Caramelized Maple Apple Pie with Candied Bacon Crumble

The holidays deserve a pie worthy of its occasion. This towering pie is piled high with apples that bathe in a deep maple caramel with a slight tang from cider vinegar. It's topped with a buttery crumble studded with crispy candied bacon. A pie that definitely earns its place at the table.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 30 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins
• Calories: 558 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ lemon, juiced
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 slices bacon
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 pastry for a 9-inch double-crust pie
• 10 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place bacon on a baking sheet and sprinkle 1 tablespoon brown sugar over the top.

Step 2

Bake in the preheated oven until crisp, 10 to 20 minutes.

Step 3

Line a 9-inch springform pan with pie crust pastry; refrigerate.

Step 4

Combine apples and lemon juice in a bowl and toss to coat.

Step 5

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat; add maple syrup and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until mixture is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Carefully add apples and stir well to coat. Cook until apples just start to soften and get a bit of color on them, about 5 minutes. Return the apples to the bowl leaving behind the sweet syrup.

Step 6

Stir vinegar into sweet syrup; simmer until syrup is reduced and consistency of maple syrup, about 5 minutes. Carefully pour syrup over the apples. Cool for 10 minutes.

Step 7

Combine flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor; pulse until crumbly. Break bacon into pieces, add to food processor, and pulse until combined with the crumble.

Step 8

Tip apples into the pie crust in the springform pan. Fold dough over part of the apple filling to form an edge. Crimp the edges between your fingers. Top the apple filling with the crumble. Brush crust with cream and top with white sugar.

Step 9

Bake pie in the preheated oven until the juices bubble and the crust is deeply golden, about 1 hour. If the crust starts to brown too quickly turn the oven down to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).