How to Make Apple Caramel Pies and Parcels

Last year, I made a caramel apple cinnamon crumble [link here, if you can stand the terrible photos] with a golden sugar/cinnamon topping and it was yum.  Today, I bring you an pie-top version, perfect for the Autumn and our rainy, chilly evenings.  FYI - I might have been a bit snap-happy in this post.

What I Used:

Makes 2 pie tops and 4 apple parcels
Shortcrust pastry

2 Cooking apples

100ml double cream, 40g brown sugar, 40g butter

Utensils:

ramekins, cooking pan, baking tray

 Apple Pies

It will probably be no surprise to you that I cheated with the pastry and bought a Jus-Rol ready made shortcrust.  I would say its a time thing, but I think we all know it's a laziness thing.

I started with the caramel sauce.  With a ratio of 20g sugar/20g butter/50ml cream per apple, mix your ingredients on a low heat until a rich caramel sauce is made:

[I think I could happily have this as a drink]:

In the meantime, peel and chop your apples in to small, rough pieces
 [I used a ratio of 1/2 an apple per person]:

...then add to the caramel sauce:

Coat and simmer on the hob until the apples soften:

These are quite rich, so I made small one-portion pies in ramekins.  Roll out your shortcrust pastry to around 0.5cm in thickness:

Cut a top [use the ramekin as your cutter] :

Transfer your apple caramel mixture in to each ramekin:

I'd recommend filling around 2/3 full - the caramel sauce will bubble in the oven and might 

spill over whilst the pastry top cooks - not filling to the top will minimise the sauce that you 

lose during baking [lesson learnt]:

Cover with the top and crimp in to place, trimming away the excess:

...add a little topper if you feel fancy:

Pop in to a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees C for around 15-20 minutes [depending on your oven]:

...until golden brown.  Leave to cool and enjoy on it's own, or with a little cream or ice-cream.
Or a lot of cream:

I made small, ramekin pies, but this recipe works just as well as one large pie if you are lucky
 enough to have a lovely pie dish.

Apple Parcels

I also made some little apple pockets with the leftovers.  Cutting a large round with a cookie cutter in the pastry, I added a small teaspoon of the apple mixture to one half, folded the pastry over and then sealed in place with a fork, before cutting with a scallop cutter to look pretty rather than like a pasty.

And to another, I cut two circles, sandwiched the filling and crimped the edges to enclose:

To the others, I went for classic pop tart shapes - much easier, less fiddly and less bite size!

Pop in the oven for 20 minutes and voila:

These, like the pies, are hot - so allow to cool for a little while.
I drizzled some icing on top: cinnamon [which is my new favourite flavour icing - brace yourselves
for more recipes incorporating it] on one, caramel on the other.  Yum.

see you next time x