I know a lot of people closely guard their favorite recipes. Some won’t even write them down for fear of sneaky pilferers. I have a cousin who makes a great banana pudding and said she’d tell me how if I promised never to bring it to a family function, because it was her thing. (I promise, Jenny, I’ve never served it to anyone you know, and I gave you full credit when I did make it.)
When I decided to share my apple pie recipe, I admit, I felt a little naked. This pie is, along with my praline-filled carrot cake, my thing. But I’d love for you to take it and maybe make it your thing if you’d like. This is me, learning to share.
But first!
You know when you take a stand on something and then later you go against what you said? Awwwwwkward.
Awhile back my friend Denae asked me to write a guest post for her about holiday traditions, but I ended up breaking tradition. Oops.
Follow me here and see how I screwed up.
Now on with the pie. Pronounced PAH with a Southern drawl. Get it right.
Last year, our sweet neighbor had a bumper crop of apples, and he would walk through the neighborhood once a week and drop off huge bags full of fruit.
I had apples in bowls, apples on countertops, apples taking up every drawer in the fridge.
And my husband hates fruit.
Except.
Except if it’s baked in a pie.
Now, believe it or not, I had never made a fruit pie before. I spent an afternoon hanging out on AllRecipes.com reading reviews of different recipes. It was overwhelming.
People are fanatical about their pie, especially apple pie. Nobody makes pie better than mom/grandma/Aunt Sue and don’t you even try to pretend like you can serve storebought crust and call yourself an American.
I was so stressed out that I turned to the bottle.
And then I had an idea.
Instead of soaking the apples in lemon juice, like one recipe suggested, what if I marinated them in Maker’s Mark, then seasoned them, then made a caramel-ish sauce and drizzled it over everything?
And what if I went ahead and bought premade crust at the store, but made up for it by cutting a latticework top?
So I made one. It lasted a day thanks to some visitors with hefty appetites. (Really, my husband ate the whole thing, but he made me write that.)
The next day, my neighbor showed up again with two bags of apples. Peeling and coring all that by hand did not sound like fun, so I went and picked up one of these brilliant things, and spent an entire weekend baking pies.
I sent one to the apple man, one across the street, one next door. Pie for everyone!
I was really looking forward to a repeat performance this year, but my neighbor’s trees did not yield a single apple. Not one. We were very sad.
Fortunately, there’s no shortage of them at the market and even though they’re not free and they don’t taste nearly as good, they’ll still make a pie. Or four.
Mamamash’s Caramel Apple Pie
1 premade pie crust in a pan (freezer section)
1 premade pie crust, rolled (refrigerated section)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
8 tart apples – peeled, cored and sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons Maker’s Mark plus 1 shot
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 can 7UP
In a tall glass, mix a shot of Maker’s Mark with a can of 7Up over ice. Put your feet up and sip while your husband/kid/friend who owes you a favor peels, cores and slices the apples.
Place apples in a bowl with cinnamon, nutmeg, whiskey and juice.
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes.
Fill your bottom crust with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a latticework crust.
Learn how to do that here.
Gently, slowly, ever-so-carefully pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust.
Cover the edges with foil or pie crust savers and bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.
Mamamash 
I have never had Maker’s Mark or caramel apple pie. Cheers to awesome new food and the best of holiday traditions!
It’s certainly not anything healthy. 🙂 But a nice treat for the holidays. Hope yours are happy!
Oh my word. YUM. This is why I both anticipate and dread Mondays (or Sunday nights)…because I know I’ll see (and practically be able to taste) another recipe of yours.
We’ll have to have you guys over for dinner when it warms back up!
Oh no…I think I’m going to faint.
You drank too much of the bourbon, didn’t you?
Oh Sweet Jesus on a snowmobile! That looks INCREDIBLE. When is someone going to invent Smellivision?
With all the poop/puke posts I’ve written, I’m kind of glad it doesn’t exist. 😉
ooh, yummy! I’m gonna have to try this… would it be okay if substitute coca cola or dr. p for the 7 up? Of course I should at least try it with 7 up once, right?
