salted caramel pie

October 17, 2011

I love dinner parties because I get to hang out with awesome friends, and I get to make ridiculously indulgent desserts. Case and point.

First, this pie is so good that I physically licked my plate because I couldn’t bear to let a crumb go to waste but it is also pretty intense. Next time, I would only use half the caramel filling (and put the rest on ice cream, or in frosting for cupcakes (coming soon), or just by the spoonful). Second, heads up that this pie will not win any beauty pageants when sliced. It will definitely win taste pageants though. Finally, it must be served with freshly whipped cream.

Salted Caramel Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie

Adapted from Food & Wine

Two 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1 1/4 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
freshly whipped cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 350. In a bowl (or in the food processor that crushed your cookies) combine crumbs, sugar and butter. Press into a 9-inch pie pan and bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside, and increase the oven to 425.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a 9 x 13 roasting pan, sprinkle a 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cover tightly with foil. Place in a roasting pan and fill with enough hot water to reach one-third of the way up the baking dish. Bake for two hours, lifting the foil to stir two or three times. It will be lumpy, but will smooth out when it cools.

Pour about half the caramel into the crust and smooth out the top. Cover the pie with a sheet of plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Chill for a few hours.

After you have had five bottles of wine and your sweet tooth is kicking in – sprinkle with flaky salt and serve with freshly whipped cream.


 

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

margaret October 17, 2011 at 5:17 pm

I just made a pumpkin pie on Saturday and was thinking to myself, i wish there were pies similar to pumpkin pies. this looks amazing! thanks! i think this will be this saturday’s adventure!

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Dana October 17, 2011 at 6:15 pm

This pie was amazing! Thank you, Lillie!

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lucy October 17, 2011 at 7:08 pm

amazing! i want this now…and the wine.

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Sandra Mort November 1, 2011 at 10:09 am

If the caramel is too intensely sweet, you can fold it into whipped cream. If you layered the gingersnaps with the caramel whipped cream & let it sit for a few hours to soften the cookies and firm up the mousse, adding salt to the top, you’d have the same combination of flavors without quite the intensity. I’ve made that with a flavored pound cake (something seasonal, gingerbread, I think?), though admittedly without the sea salt, which I’m now regretting!

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Lillie November 1, 2011 at 7:36 pm

Excellent idea – I’m going to have to try that combination soon!

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Mel G November 8, 2011 at 1:37 am

Hi there. I think I’m misunderstanding the recipe. It says to pour half the caramel mixture into the crust. What do we do with the other half? If we don’t want to have leftover filling, can we just cut the recipe in half? Thanks!!

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Lillie November 9, 2011 at 12:17 am

Yes, I think that the filling recipe could be easily cut in half (but I’d use a bit smaller of a pan, like a 8×8). What you see in the pictures is the full yield from the original recipe, but both our dinner party guests and myself thought the full amount of filling was too much and why I suggested pouring only half in for the pie. I’d love to hear if the smaller pan and amount works for you. Also, the extra caramel would be fantastic over ice cream, or drizzled on a cake, or mixing into vanilla frosting! I think by the spoonful would be delicious as well! 🙂

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