Dulce De Leche Apple Pie is a holiday crowd pleaser

You now know how to make the perfect pie crust. Pat yourself on the back because it’s a culinary must-do. Now it’s time for one of the best pies you’ll ever taste: Dulce de Leche Apple.

A couple of notes before you begin: Invest in an “apple peeler corer slicer” because it will save you lots of time. You can get a cheap one from Bed Bath & Beyond or Amazon for about $20, or you can invest in a fancy one from Williams Sonoma for $55. I’ll say the cheaper ones do eventually break down, but I peel, core and slice a lot of apples. You’ll be amazed how quickly you can whiz through your bowl of shiny Granny Smiths.

Another fun tip is to pick up some festive pie punches. Williams Sonoma and Amazon carry pie punches. You can pick a simple leaf set or get more festive for each holiday. The punches make decorating and venting your pies simple and leave them so beautifully decorated.

I developed this recipe years ago because I love Dulce de Leche. Once, I made Dulce de Leche from scratch, but it takes a long time, and frankly, the canned version is delicious. You can find it on the baking aisle at the store. When I taught pie classes, I used to have to pick up an extra can because my friend Molly always snacked on it with apples.

Once your apples are peeled, cored and sliced, this pie comes together quite easily. Mix wet ingredients into the apples, then the dry ingredients, and the filling is ready for its crust.

When punching the top crust, lightly dip the punch in some flour first so it doesn’t stick to the dough. Punch down straight and quickly so the dough pops right out of the pie punch. If you don’t want to buy punches, you can also just cut slits into your top crust. But the punches are affordable and really make your pies look fancy.

Once your pie is baked, it does need a few hours to set up. I recommend baking the day before for ease of preparation. This pie is most excellent served with cinnamon or vanilla ice cream. Homemade is best, of course, but you might be running out of time with your Thanksgiving Day preparations.

However you prepare and celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope your turkey is flavorful, your mashed potatoes and gravy are divine and your Dulce de Leche Apple Pie is perfection.

Dulce de Leche Apple Pie

1 double pie crust recipe

5 cups Granny Smith apples (about 5-7 apples), peeled and sliced

¼ cup canned dulce de leche

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

½ cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

Place the oven rack on the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Mix together sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make sure the cornstarch is mixed in well so you don’t get cornstarch lumps in your pie.

In a large bowl, toss together the apples, dulce de leche, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredient mixture and toss to combine. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the pie dough halves about an inch or so larger than the widest point of your pie plate. Line a 9-inch pie dish with the bottom crust. Add filling and spread out evenly.

Roll out the second pie dough half and cut a few slits or cut out decorative cutouts in the top crust for venting. Gently using the large cookie spatula, cover pie with the top crust. Press the top dough into the bottom piece gently to stick together. Tuck the top edges into the pie dish leaving a little crimp at the top. Pinch the edges.

Bake for 30 minutes. Then turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Cover the crust edges with either a pie shield or aluminum foil to create a shield. Bake for another 30 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove the pie from the oven and set on a cooling rack for several hours to set up the filling.

This story was originally published November 16, 2021 at 12:09 PM.