Caramel Apple Pie

So....my dad has an apple tree in his yard that has so many fruit that the poor branches are breaking off! I gladly helped myself to a bag of apples thinking I would make a pie. Well, I probably picked about a bushel of apples and it really only takes 5 or 6 to make a pie. SO, being the over-achiever I am, I thought I would scout out some Caramel Apple Pie recipes and see which one was best. I tried three recipes, had my parents and the hubs' parents over and we took a vote. The count was pretty even but one recipe had a slight lead so here you go...we think this is the BEST Caramel Apple Pie!

Caramel Apple Pie

1 recipe pastry for a 9" double crust DEEP DISH pie

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

5 cups thinly sliced apples

2/3 c. white sugar

3 T. all-purpose flour

2 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. lemon juice

20 caramels, halved

(they actually make little caramel pieces, that's what I used)

2 T. milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2. To make taffy: in a small bowl combine brown sugar, melted butter, and 1/3 c. flour. Mix well and set aside.

3. To make apple filling: Place apples in a large bowl. Add white sugar, 3 T. flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Toss until all ingredients are mixed well and apples are thoroughly coated.

4. Spoon half of apple filling into pastry-lined deep-dish pan. Top with half of caramels and half of taffy mixture. Repeat process with remaining apple filling, caramels, and taffy mixture. Place top pastry over fillings and seal well (this is very important-if edges aren't sealed, caramel will leak out all over). Cut steam vents and brush top crust with milk or light cream (I actually prefer a beaten egg white).

5. Cover pie with foil and place on baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking 25 additional minutes. Serve warm with some yumm-o vanilla bean ice cream! :)

And, you wanna hear something sad after all of this? Most husbands would thank their wife for making such a lovely dessert, right? Mine says, "Honey, you have to quit cooking like this. We're over 30 now and we need to be careful about what we eat?" WHAT?!?!? Ugh.....