We combine several different recipes and brainstormed some ideas at our house recently and came up with this pie.
Peeled, cored and sliced 6 cups of apples. We used a combination of soft sweet apples and firm tart apples. Sprinkle cinnamon on the apples, then fill a 4 quart casserole dish and cover with lid or foil. Cook in oven at 400 until apples are the consistency of chunky apple sauce.
Next create carmel sauce....In a small saucepan combine 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup milk, 2 Tbs flour. Heat slowly, stirring frequently. When it gets close to boiling, stir constantly. Boil for one minute stirring constantly, stir in 2 Tbs vanilla and remove from heat.
Combine cooked down apples and carmel sauce, set aside.
Prepare a 10 inch pie crust. 2 cups flour, 1 Tbs sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2/3 cups shortening. Cut shortening in until completely absorbed, then add 6 to 10 Tbs ice water until it forms into a manageable dough. Dough should be fairly dry, do not add any more water than absolutely necessary to create a workable dough. Roll dough out and place in glass pie plate.
Preheat oven to 350. Pour apple and carmel mixture into pie shell. Peel, core and slice 2 additional cups of firm tart apples (like Granny Smith). Press apples down into the carmel apple mixture, then cover the carmel apple mixture with a layer of apples.
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup flour, 2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp salt. Mix together very well. Add 1 1/2 sticks of softened butter. Cut in with pastry cutter until a stiff paste or fine crumbs form. Cover top of pie evenly with crumb mixture.
Cook with a cookie sheet underneath at 350 until bottom crust of pie is golden.
