyone that this is dairy-free twist on the traditional apple pie. It was a favorite at Thanksgiving with the extended family! (Shhh, it can be our little secret.)

Crust
Make a single pie crust. (See the recipe for an Easy Dairy-free Pie Crust.) Bake it according to the instructions.

Filling
5-6 apples (we used a combination of granny smith and gala apples), peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground nutmeg (to taste)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbs flour

Crumble Topping (optional)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon (and/or nutmeg)
1/4 cup vegan butter



Dairy-Free Caramel Sauce
2-1/2 cups sugar
1 can coconut milk

Directions
Make the pie crust and while it's prebaking, make the filling.

For the filling, mix all of the ingredients together and let stand for 20 minutes. While the filling is resting, make the crumble topping and caramel sauce.

For the crumble topping, mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. (If the butter is too soft it will become creamy, not crumbly. Also, I find that mixing it with my fingers or two butter knives works best to create the large crumbs.)


For the caramel sauce, melt the sugar over medium low heat until golden color. Slowly stir in the coconut milk and let simmer for a few minutes, to let any excess liquid evaporate. It will thicken as it cools. [One person said that they wished this sauce was a little sweeter, so feel free to add extra sugar if you like, but it was plenty sweet drizzled over the pie.]



Then pour the filling into the prebaked pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are soft and bubbly.
Let the pie cool completely.
Drizzle with caramel sauce and serve!