Salted Caramel Apple Pie (or Bars)

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Grain-free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free, EASILY Nut-Free

Ingredients:

Pie Crust (For NUT-FREE pie crust see **NOTE** at bottom of recipe):

• 2 Cups Almond Meal
• 7 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted, OR Butter, Melted, OR Earth Balance Vegan Butter, Melted
• 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup, preferably Grade B
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 21/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Salted Caramel Sauce:

• 1/2 Cup Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
• 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup, Grade B if possible
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Filling:

• 4 Apples, such as Fuji (or for tarter pie, Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. For Crust: Combine all of the ingredients in bowl. With fingertips, press the dough into an 9 inch glass pie plate or tart pan. Dough should be  a bit sticky. Try and bring crust up sides gently. Bake the crust at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Allow to cool before adding the filling.

2. For Caramel Sauce: While crust is baking, stir together coconut milk, coconut oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Whisk continuously and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Watch carefully – do not allow to burn! Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

3. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

4. For Filling: While caramel is cooling, toss apple slices with the juice from the lemons. In medium bowl, mix together Sugar, Cinnamon, and Sea Salt. Drain apples on paper towel, then add to sugar/cinnamon mixture. Add vanilla and toss all together.

5. Assembly: Once crust and caramel has cooled, drizzle 3 – 4 Tbsp of the cooled salted caramel sauce over the base of the crust. Then layer your apple filling evenly over the drizzle of caramel sauce. Lightly drizzle another 3 – 4 Tbsp of the salted Caramel Sauce over the top of the apples and bake in oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, lightly place a piece of foil over the top of the pie, making sure the edges of the crust are under foil as well, and bake for 15 minutes more.

6.  Drizzle any remaining caramel sauce over top of pie once it comes out of oven. Serve and enjoy!

**NOTE**: To make a Nut-Free Crust, combine 2 cups crushed nut-free, gluten-free cookie crumbs of choice, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 6 Tbsp Coconut Oil or Melted Butter. Mix and proceed as you would for Crust preparation in step 1 of Directions.