Caramel Apple Pie

This is a recipe I found on allrecipes.com, plus the tweaks agreed upon by consensus of those who tried it, plus specific instructions to myself about how to get it right with the stuff I know how to do

Ingredients

3 to 4 cups of freshly chopped apples (success with 6 medium-sized Jonathans)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (success with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter")
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (success with unbleached white from Sprouts bulk)
1/4 cup minus 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (success with light brown from Sprouts bulk)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (success with pure vanilla)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 pie crusts, 9" rolled out and ready to go (success with Kroger refrigerated crusts)

Directions
In a saucepan on the stove, melt butter slowly over low heat (do not allow to spit). Add the flour gradually, stirring to incorporate without lumps.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine water, vanilla, and both sugars. Stir together, then add to butter mixture in saucepan. Add cinnamon and nutmeg to this mix and stir well to incorporate (melted butter will keep trying to separate and rise to the surface; this is normal).

Increase heat to medium and bring to boiling. Stir well, then reduce heat as necessary to keep evenly simmering WITHOUT BURNING the syrup. You are now officially making a type of caramel.

While caramel simmers, place one crust into the bottom of a deep pie dish, preferably glass. Carefully arrange crust such that no bubbles are trapped between crust and dish. Do not pierce bottom of crust (as you might for a pumpkin pie or something, intending to release bubbles). Now would be the ideal time to set the oven to preheat to 350 degrees F.

Stir caramel mixture -- it should be thickening a little, but still be easy to pour. Briefly remove the saucepan from heat and pour roughly 3/4 of the hot caramel mixture over your chopped apples in a large mixing bowl. Return the remaining mixture in the saucepan to the lowest heat setting available on the range to keep it in a liquid state.

Using a spatula, fold apples and caramel together to coat apples evenly. Pour the caramel apple combination into the pie crust, then top with second crust. Press the crusts together at edges with a fork to seal the pie, then press a shallow ditch all around the edge, roughly one centimeter in from the absolute edge of the crust. This is a ditch to catch extra juices and topping. Cut vent slots in the top of the pie (or other designs as desired).

Remove the saucepan from heat, stir once, and pour the remaining caramel all over the top crust of the pie. Use a spatula to spread the caramel evenly if needed. Caramel should become thick very quickly.

Place the pie on the very center rack of the preheated oven. Place a second baking pan or sheet of aluminum foil on a second rack directly below the pie to catch any drips that might develop (should be minimal). Bake at 350° F for 40 to 50 minutes. Caramel topping should bubble and crystallize, leaving the top of the pie a shiny golden color. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack before enjoying.