Puff pastry, fresh apples, plenty of spices, and homemade caramel sauce make up these puff pastry caramel apple pies.
It’s almost OFFICIALLY fall (I’m looking at you, September 22nd… 🍂), and I had such a craving for something caramel apple. I created a super fun Caramel Apple Dessert Board last fall, and this year I was jonesing for some pie. Now I did not just want any pie, mind you, I wanted a puff pastry pie. These puff pastry caramel apple pies are warm, soft, crispy, and packed with sweet apples and homemade caramel. They are sure to curb your cravings as they definitely did mine.
What you’ll need to make these puff pastry caramel apple pies:
1 box, 2 sheets of puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farms)
2 medium sized honey crisp apples
Dark brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Fresh lemon juice
Pure vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon
Ground nutmeg
Caramel Sauce (My 3-ingredient caramel sauce is the best and so easy!)
1 egg, for the egg wash
Course sugar for dusting, optional
Putting these Pies Together
Thanks to the pre-made puff pastry, these pies come together in about ten minutes and bake up in twenty. They come out crispy and golden on the outside, and the apples bake up soft and sweet on the inside. There’s caramel flavor baked right into these pies, but I had to dip them in caramel sauce as well. The combination of caramel and apple is so luscious and perfectly sweet + salty.
Start by rolling the puff pastry out gently on a lightly floured surface. You will want your pastry dough to be cold. I thawed my dough in the refrigerator overnight and it came out perfect. If the dough is too thawed, like room temperature, it will be sticky and hard to work with. Cut each sheet into six rectangles, for a total of 12 pastry sections. Whisk the egg in a small bowl, and brush the egg around the outer edge of each rectangle using a pastry brush.
Peel, core, and thinly slice both apples. In a medium sized bowl, place the apples and the lemon juice. Give the apples a good toss to ensure that the juice coats all of the slices. To the apples and lemon juice mixture, add the sugars, the spices, and the vanilla. Toss well to fully coat all of the apples.
Evenly distribute the apple slices between six of the pastry rectangles. Spoon about one tablespoon of caramel sauce over the apples on each pie. Place a top rectangle pastry over each pie and with a fork, gently press down on the edges all the way around, sealing each pie. With a knife, gently cut an X in the top of each pie to allow some air in. This will keep steam from building up inside the pies, which could create a soggy crust.
Gently brush egg wash all over the top of each pie, and add a dusting of coarse sugar on top of each if desired. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes, or until the pies are puffed and golden on the outside, and bubbly on the inside. These pies are light and crispy, with perfectly cooked caramel flavored apples inside! They are best served day of, but you can store any leftovers on the counter in an airtight container for up to three days. Simply warm the pie in the microwave for 15 seconds or so if you want it heated up. Drizzle some additional caramel on the top of each pie for some added decadence.
Dietary Substitutions
I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either used and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.
As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of gluten or dairy.
Jus-Rol Puff Pastry is a great vegan alternative to the regular puff pastry.
Schar makes a gluten free puff pastry that you could use in place of the regular puff pastry.
Enjoy this fall-inspired recipe one week prior to the start of actual fall! Happy Baking!
XO,
Heather
Puff Pastry Caramel Apple Pies
Ingredients
- 1 Box (2 Sheets) Puff Pastry
- 2 Medium Honeycrisp Apples (or use your favorite baking apple)
- ¼ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- ¼ Cup Graduated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- ⅓ Cup Caramel Sauce, more for dipping if desired
- 1 Egg Beaten, for egg wash
- Course Sugar for Dusting, optional
Instructions
- Start by rolling the puff pastry out gently on a lightly floured surface. You will want your pastry dough to be cold. I thawed my dough in the refrigerator overnight and it came out perfect. If the dough is too thawed, like to room temperature, it will be sticky and hard to work with. Cut each sheet into six rectangles, for a total of 12 pastry sections. Whisk egg in a small bowl, and using a pastry brush, brush egg around the outer edge of each rectangle.
- Peel, core, and thinly slice both apples. In a medium sized bowl, place the apples and lemon juice. Give it a good toss to ensure that the juice coats all of the apple slices. To this bowl, add the sugars, the slices, and the vanilla. Toss to fully coat all of the apples.
- Evenly distribute the apple slices between six of the pastry rectangles. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of caramel sauce over the apples, and then place a top rectangle pastry over each pie. With a fork, gently press down on the edges all the way around, sealing each pie. With a knife, gently cut an X in the top of each pie to allow some air in. This will keep steam from building up inside the pies, which could create a soggy crust.
- Gently brush egg wash all over the top of each pie, and add a dusting of coarse sugar on top of each if desired. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes, or until pies are puffed and golden on the outside, and bubbly on the inside. These pies are light and crispy, with perfectly cooked caramel apples inside! They are best served day of, but you can store any leftovers on the counter in an airtight container for up to three days. Simply warm in the microwave for 15 seconds or so if you want it heated up. Drizzle some additional caramel on the top of each pie for some added decadence.
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