Most of us like desserts, but which to choose? If you only have time to make one, which gets chosen? Bars or pie? What if you could have both in one cast iron skillet dessert that will leave you patting yourself on the back for a clever choice?
This pie brings you the best of apple pie with a hefty dose of blondies - the non-cocoa cousin of brownies - in every bite. If you have a good seasoned cast iron skillet, you can make what might be my favorite skillet recipe of all time! If you don't have honey crisp apples, you can opt for any good baking apple such as granny smith or jonagold. You can also omit the bourbon, but I wouldn't. It gives the dessert extra depth and none of the alcohol remains after the long bake in the oven.
Serve slices of this pie cut thin with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream and maybe a drizzle of caramel sauce. Or skip all the extras and just enjoy it as is!
Caramel Apple Blondie Pie
- 6 large crisp apples (about 3 lb. - I used honey crisp)
- 2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar, divided
- 1 c. butter, divided
- 1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 T. bourbon
- ¾ c. coarsely chopped pecans, lightly toasted
- ½ (14.1-oz.) package refrigerated pie crusts
Peel the apples and slice them into ¼" thick wedges. Toss with ½ cup brown sugar in a large bowl. Melt ¼ cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the apple mixture and sauté 15 minutes or until the apples are tender and the liquid is thickened (you can add a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with a tablespoon of water to the mixture if it does not thicken on its own). Remove the pan from the heat; cool completely (about 30 minutes).
While the apple mixture is cooling, preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the remaining ¾ cup butter. Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs, bourbon, ¾ cup melted butter, and remaining 1 ½ cups brown sugar, stirring until blended. Stir in the pecans.
Fit the pie crust into the bottom of a 10" cast-iron skillet, gently pressing the crust all the way up the sides of skillet. Spoon two-thirds of the cooled apple mixture over bottom of the piecrust, spreading and gently pressing the apple slices into an even layer using the back of a spoon. Spoon the batter over the apple mixture; top with the remaining apple mixture.
Place the pie on the lower oven rack and bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Remove the pan from the oven; cool the pie completely on a wire rack.
- Yields: 10-12 servings
- Preparation Time: About 2 hours