Instructions

1. Prepare your homemade pie crust, if making.
2. For butterscotch sauce: Melt the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan (not non-stick) over medium heat.
3. Add the brown sugar, salt and heavy cream and stir the mixture with a rubber spatula until it’s well blended. Bring the mixture to a boil, scraping down the sides occasionally, and boil it for 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer the butterscotch sauce to a container to cool.
5. Make the apple filling: In a large bowl, stir the apple slices, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon, allspice/cloves, and nutmeg together until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
6. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
7. Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish that’s 1.5 to 2 inches deep. Tuck the dough in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth.
8. Spoon the apple filling into the crust. It will seem like a lot of apples; that’s ok. Pile them high, and tightly together. Drizzle evenly with 1/2 cup of the butterscotch sauce. It’s ok if the butterscotch sauce is still a little warm. (If homemade sauce has solidified, warm it on the stove or in the microwave until it’s pourable.)
9. Finish assembling: Combine all the ingredients for the Dutch Crumb, and mix until there are no dry bits, but it’s crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the pie.
10. Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Then, keeping the pie in the oven, reduce the oven temperature down to 375°F. Place a pie crust shield or foil on the edges to prevent them from over-browning. Continue baking the pie until the caramel apple filling is bubbling around the edges, 35–40 more minutes. This sounds like a long time, but under-baking the pie means an unfinished filling with firm apples with paste-like flour. Tip: If needed towards the end of bake time, remove the pie crust shield and tent an entire piece of foil on top of the pie if the top looks like it’s getting too brown.
11. Remove pie from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and cool for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving. Filling will be too juicy if the pie is warm when you slice it. Drizzle the entire pie or each slice with remaining butterscotch.
12. Cover and store leftover pie at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.