This delicious caramel apple pie is made is made with a graham cracker crust and is topped with candy caramel, pecans, and granny smith apples. No vanilla ice cream needed for this amazing candy apple pie.
Fall foliage, pumpkin spice cream cheese, apple picking, and of course all of the apple recipes, my favorite things about fall. I could certainly do without the cooler weather, but biting into a delicious apple pie makes it a little bit better. Especially when it’s my candy caramel apple pie!
This apple pie is usually made for Thanksgiving or Easter when we have friends and family over. I typically stick to my grandma’s apple pie recipe with lattice crust, apple crisp, and apple nachos for apple picking season.
This caramel apple pie recipe is made using caramel candy or caramel sauce. It has become my go to apple pie recipe when it comes to baking for the holidays and is always a favorite among our family and guests. You’ll want to make sure that you remove the pie from the fridge about 30 minute before serving. This will give the caramel has a chance to soften, otherwise it it like biting into a hard piece of candy.
Ingredients for Caramel Apple Pie
This apple pie is not your grandma’s classic apple pie. While it is made with a cinnamon apple filling, there’s also some extra sweetness with caramel candy sauce and pecans! Instead of a pastry pie crust, it is made with a graham cracker crust.
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Apple Filling
- 6 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, sliced very thin
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
Whipped Cream Topping:
- whipped cream, homemade or store bought
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
How to make Caramel Apple Pie
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Press into a 9-inch pie plate and up the sides. Bake the pie crust for 6 to 8 minutes until golden in color. Remove pie shell from oven and cool completely.
Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Pour caramel sauce into the bottom crust and sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped pecans. Refrigerate pie pan while making apple filling.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter then add the brown sugar, salt and cinnamon, stir well. Add apples and stir until evenly coated. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes until apples are softened and tender. Let the apples cool for 10 minutes, pour the apple mixture into pie shell.
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar using a hand-held mixer. Mix on low speed for about 1 minute until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice and vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until fully blended. Pour over apple filling in pie shell.
Bake for 30 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean. Remove pie from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
Let stand outside the fridge for 30 minutes which will allow the caramel candy to soften. Top with whipped cream, caramel and pecans, and swirl with a knife. If you’re feeling extra creative, you can also use a Wilton tip and pastry bag to add decorative whipped cream . Slice and serve.
Variations to Caramel Apple Pie
Use salted caramel for a Salted Caramel Apple Pie.
Nut allergy? – Pretzels can substitute for pecans, or you can omit that layer all together.
Caramel Apple Pie
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 3/4 cup caramel sauce
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Apple Filling:
- 6 med-large Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, sliced very thin
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream Cheese Layer:
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
Topping:
- whipped cream homemade or store bought
- 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Press into a 10-inch pie plate and up the sides. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until golden in color. Remove pie shell from oven and cool completely. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Pour caramel into pie shell and sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped pecans. Refrigerate pie shell while making apple filling.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter then add the brown sugar, salt and cinnamon, stir well. Add apples and stir until evenly coated. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes until apples are softened and tender. Let the apples cool for 10 minutes and pour into pie shell.
- In a medium bowl, using a hand-held mixer on low speed, combine cream cheese and sugar for about 1 minute until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice and vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until fully blended. Pour over apple filling in pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean. Remove pie from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Let stand outside the refrigerator for 30 minutes. (allows caramel to soften)
- Top with whipped cream, caramel and pecans, and swirl with a knife (or use Wilton tip). Slice and serve.
The Caramel Apple Pie Recipe is simply delicious! A tasty twist on a classic dessert, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser!
