Mini Apple Pies

Another autumn, another apple recipe. Though no complaints on my part.


Rather than making the usual 9-inch pie, I attempted mini pies to maximize shareability. Also, they're just so much cuter.



Lattice tops on the mini pies are more difficult to handle because the dough tends to warm up and soften more easily. To combat this issue, I used heart-shaped cookie cutters to make the pie tops instead.


It's a little more work than one regular-sized pie, but the benefit of a mini pie is that the crust to filling ratio is higher. And let's be honest, the crust is the best part of the pie.

Mini Apple Pies
Adapted from Serious Eats (which has a guide on how to make mini pies)

Makes 12 mini pies

Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surfaces
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into pieces + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for greasing pan
1/2 cup water, very cold

Filling
3 1/2 to 4 pounds apples, peeled, cored and chopped into pieces the size of dimes
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

To finish
Cream or one egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Make pie crust: Whisk together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, two forks or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the biggest pieces of butter are the size of small peas. Gently stir in the ice water, mixing it until a craggy mass forms. Get your hands in the bowl and knead it just two or three times to form a ball. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and flatten a bit, like a disc. Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the microwave and use a pastry brush or paper towel to generously grease the top and cups of a muffin tin.

On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out. Use a large cookie cutter (or in my case, the rim of a small bowl) to cut six 4-inch circles from the sheet of dough. Fit the circles into the muffin tin, making sure that there are no air bubbles on the bottom or sides of the pan. Repeat with the other disc of dough. Chill for 30 minutes while you make your filling.

Form a ball with the dough scraps and place into the refrigerator to chill. This will be use for the lattice/pie tops.

Make filling: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Upon prepping the apples, sprinkle the lemon juice over the slices to prevent browning. Mix the flour, sugar and spices together and add to the apple slices. Then add the lemon zest and butter, and mix.

Add the apple mixture to a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the apples are barely fork tender. Remove foil, mix, and cool completely.

Spoon the cooled apple filling into shells, all the way to the top.

Roll out the ball of dough scraps and cut into thin strips for lattice. Lay two strips of lattice horizontally over each mini pie, and two strips vertically. Trim the over hang of the lattice strips, then push the ends of the lattice into the edge of the shells. Alternatively, you can use shaped cookie cutters to cut out pie tops.

Brush all exposed crust with cream or egg wash, and sprinkle liberally with coarse sugar. At this point, if the pastry has gotten a bit warm, place directly into the freezer for 5-10 minutes.

Bake pies for 20 minutes, then rotate and bake for 5-10 minutes, removing when they are very well browned.

After removing the mini pies from the oven, allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing them and placing them on a sheet pan to cool completely.