At the beginning of November, I always take the time to sit down with all of my recipes and plan my Thanksgiving menu.
When I’m deciding on what I want to serve, whether it’s for two or 12 people, I always want to make sure the beginning is just as amazing as the end.
After a filling Thanksgiving meal, nothing is better than mustering up the strength to find room in your stomach for pie.
When I was growing up, my grandpa (we call him “Poppy”) always made the apple pie. Among his friends, he was known as the go-to person for pie.
Once I adapted my own Thanksgiving menu and traditions, I took his apple pie and put a twist on it. My go-to pie for Thanksgiving is now a caramel pecan apple pie.
This recipe calls for caramel ice cream topping, and I believe, since you will already be cooking and baking so much food on Thanksgiving, it’s okay to not make caramel sauce from scratch.
You also can use your personal favorite pie crust recipe for the bottom of this pie (I didn’t include mine here because it’s a safely guarded family secret).
Take the time to enjoy your family and friends this holiday season, and enjoy this recipe, which I hope will be an amazing end to your meal. Happy Thanksgiving!
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 7 cups tart apples, peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup pecans
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tbsp. sugar
- 4 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping, room temperature
- 1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Streusel Topping
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 6 tbsp. cold butter
- 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping, room temperature
Directions
In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and vanilla.
Combine pecans, sugars, cinnamon and cornstarch; add to apple mixture and toss to coat.
Pour caramel topping over bottom of pastry shell; top with apple mixture (shell will be full). Drizzle with butter.
In a small bowl, combine flour, pecans and sugar.
Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle over filling.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is browned.
Immediately drizzle with caramel topping.
Cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy!