Caramel Bottom Apple Pie

September 25, 2025

I love my cast iron skillets. They are versatile, hearty and nothing else maintains even heat quite like they can. Last month, I baked my favorite cheesecake recipe in one and it turned out beautifully, so this month we are doing an apple pie…

Now this may look like your basic apple pie, but it is actually quite special. It is baked over a caramel base that makes the bottom pie crust taste just like candy, plus every slice comes out with a fabulous caramel sauce that you didn’t even know you were missing from your apple pie situation.

So, grab your favorite cast iron skillet and let’s get started…

Begin by peeling and thick slicing 4 pounds of granny smith apples. This should give you roughly 3 pounds of apple slices.

Add them into a large skillet along with 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of apple cider or lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon of cloves.

Mix until everything is evenly distributed and all of the apples are coated and then cook over medium heat until the apples are just getting tender, but are still firm. This should take about 7 minutes. You do not want to apples getting soft or they will break down too much as they bake. You are just starting the cooking process and working any extra liquid out of the apples, so you filling is thick and saucy, not loose and liquidy.

Set the apple pie filling off to the side to cool and let’s start the caramel base.

Place the skillet you plan to bake the pie in over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of brown sugar into it. As soon as the butter melts, cook while stirring for a few minutes or until the brown sugar dissolves and the caramel looks smooth and fully combined.

Let the caramel cool for a few minutes while you roll out your pie dough about 2 inches wider than your skillet.

Note: Occasionally, as the caramel cools, you may see some of the butter separate and sit on top. This is perfectly fine! If you are tempted to blot it away with a paper towel… don’t do it! The butter will reintegrate as the pie bakes and give the bottom crust a magical flavor and texture.

Place the bottom sheet of pie dough over the cooled caramel and gently press any air bubbles out from underneath.

Add the pie filling and be sure to work the filling up against the outer edges and evenly distribute it throughout.

When it comes to the top layer of pie dough, you have a few options.

- You can add a solid sheet of dough over the top, crimp the top and bottom layers together to create a seal and use a sharp knife to create 3 tiny slits in the center to allow steam to escape as the pie bakes
- You can slice your top layer of pie dough into a whole bunch of even strips and do a classic lattice pattern like I showed in my classic apple pie recipe here
- Or you can cut strips of varying widths and create as intricate of a lattice pattern as you can dream up!
- You can also use any leftover pie dough you have to bake up little decorative leaves to decorate your finished pie!

Brush your pie dough with an egg wash (an egg whisked with a teaspoon of milk or water) or heavy cream and bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour.

Note: Be sure to place a baking sheet on the rack below your pie to catch any filling that may bubble over during the baking process!

Let the pie cool for right around an hour before slicing into it.

You may be used to apple pies needing to set up for 3-4 hours before slicing, but this one is a little different.

First off, we cooked out filling first, so it should hold its shape better than a pie baked with fresh apples.

Second and more importantly, the caramel crust needs to set up just enough to stick with the slices when you pull them out of the skillet, but not so much that they glue the pie into place.

This apple pie is so fantastic. Cooking the filling ahead of time makes it both hold its shape when sliced and it helps the crust to maintain great texture, since we cooked out any unneeded moisture that could have made it soggy.

That caramel bottom is just like candy. Something happens when the bottom pie dough bakes over butter and brown sugar and I am not 100% positive about all the science behind those reactions, but I am all for taking credit for it when people freak out over how amazing it tastes.

If you have never baked a caramel bottom apple pie then you will have to add this one to your baking plans.

You’ll be so glad that you did…

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