Description
Delightful Mini Apple Pies bring orchard-fresh sweetness into compact, perfectly portioned desserts. Crisp pastry cradles warm cinnamon-spiced apples, inviting you to savor each delectable bite of homemade comfort.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruit Base:
- 2 apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and diced
Sugars and Spices:
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 milliliters) ground nutmeg
Binding and Enhancing Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 package refrigerated pie crusts (or homemade)
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375F (190C) and prepare a muffin tin with non-stick spray or paper liners.
- Combine diced apples with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a mixing bowl, ensuring all apple pieces are thoroughly coated with the sweet, spicy mixture.
- On a lightly floured surface, carefully roll out pie crusts and use a 4-inch round cutter to create circular dough pieces.
- Gently press each dough circle into the muffin tin wells, smoothing the edges to create neat pie shells.
- Distribute the seasoned apple filling evenly among the pie crusts, making sure each mini pie has a generous amount of fruit.
- Scatter small butter pieces across the apple filling to enhance richness and flavor.
- Create pie tops by either cutting additional dough circles or crafting decorative lattice strips from the remaining pie crust.
- Carefully apply beaten egg wash over the pie tops to achieve a glossy, golden-brown finish during baking.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crusts turn a rich golden color and the apple filling becomes bubbly and fragrant.
- Remove from the oven and let the mini pies cool slightly in the tin, then transfer to a serving plate and optionally dust with powdered sugar before enjoying.
Notes
- Swap regular flour with gluten-free flour blend for a celiac-friendly version without compromising texture.
- Use coconut sugar or monk fruit sweetener as lower-glycemic alternatives to traditional granulated sugar for diabetic-friendly mini pies.
- Dice apples uniformly to ensure consistent cooking and prevent uneven texture in filling.
- Create vegan option by replacing butter with coconut oil and using plant-based pie crust, maintaining the same delicious apple flavor profile.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg