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An apple cheddar pie in the pie dish with a green napkin.

This caramel apple pie starts with a cheddar crust and is filled with a spiced apple pie filling drizzled in caramel sauce.

This recipe was originally posted on Sept 27, 2015, and has been updated with new pictures and information.

This post was sponsored by Florida Dairy Farmers. As usual, my opinions are 100% mine. Thank you for supporting the occasional sponsored post that allows me to continue to create quality content! 

A side view of a caramel apple pie in a white pie dish.

Hey there, and welcome back, friends.

You are in for a treat!

A slice of apple pie being removed from a whole pie with a green napkin.

Since these salted caramel apple cupcakes, I upped my fall recipe game and made a pie. Actually, it’s thanks to a gazzilion apples from our apple picking trip last week if I am being honest and there’s no better way to use up pounds of apples than making an apple pie.

A slice of apple pie being placed on a white plate.

It’s not your good ole apple pie recipe (that’s a classic) but an apple pie with cheddar cheese in the crust and caramel in all its nooks and crannies.

A white pie dish with three slices of apple pie in it.

Like all my favorite pies, this caramel apple pie starts with a buttery and flaky crust. The exception here is that the crust is enhanced with sharp cheddar cheese adding a layer of flavor to the crust.

The inside of the apple pie showing all the layers of the apple slices and caramel.

This sharp cheddar resonates in every bite and pairs well with the spiced apple filling drizzled with a touch (or tons!) of caramel. Sweet, salty, and perfectly tender apple filling is what makes this pie special.

Caramel sauce being poured over a slice of apple pie on a white plate.

I know not everyone makes pies but if you make one apple dessert this season, it has to be this pie.

It’s worth every ounce of the trouble because the lovely combination of spiced apples and sharp cheddar with sweet and salty caramel is just remarkable. You have to try it!

A slice of apple pie with a fork taking a bite out of it.

Ingredients

Various white bowls with the ingredients for caramel apple pie with cheddar.
  • all-purpose flour
  • salt
  • cold unsalted butter
  • extra sharp cheddar
  • ice cold water
  • an egg
  • turbinado sugar for sprinkling
  • a few apples
  • granulated sugar
  • dark brown sugar
  • some spices like ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg
  • lemon juice
  • cornstarch
  • caramel sauce
A fork with a bite of apple pie on it on a white plate with the apple pie slice behind it.

How to Make Caramel Apple Pie

A food processor with flour, sugar, and salt.

Prepare some ice-cold water and keep it in the fridge. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt.

A food processor with flour, sugar, salt. and some butter.

Add in half of the butter and pulse for 30 seconds.

A food processor with flour, sugar, salt. cheddar cheese, and butter.

Add in the rest of the butter and cheese and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

Sprinkle about 6 tablespoons of cold water over the mixture and pulse until the dough comes together in clumps. If dry, add a little bit more water (1 teaspoon at a time).

Two discs of pie dough.

Remove the dough from the processor and form it into a disk. Divide dough into two disks; one slightly bigger than the other and wrap in plastic wrap.

Chill for at least an hour. The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature before rolling out.

Pie dough that has been rolled out into a circle with a wooden rolling pin.

Roll the pie dough out into a larger disk on a lightly floured surface to form a large 12-inch circle.

A pie plate with a unbaked pie crust.

Place the rolled-out pie dough into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish, crimping the edges into your desired style. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Preheat the oven.

A skillet with sliced apples and cinnamon and sugar sprinkled over them.

While the dough chills, prepare the filling. In a large dutch oven (or heavy-bottomed saucepan), combine the apples, sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and lemon juice.

A skillet with sliced apples in it.

Toss together and cook over medium heat until the apples are tender.

The apple pie filling in a glass bowl with cornstarch sprinkled over it and a black spatula.

Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Once cooled, mix in cornstarch and salt until well combined. Set aside as you prepare the dough.

Rolled out pie dough that has been cut into strips.

Roll out the other disk of dough similarly into a 12-inch circle.

Cut into strips to create a lattice top. The number of strips and size depend on the look you want.

