Fall is here, so make this pie now.

Confession: I'm not an apple pie girl. I'm not a vanilla ice cream girl. I have been known to cry in the past when these were being served for dessert (true story, ask my mom). However, I make them for Luke frequently, and I have even eaten them. I even enjoy vanilla bean ice cream now. I know. Shocking. I think I'm now officially a mature grown up. ;-)

But THIS pie. I can honestly say it was amazing. I don't even like caramel on it's own. Together somehow though, the apples and the caramel are perfect together, and it's topped with a spiced streusel. I can't take credit for the recipe, although I did say last week when we were planning the menu, "What about caramel apple pie?" to Luke and he said "Yeah!" and then I did a search on epicurious.com. So there you have it. CLICK HERE to get the recipe for yourself.

A few more confessions/tips for this recipe. I did not make the pie crust. I've been making my own crust for a while but lately I haven't liked it at all. It's too tough, and making it by hand (i.e., no food processor) I think has something to do with it. So I bought a crust. And it was perfect. And easy. Also, I never ever have pumpkin pie spice. I think it's ridiculous, especially when you already have all the spices to make it on hand. I used a mix of cinnamon, ginger and ground cloves to make a total of the teaspoon it calls for. And lastly, do not be daunted by making the caramel. It took a total of 5 minutes for me. Take it off when it's amber, and BE CAREFUL when you add the water & butter. It definitely does bubble vigorously. When you add it to the apples it will instantly harden. Stir as best you can and try to distribute it but don't worry about it too much. It will soften to a caramel sauce when you bake it. Yum.