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Slice of apple pie on white plate with one piece gone.

Upside Down Apple Pie

Yield: 8 -12 servings
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 unbaked pie crusts (see note)

Caramel Pecan Layer:

  • ¼ cup (57 g) butter, melted (I use salted)
  • ½ cup (106 g) lightly packed light or dark brown sugar
  • ¼ to ½ cup (20-60 g) chopped pecans

Apple Filling:

  • 8 cups (790 g) peeled and thinly sliced tart apples, like Granny Smith (see note)
  • 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup (47 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Pinch salt

Glaze:

  • ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk or orange juice (see note)

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9- or 9.5-inch deep pie plate with parchment paper or heavy duty foil. Grease with cooking spray (important!).
  • In a small bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Spread evenly across the bottom of the lined pie plate. Sprinkle pecans across the top.
  • Roll out one pie crust and place it on top of the caramel nut mixture, pressing snug against the bottom and sides.
  • In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, flour, 2 tablespoons melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Toss until evenly and well combined.
  • Fill the pie crust with the apple mixture.
  • Roll out the second pie crust and place it over the apples. Trim both crusts to about 1/4- to 1/2-inch all the way around. Fold up the bottom crust over the top crust and press to seal. Flute the edges.
  • Cut four slits on top of the pie.
  • Place the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the apples are tender and crust is lightly golden (cover edges of the pie near the end of baking time to prevent over browning, if needed).
  • Cool the pie for 10-15 minutes before carefully inverting onto a serving platter or into another pie plate. Remove the parchment or foil.
  • Whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the pie. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Pie Crust Recipe: I alternate between this flaky pie crust and this sour cream pie crust. Both are fantastic recipes and can be used in this recipe (or use your favorite homemade recipe or store bought pie crusts). 
Apples: I've made this pie several different times with different varieties of apples and it is by far the best when made with a tart apple like Granny Smith. 
Orange Juice: orange juice gives a tart freshness to the glaze if you want to use that instead of milk (milk lends a creamier flavor and texture).