Set the strips aside. (Alternatively, for a full-covered pie, do not cut into strips. Leave the 12-inch circle whole).

An unbaked pie with the raw apple pie filling.

Pile the apple filling into the crust; making sure it’s piled high in the center.

An unbaked pie with the raw apple pie filling and caramel sauce over it.

Drizzle the caramel sauce over the filling.

An unbaked apple pie with a lattice crust.

Create a lattice top by weaving the strips over the filling (or just cover with a round 12-inch circle if make a full-covered pie.). Crimp the edges to your desired look.

An unbaked apple pie with an egg wash and sugar sprinkled on it.

Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Place the pie dish onto a baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbling and the pie crust is golden.

Check the pie at 30 minutes to see if the edges are browning too quickly. If they are, cover loosely with foil and continue baking.

A baked apple pie with a lattice crust on a cooling rake.

Remove the pie once done and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving.

How to Store

Store this apple caramel pie at room in an airtight container for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze this pie for up to 3 months.

A slice of apple pie on a white plate.

More Fall Pie Recipes

An apple cheddar pie in the pie dish with a green napkin.

What do you think of this amazing caramel apple pie recipe? What would you serve with a slice of this pie? Let me know in the comment section below. 

If you share across social media, make sure to tag #aclassictwist, so I can see your beautiful creation come to life!

Happy baking, friends!

A slice of apple pie on a white plate.

Caramel Apple Pie Recipe

An apple cheddar pie in the pie dish with a green napkin.
Yield: 1 9-inch pie

Caramel Apple Pie

This caramel apple pie starts with a cheddar crust and is filled with a spiced apple pie filling drizzled in caramel sauce.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Additional Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

For Pie Crust

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 14 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • ½ cup grated extra sharp cheddar, cold
  • Ice cold water
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

For the Filling

  • 4 pounds apples, peeled cored and thinly sliced (I used a combination of Macintoshes, Galas and Cortlands)
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup caramel sauce

Instructions

To prepare crust

  1. Prepare ½ cup ice-cold water and keep it in the fridge. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt. Add in half of the butter and pulse for 30 seconds. Add in the rest of the butter and cheese and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Sprinkle about 6 tablespoons of cold water over the mixture and pulse until the dough comes together in clumps. If dry, add a little bit more water (1 teaspoon at a time). Remove dough from processor and form into a disk. Divide dough into two disks; one slightly bigger than the other and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour. The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before rolling out.
  2. Roll out a larger disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to a large 12-inch circle. Fit into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish, crimping the edges into your desired style. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For filling:

  1. While the dough chills, prepare the filling. In a large dutch oven (or heavy-bottomed saucepan), combine the apples, sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Toss together and cook over medium heat until apples are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Once cooled, mix in cornstarch and salt until well combined. Set aside as you prepare the dough.
  2. Roll out the other disk of dough similarly into a 12-inch circle. Cut into strips to create a lattice top. The number of strips and size depends on the look you want. Set strips aside. (Alternatively, for a full-covered pie, do not cut into strips. Leave the 12-inch circle whole).
  3. Pile the apple filling into the crust; making sure it’s piled high in the center. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the filling. Create a lattice top by weaving the strips over the filling (or just cover with a round 12-inch circle if make a full-covered pie.). Crimp the edges to your desired look.
  4. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Place the pie dish onto a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the pie crust is golden. Check the pie for 30 minutes to see if the edges are browning too quickly. If they are, cover loosely with foil and continue baking. Remove pie once done and let cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 827Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 724mgCarbohydrates: 121gFiber: 9gSugar: 67gProtein: 12g

Making this Recipe?

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© A Classic Twist
Cuisine: American / Category: Pies & Tarts

I partnered with the good folks over at Florida Dairy Farmers to promote the great benefits of dairy in our diets. They support the local dairy farmers of Florida and spread the goodness of milk and all the dairy products produced locally. For more information, check out their Dairy Facts page. For more dairy recipe ideas, be sure to follow Florida Dairy Farmers on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.