Keithsgiving Perfect Recipe: Honey and Date Caramel Blueberry-Apple Pie

If you’re like our family, no holiday meal is complete without dessert, and this perfect recipe is a fresh take on a classic. With a sweet harmony of honey and dates, the snap of the blueberries and the melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon apple pieces, this pie is, we hate to say it, perfect! Enjoy.

Serves 10

Perfect Recipe Ingredients:

Notes: Dates, honey, lemon juice, and spices are whizzed up in the blender to create the most delicious, easy, and refined-sugar-free caramel that gets baked within this blueberry-apple pie. 

Pie Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups whole grain dark rye flour or whole-wheat flour
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
• 2/3 cup very cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 cup cold buttermilk
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup ice

Pie Filling

• 1 cup pitted dates, packed
• 1 cup honey
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 8 large Honeycrisp, Gala, or green apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Topping

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten for egg wash
• 2 tablespoons organic white sugar

 Directions: 

1. Make the crust: Whisk the flours and salt together in a large mixing bowl, and cut the butter into ½ inch cubes. Add the butter to the flour and toss to coat. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour to incorporate or gently rub the butter into the flour with your hands.
2. Stir to combine the buttermilk, honey, vinegar, and ice in a small bowl. Pour over half of the vinegar mixture over the flour mixture and use a gentle hand or wooden spoon to combine. Incorporate more of the wet mixture and press the dough in one mass until it just comes together. Divide in half, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
3. Lightly flour a work surface and place half of the chilled dough over it. Lightly flour
   a rolling pin. Roll out the dough, applying even pressure with the rolling pin, into a
   14” circle. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and transfer and secure into a 10” pie pan. Trim edges of dough and chill in the refrigerator. Place second dough round on work surface and roll out as above. Cut dough into eight or ten, 1 1⁄2” strips. Place the strips on a sheet pan and chill in the refrigerator.
4. Make the filling: In a blender, combine the pitted dates, honey, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and salt and blend on high until creamy. Combine the sliced apples, blueberries, and flour in a large mixing bowl and pour over the honey and date caramel. Toss gently to combine and allow the fruit to macerate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Drain the fruit mixture of excess liquid and set aside.
5. Pour fruit filling into chilled pie shell. To arrange lattice crust over the filling, place 8 or 10 dough strips 1/2” apart on the pie, weaving the remaining dough strips through them in a basket-weave pattern. Trim lattice edges to meet the overhanging dough of bottom crust. Cut or crimp edges. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to set the pastry.
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the pie from refrigerator and brush lattice with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Place the pie on the prepared baking sheet and bake 30 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375° F and bake 40 to 50 minutes more, or until browned and bubbly. If the crust begins to get too dark, cover with foil and continue a few minutes longer. Remove to a rack and cool at least 1 hour.

***Pie will keep well in an airtight container for 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Pie dough will keep well wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Looking for some more Keithsgiving recipes? Check out this Caramelized Cauliflower, Date and Lentil Salad with Spiced Apple Cider Vinaigrette.