Hah, the mixer of choice is entirely up to you!
I’m fascinated by the not sharing recipes thing. I’ve never thought one thing about it. Is it because people might take them, claim them as their own and then enter contests? I love spreading recipe love around and want to thank YOU for sharing this one – as I love, love, love apple pie!
You’re welcome! I hope you get to try it!
That looks delicious, I love apple pie!
It’s definitely a special treat!
Please send me a pie.
All the way over there? Haha. I’ll need to get a job to pay for postage.
Hubs makes a pretty darn tasty apple pie….but, I do think I’ll have to introduce him to this! :>
How cool to have a husband who bakes!
How was it that the tree didn’t produce any apples this year??? That just seems odd.
I do love apple pie though and the husband likes whiskey! This one could be a win win situation.
I know! It was so weird.
Wow, I am so impressed! I have a secret appetizer bread recipe that I rarely share. It’s the only way I get invited to parties.
I would totally invite you to any party sheerly on the merits of your winning commentary. 🙂
You had me at caramel…I think that’s how I got here in the first place..yummm
Caramel FTW!
Oh heavens.
It sounds amazing.
Thanks for sharing it. I have a close friend who would always stall when I asked her for her Brunswick Stew recipe. Apparently it was a family secret. I never got it. But piddled until I make my own version that I think is just as good.Screw her.
Just kidding – I still love her:)
Haha, friends who don’t share recipes are mean!
That looks amazing! I love apple pie, but have never had it like this. Can I be your neighbor so you can send one to me?
You’d be fun neighbor! I could hang out and watch you and Kurt shoot videos. Wait, that sounded weird…
You’re quite the little chef… aren’t you?! Can I substitute the Maker’s Mark with wine? That pie looks delish! 🙂
I’m not so little. 🙂 I don’t know if wine would make for a good apple pie. Strawberry maybe!
–Mama Mash,
** this pie is a dream…my ass looooves it :))
Thank you, dear.
Your ass is welcome. 🙂
I’m not usually a fan of apple pie but I could eat this. Yum.
You know what would be awesome? If you could make this into a cocktail instead.
I love your concoction! My husband who has a food blog – which he hasn’t posted on in a few months – struggled with the sharing of recipes too. Now he says it doesn’t matter – someone will tweak his recipe and call it their own.
I think that’s how life works. Everything has already been done to a certain point, so we just adjust this and that and call it new!
Oh my… that sounds wonderful! I understand what you mean about sharing a recipe that is “your thing”. I just posted the recipe for my pumpkin roll – it’s been a tradition for every Thanksgiving and Christmas for at least a couple of decades.
My grandmother makes a pumpkin roll too! Does it have a cream cheese mixture in the middle? It’s my favorite.
How did you know I was looking for a good apple pie recipe? I need that apple peeler thing though. The last two times I almost died of hand peeling apples with a parring knife. Now to just find some whiskey for some reason I dont think wine would make a good substitute.
Seriously, hand peeling sucks. 🙂
Ah love me some apple pah. Really, this looks delish. I love the first step of the recipe–this? I can do.
PAH! That’s right. That’s how you say it.
I’ve always wanted to make homemade apple pie…this looks delicious!
Thanks! I hope you make it and turns out great!
First, I love, love, LOVE the very first line of instructions for this recipe. I’ve never made pie before, but I’m pretty sure I could at least handle that first part.
Secondly… YUM! I’m not usually a big fan of apple pie, but this looks/sounds delicious! Pretty sure it’s the Maker’s Mark that won me over…
In January, I’m going to share the recipe for my “thing” – my grandmother’s homemade turkey vegetable soup. I thought long and hard about it but decided that it does, in fact, need to be shared with the world. I’m such a giver. Just like you.
Here’s to giving. And bourbon!
This sounds insanely good. I’m glad you included the drinking of Maker’s Mark in the recipe. I usually include booze-drinking in my recipes, but I’m not sure if anyone takes me seriously. Obviously, we are on the same wavelength.
*drool*
I think any holiday recipe should include a preheating and a preboozing.