Praline Apple Pie

Ingredients

Pie

• 8 Granny Smith apples (cored, peeled and sliced)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 small lemon (juiced)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (or mace)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 deep dish unbaked pie crusts (homemade or store-bought)

Praline Topping

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream (or half and half)
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans (plus whole pecans for decorating)
  

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle one pie shell with 2 teaspoons sugar and bake for about 10 minutes or until shell is light golden brown.
3. Remove from oven and set aside.
4. In a large Dutch oven or pot, combine apple slices, butter, brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, mace or nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Over medium high heat, cook apples until soft but not mushy, about 10 minutes.
5. Pour apples into baked pie shell. Cover apples with second unbaked pie shell, crimping around the edges.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until top crust is golden brown. While pie is baking, make praline topping.
7. In a medium saucepan, heat butter. Stir in brown sugar and cream. Slowly bring to a boil then remove from heat. Stir in pecans. Spread over top of pie and brush edges of pie with caramel mixture.
8. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes or until topping bubbles and top is richly glazed.
9. Cool for at least one hour before serving.

Source: Cookbook - Our Favorite Desserts from Home Economics Teachers