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Mini Apple Pies

Mini Apple Pie
The only thing better than a slice of freshly baked apple pie is having a whole pie all to yourself. That said, it can be a little daunting (and probably a little unfair to everyone else who wants a slice of pie!) to tuck into an entire 9-inch apple pie with no one to share it with. The solution is to bake a half dozen Mini Apple Pies so that you can have your own apple pie and still share with friends and family.

These mini apple pies have a buttery pastry crust enclosing a filling made with apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and a touch of vanilla. Unlike full sized pies, where the filling bakes while the pie is in the oven, this filling needs to be prepared on the stove top because there isn’t enough time for the apples to completely soften in the oven with the mini pies’ short baking time. The advantage to making the filling in advance is that it can be made several days in advance and stored in the fridge, so you will have less prep work to do when you’re ready to bake those pies.

I used my Breville Mini Pie Maker to bake the pies pictured here, but this recipe can easily be prepared in a more conventional mini pie pan or baked inside of a nonstick muffin pan. The pies will all have slightly different shapes and baking times that will differ by a couple of minutes, but they will all turn out to be just as delicious.  Depending on the size of the pan you use, you might be able to squeeze the crust for one additional mini pie out of the all butter pie crust dough recipe, too. The instructions that accompany the full recipe below give details for baking the pies in the oven, as opposed to a counter top pie-making appliance. I recommend opting for a plain top crust, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you can also assemble mini lattice pie crusts for your pies.

I like to dig into these pies while they are still warm and the center just oozes all over the plate. There is a great ratio of flaky crust to apple filling, too. You could theoretically hold one of these pies in your hand and eat it on the go, but I like to take a more traditional route and serve them with some vanilla ice cream on the side. Leftover pies can be stored at room temperature and they can be reheated by popping them into a preheated oven (375F) for a few minutes to crisp up the crust before enjoying the next day.

Mini Apple Pie, innards

Mini Apple Pies
1 recipe All Butter Pie Crust Dough, below
2 tbsp butter
3 large apples, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in apples and sautee for 4-5 minutes, until they just start to soften.
In a medium bowl, whisk together cinnamon, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add to apples and stir to coat. Cook until sugar is bubbling, apples are very tender and the mixture starts to thicken, 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Set aside to cool to room temperature

Preheat oven to 400F.
(At this point, you can preheat a mini pie maker if you have one and make dough rounds that fit that. The instructions below are for a conventional preparation.)
Roll out half of the pie crust dough on a lightly floured surface until they are about 1/8-inch thick. Cut dough into 6 rounds about 1-inch larger than the size of the muffin tin (or mini pie pan) that you will be using. Press dough into pan and up the sides.
Roll out remaining half of the pie crust dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut smaller rounds into remaining dough to form the tops of the pies.
Spoon about 1/3 cup of cooled apple mixture into each prepared pie crust. Some liquid will have been released from the apples, so evenly distribute this as well. Top pies with a second round of dough and crimp the edges with a fork to seal.
Bake for 16-20 minutes, until pastry is golden brown. Allow pies to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then gently loosen and transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving.

Makes 6 mini pies

All Butter Pie Crust Dough
This recipe makes about 1 1/2 standard pie crusts. If you need crust for a full sized double crust pie, try this scaled-up recipe.
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup butter, cut into 1 inch cubes and chilled
5-7 tbsp ice water

Whisk together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Toss butter in the flour mixture, then rub in with your finger tips until mixture is coarse and no chunks larger than a large pea remain. Add in water gradually and stir with a fork until dough starts to come together, then press dough into a ball with the palms of your hands. If dough is dry, add an additional tablespoon or two of water to pull the dough together.
Divide dough into two balls and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour before using.

 

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8 Comments
  • acimos15
    October 19, 2011

    This apple pie looks delicious! Your recipe really works for this season and I am so excited to try it. Although I don’t believe I will be able to make it as perfect looking as yours, I might be able to come pretty close to the taste. Wish me luck!

  • Lynda - TasteFood
    October 31, 2011

    These are adorable – I love serving individual desserts at dinner parties. Thanks for the recipe!

  • Jenny
    December 10, 2011

    I’ve made these apple pies in a small muffin pan, I ended up making the dough way too thick, but the filling and the dough was delicious regardless. I will definitely be using this recipe again, thanks!

  • Cheryl
    April 20, 2012

    I was excited to try the mini apple pies in my pie maker. The receipe was fantastic and I combined it with store purchased dough from the refrigerated area of my local grocery store. I made these just before my friends arrived for dinner. This was delicious and the aroma made everyone look forward to dessert. Thank you, everyone thought it was my grandmothers family receipe.

  • Amy
    September 18, 2012

    I participate in a little preschool co-op, and it was my turn to teach today. We were learning about apples, and so I let each child make their own apple pie. It was great fun, and they loved taking them home and eating them! Thanks for a great recipe!

  • Ava
    January 4, 2014

    Totally loved this recipe! On top of my mini pies I kept the peeled skin of the apple an then covered it in sugar and cinnamon. It totally elevated the pie. Otherwise I would just recommend using a mixer to break up the butter in the pie crust…

    Good luck making this mini pie!!!!

  • Thanksgiving Dinner for 2 |
    December 7, 2011

    […] use a standard pie recipe because I didn’t know how long to bake the little guys. But I used this recipe and I would definitely recommend it. Sauteing the apples in butter and spices before putting them […]

  • […] this recipe for dough (I didn’t want to use shortening and that recipe is all butter), and this recipe for the filling. It was pretty delicious (even if my crust didn’t get dark brown). It […]

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