I like to describe my love life as misadventures in dating. As the frequently single friend, I mostly undergo complete flops in my relationships, but at least I can bake well.
When thinking about my failed ways to try to win a guy, this pie really takes the cake — or pie.
Like any sophomore girl in college, I really liked this boy, but he didn’t necessarily like me back. So, one night we were hanging out with friends, and I accidentally ruined a pair of his socks.
Mind you they were just socks, but I felt so guilty about it (and I desperately liked him) that I promised I would bake him his absolute favorite dessert, which was apple pie.
I had never made apple pie in my life, but I knew it had to be the best apple pie in the world. To kick it up an notch, instead of just a common apple pie I created this caramel apple streusel pie. I mean, this pie needed to be so good this guy would fall in love with me, right?
The pie turned out super well, he liked it and we actually dated for a little while.
Now, I don’t use this recipe to get more Tinder matches (the banana bread is for that). It has definitely become my signature dessert.
Directions:
Start out by peeling all the apples. Then, slice the apples into fairly thin pieces. Do not use apple chunks.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the pie crust into the pan, curving the edges along the sides.
Pour the apple slices into the pie crust, leaving about a fourth of an inch on the top.
Get baked: Take a trip to a chocolate happy place with these mint chocolate cookies
Now it’s time to make the homemade caramel filling. Take a saucepan and melt the butter on medium heat. Once fully melted, add in the flour to form a slight paste.
Add water and both sugars and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the temperature to low. Let it simmer, and pour in cinnamon and vanilla.
Make sure to stir throughout so it doesn’t burn and ruin the pot. Pour the caramel over the apples, covering it fully.
Take a separate bowl and mix all of the streusel ingredients together. The softer the butter, the easier it is. When using the microwave, do not let the butter melt.
Take the streusel in little pieces, making it flat. Place each individual piece on top of the apples until it covers the whole entire pie.
Pop it into the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 F and continue baking for 30 minutes.
Keep it in the oven until the apples are soft. I usually watch for the streusel to become brown on top and the caramel to be bubbly.
The recipe:
