Ingredients for Caramel Dip

Sugar

Sugar is the main ingredients in caramel syrup. I have no experience substituting any other ingredients. I do not thing honey or maple syrup will work the same at all but monk fruit sweetener might work the same.

Water

In order for the sugar to not burn we add a little bit of water for the sugar to melt in. As the sugar caramelizes the water will evaporate and you will just be left with yummy hot caramelized sugar.

Butter

The fat from the butter is what is going to help keep our caramelized sugar from becoming hard like candy.

Cream

The cream will also help the caramelized sugar from recrystallizing and keep it a smooth syrup. Too much cream will cause the caramel to be too runny not suitable to dip in. Not enough cream and cause the caramel to recrystallize and crunchy rather than smooth.

Salt

If you like salted caramel feel free add more salt. A little salt is good, more salt is sometimes just a bit better! Add your salt to taste and make it your own.

Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah.

Vanilla

I like to use vanilla powder rather than extract. You can find the vanilla powder on amazon. This powder is a 1:1 ratio for vanilla extract so you don’t have to do any extra math when substituting. I like the flavor a lot and its been a great addition to my pantry.

How To Make Caramel Syrup Dip

Caramelize Sugar and Water

In a heavy small pot or heavy bottom sauce pan mix together the water and sugar on medium heat. Let the mixture bubble and not get to hot to a rolling boil. Do not stir and just let it bubble and caramelize for about 10 minutes. The sugar should darken into a light amber caramel color and will have a liquid consistency that will thicken when it cools.

Add Butter and Cream

Turn the heat on low and add the butter first. Mix until thoroughly melted then add the cream. Bring back to that bubbly/but not a boil state to ensure its mixed completely.

Add Salt and Vanilla

Take off the heat and add the salt and vanilla. Stir or whisk them in and let cool. Pour into a glass jar and let it thicken while cooling down completely.

Storing Your Caramel

Store your caramel in a air tight container in the refrigerator until the expiration date of the cream that you used. You can also freeze to keep good for a little longer.

You can store to save for later OR you can make a fun dessert date with your kids with fun topping like sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, coconut, or walnuts for you apple slices and caramel!

Caramel Syrup Dip

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 11 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. In a heavy bottom sauce pan caramelize the sugar and water over medium heat. Let the sugar and water bubble but not full on boil for about 10 minutes. Don’t stir but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Once the sugar is a nice amber color and thickening up like honey turn the heat on low.
2. Immediately add the butter and whisk in.
3. Once the butter is all melted, mixed the heavy cream in slowly while continuing to whisk. Turn the heat off.
4. Whisk in the salt and vanilla.
5. Let cool then store in a glass jar. It will thicken as it cools.

Enjoy Your Caramel More Recipes!

The post How To Make Caramel Syrup Dip appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients For Pecan Pie

Pecans

You can use pecan pieces or pecan halves for this recipe. I use the pieces. The pieces make it easier to chew in my opinion. If you do use pecan halves I suggest dividing the the pecan and chopping half of them while keeping the rest to make a pretty design on the top of the pie.

Can you substitute pecans with other nuts?
Yes you can! I had a friend who was allergic to pecans and so she always made a walnut pie for the holidays. I’ve seen recipes for walnuts pie, sliced almonds pies, and even macadamia nut pies all with the same ingredients as pecan pie recipes.

Brown Sugar

You can use brown sugar or white sugar for your pie but I like the molasses flavor from the brown sugar. I think the brown sugar and pecans pairs so beautifully together, along with the honey of course.

Butter

Butter is important to both the texture and the flavor. One day I would like to try this recipe out with coconut oil. I think the texture would stay the same and the slightly nutty flavor form the coconut oil would fit right in with the other flavors. I have yet to try coconut oil as a substitute so if you try it let me know how it turns out in the comments.

Honey

I use honey instead of corn syrup for my pecan pie. I love the flavor of honey and it just so happens to be way healthier than corn syrup. I’ve seen recipes also use maple syrup, but I have yet to try it. I do think it would be wonderful.

Eggs

The eggs help keep the sugar and honey from caramelizing too much and making the nuts candy hard and un-chewable. They also help hold together the pie so that it not a crumbly mess.

Vanilla & Salt

Vanilla and salt for flavor! You don’t need much to enrich the flavor of the this pecan pie and you could add more of either on to make a bold statement. Maybe adding a little extra salt for a salted caramel pecan pie, or adding more vanilla for a sweeter undertone.

Flour OR Cornstarch

Just a tablespoon or so of some flour or cornstarch keeps the filling from becoming runny. Just a little goes a long way, we don’t want a cake like texture. I go back and forth all the time with using flour and cornstarch. They both do the job, as to which one you use is purely preference.

How To Make Honey Pecan Pie

Step One: Make Pie Crust

Make your pie crust! I usually make my crust a day or even a week before I’m making my pie. I keep the crust in the back of the fridge till I’m ready to make my pie.

Step Two: Melt Butter, Sugar and Honey

In a sauce pan heat up butter, honey and brown sugar until the sugar is melted and it starts to bubble. You don’t need to boil and caramelize you filling yet, this step is just so the these three ingredients are completely combined. Take off heat and let cool down.

Step Three: Prepare Pie Crust

While the hot filling is cooling is when I roll out my pie crust and mold it into the pan. Place your prepared pie pan in the refrigerator while you mix the other ingredients together. We want our pie crust to stay cold.

Step Four: Mix All Ingredients Together

Once the butter, sugar and honey mixture has cooled down add the eggs, flour, vanilla and salt and mix thoroughly. Add the pecans. Pour the filling mixture into your prepared pie pan and bake!

Step Five: Bake

Bake the pie at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. We want the crust to get hot quickly at a high temperature so that the butter can do its work in making a flaky crust. After the first 10 minutes reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. At this time also place foil or a pie shield over the edge of the crust so that it doesn’t burn.

Step Six: Let Cool

Before you can enjoy your pie let it cool down for 4 hours before serving. During this time the filling is going to cool and settle. If you serve to early you will have a runny pie. Serve with some caramel syrup, whipped cream, eggnog or vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Quick Tip! How to Make a Foil Crust Shield

Honey Pecan Pie

Yield: 1, 9 inch Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 55 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch
• 1 1/2 pecans

Instructions

1. Make Pie Crust. Classic Pie Crust - Gingerbread Pie Crust
2. Melt Butter, Sugar and Honey. In a sauce pan heat up butter, honey and brown sugar until the sugar is melted and it starts to bubble. You don't need to boil and caramelize you filling yet, this step is just so the these three ingredients are completely combined. Take off heat and let cool down.
3. Prepare Pie Crust. While the hot filling is cooling is when I roll out my pie crust and mold it into the pan. Place your prepared pie pan in the refrigerator while you mix the other ingredients together. We want our pie crust to stay cold.
4. Mix All Ingredients Together. Once the butter, sugar and honey mixture has cooled down add the eggs, flour, vanilla and salt and mix thoroughly. Add the pecans. Pour the filling mixture into your prepared pie pan and bake!
5. Bake. Bake the pie at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. We want the crust to get hot quickly at a high temperature so that the butter can do its work in making a flaky crust. After the first 10 minutes reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. At this time also place foil or a pie shield over the edge of the crust so that it doesn't burn.
6. Let Cool.Before you can enjoy your pie let it cool down for 4 hours before serving. During this time the filling is going to cool and settle. If you serve to early you will have a runny pie. Serve with some caramel syrup, whipped cream, eggnog or vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

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The post Honey Pecan Pie Made To Perfection! (no corn syrup) appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Tips For Easy Pie Making

Buy An Apple Peeler

For the last couple years I have been making apple pie by peeling my apples by hand. I have enjoyed the slow peeling process and romanticized it a little so it never felt like a chore but a treat. This week I decided splurge and buy a $20 apple peeler, slicer and corer. Oh my word I was done so fast I didn’t know what to do with myself!

If you want to save time and energy this holiday season, especially if you make everything from scratch for Thanksgiving and Christmas I highly recommend buying a peeler. Its well worth it. Here’s the one I ordered.

Apple Peeler Corer, Long lasting Chrome Cast Magnesium Alloy Apple Peeler Slicer Corer with Stainless Steel Blades and Powerful Suction Base for Apples and Potato(White)

Make Your Crust The Day Before

The day before I want to make my pies I also make the crust. The crust turn our flakier and tender if the sit in the refrigerator for a least an hour before baking. You want the butter to stay as cold as possible when making your crust and storing it in the refrigerator for a day or 2 before baking with it helps tremendously. You can keep your crust in the refrigerator for up to 10 days if needed or you can freeze for 6 months.

Cook Your Filling Ahead of Time

My trick for not burning my crust while getting perfectly soft apples with thick syrup filling every time is to cook my apple pie filling ahead of time. This allows my to take the pie out of the oven as soon as the crust is done without having to guess if my filling is done.

When you cook, make sure you cook to the exact texture you want your apples to be with your apple pie. The apples will not get softer when you bake it. Once cooked and cooled something happens to the apples and they don’t ‘cook’ any more after the first cook. So Don’t under cook your apples or they will be crunchy in your apple pie.

Ingredients for Apple Pie Filling

Apples

Granny Smith Apples are the favorite for apple pies. They are firm in texture and cook to a tender soft apple while still keeping its form. They are more sour than a Fuji or Gala apples which adds a extra layer of flavor to our sweet apple pie.

Sugar

This recipe calls for both brown sugar and white sugar. Sugar is our sweetener of choice but honey, maple syrup or Monk Fruit sweetener is also a great alternatives. If you use the honey or maple syrup just be sure to cook for a long time at a medium to low temperature when you cook your filling on the stove top. Honey and maple syrup burn easier. They also have more liquid in them than cane sugar so you also might want to add another tablespoon of flour or cornstarch.

Cinnamon, All-Spice, Nutmeg & Salt

Our spices include cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice. These spices add so much flavor and you can easily adjust the amounts and create a whole new flavor. If you favor one flavor over the other you can experiment by adding a extra 1/4 teaspoon to the spice you want to stand out. Reduce another spice you want to be more subtle then the others.

I also really like freshly ground nutmeg. This is optional but if you have never tried grating your own nutmeg from whole cloves you are missing out. I love the taste of nutmeg and fresh nutmeg does not disappoint.

Vanilla Powder/Extract

You can use vanilla powder or vanilla extract. The vanilla is optional but I like the subtle background flavor it gives to my apple pies.

Flour/Cornstarch

The flour or cornstarch is what thickens the syrup of our filling. The sugar also makes it syrupy but because there is so much juice from the apples the flour or cornstarch thickens it up perfectly.

You can use either flour or cornstarch. I typically use flour because its quick and usually our already but If I’m making a gluten free apple pie I use cornstarch. Some people think the flour gives it a funny taste so they prefer the cornstarch but I have found that with apple pie I never taste the flour taste that you get in other pies like Raspberry Pie.

Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest

The lemon flavor is not strong but adds a balances the sweet and tangy flavors with the granny smith apples and the sweet sugar along with the warm spices.

How To Make Apple Pie

Step 1: Make a Crust

Like I mentioned before, I always makes my crust the day or two before. You can make the crust the same day but be sure to let it refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

I personally really like the gingerbread pie crust recipe with the apple pie but a classic pie crust works great too. I also have a gluten free pie crust recipe.

Step 2: Peel Apples

Peel, core and slice about 5lbs or 8 large apples for your apple pie. Again, I highly recommend getting an apple peeler to save so much time!

Step 3: Mix Pie Filling Ingredients

In a large pot combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice and zest, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, salt and vanilla powder all together.

Step 4: Cook Filling on Stove Top

Cook the filling in a large pot covered with a lid for 30-60 minutes. Cooking the apples before baking insures an even bake between the apples and the crust. Get perfectly soft apples with thick syrup filling every time is to cook my apple pie filling ahead of time. This allows my to take the pie out of the oven as soon as the crust is done without having to guess if my filling is done. Do Not Under Cook The Apples.

Step 5: Let the Apples Cool

Cool the apples completely before adding them to your pie crust. If you’ve read my 5 tips on a perfect crust you will understand why. The butter in the crust needs to stay cool until its in the oven. You don’t want it to melt until its time for it to create the flaky air bubbles in the crust. So do not put warm apple pie filling in the crust or you might melt the butter too soon and the butter will absorb the flour and you will get a dense crust.

I have often made the filling the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight before baking on Thanksgiving day.

Step 6: Bake Pie

Now its time to bake your apple pie. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325. We want the crust to get hot so that the butter can melt quickly and the steam can do its job in making a flaky crust, then we reduce the temperature so that we don’t burn the tops of the crust.

Step 7: Let Pie Cool and Enjoy

One the pie crust is completely cook your pie is done! Let cool on counter or refrigerator for at least 4 hours before cutting into. Enjoy with some ice cream, eggnog, whipped cream or caramel syrup!

Apple Pie Filling

Yield: 1, 9 inch pie

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• 5 lbs (8 Large) Granny Smith Apples
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour or cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon all-spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Make pie crust dough (Gingerbread Crust, Classic Pie Crust) and refrigerate.
2. Peel, core and slice 8 large apples.
3. In a large pot mix together all filling ingredients, apples, lemon juice, lemon zest, brown sugar, white sugar, flour, salt, vanilla powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice.
4. On the stove, heat your apple filling mixture on medium high for about 40 minutes or until the apples are soft and syrup is thick.
5. Cool your filling down completely. I often will refrigerate it over night and assemble and bake the pie in the morning but 1 hour is typically enough time.
6. Assemble pie crust and pour the pie filling in. Add the top crust and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Shop This Recipe

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Monk Fruit In The Raw Sweetener Baker’s Bag, 16 oz., Keto Certified Monk Fruit Sweetener, Zero Calories, Zero Net Carbs, Non-GMO Project Verified

The Spice Way Nutmeg Whole – (4 oz)

Cook’s, Pure Vanilla Powder, World’s Finest Gourmet Fresh Premium Vanilla, 4.5 oz

Antenda Adjustable Silicone Pie Crust Shields – Baking Protectors Cover Ring Fits 8-11.4 Inch Pies

The post Simple Classic Apple Pie Recipe appeared first on Embracing The Home.