Sage's Samhain Miniature Apple Pie Recipe: Single Serving Seasonal Pies
Apple Pie
I will admit something here and now-- I totally have a weakness for pie. I really do. Cake or cookies I have to be in the mood for, but I'm just a sucker for a good pie. Especially in the Autumn season-- there's just something so homey about it.
I started making miniature pies (also known as cup pies, thanks Pushing Daisies, a show that died an untimely death) for a few reasons. The first is because of us cutting back on simple carbohydrates and sugars. Since I don't make baked goods weekly like I used to, everyone wants their favorite when I do break out the rolling pin. My daughter wants maple pecan, my little guy wants pumpkin, etc. And as for my hubby, if he's going to spend his treat allowance on pie, he absolutely must have apple. Instead of making 3 or 4 whole pies, I just make a variety of miniature pies.
The second reason I like the mini pies is that everyone gets their serving size and that's it (no giant slices, no coming back for more). I can freeze the remainders individually, which always comes in handy if I don't get to baking on a holiday or if unexpected company shows up.
Here is my recipe for mini apple pies, which look so cute on the Autumn holiday tables.
Want another great Samhain apple recipe? Try this apple walnut bread!
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Cook Time
Ingredients
- 1 double prepared pie crust, (home made or store bought)
- 4 to 6 apples, I like a mix of granny smith and honey crisp
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
These are Made in Muffin Tins
- Roll out your pie crust dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Use a 5 inch biscuit cutter round to cut out 6 round pie discs. Reserve the rest of the dough for the lattice. Roll it out 1/8 inch thick into rectangles about 5 x 4 inches.
- Put a sheet of waxed paper between each disc then wrap them in plastic. Don't compress them. Put the stack into the fridge. Put a muffin tin in the fridge as well.
- Fill a bowl with cold water and add the juice from the lemon. Peel the apples, core them and toss them in the water as you go. Remove one at a time from the water and dice them into 1/2 inch cubes. Try to make them fairly even. Put the cubes back in the water to sit as you work on each apple in turn.
- Put the apples into a colander and drain the water away. Shake them around a little bit to get rid of excess moisture.
- Sprinkle the apples with white sugar a little at a time, while stirring. Let them sit there in the sink for about an hour, draining.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Throw the apples into a bowl. Mix in the corn starch, honey, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Mix well, but gently.
- Remove the muffin tin and the dough. Place one mini pie crust round in one muffin tin cup. Don't stretch the dough, just gently press it around the bottom and the edges. There should be a little edge of dough that overlaps the top of the muffin cup. That's fine.
- Fill the dough cups with the filling, slightly heaping. Cut up the cold butter into six tiny pats and lay one on top of each apple filling.
- Cut the remaining rectangles of dough into 1/4 inch strips. Lay them across the tops of the pie, weaving them (one over, one under). You'll only need about 4 small strips to create the lattice crust.
- Cut away any lattice edges that are too long and overhang the pie dough. Press the edges of the lattice into the overlapping dough edge, and flute the edges or crimp around them with a fork if desired.
- Beat the egg and a tablespoon of cold water and brush it over the crust tops evenly.
- Put the mini pies into the oven. Check them in about 20 to 25 minutes. If the dough tops and edges are getting brown, cut a 6-inch square of foil. Make a fist, slap it on your fist and push down to make a 'mound' in the center of the foil, then drop it over the little pie. Do this to as many of them as you need.
- Let them continue to bake about 10 to 15 mintues more (should take about 30 to 25 in total, but with pie there are a lot of variables so just keep a watch for the filling to bubble and the crust to be browned and cooked.
- Remove them, set them on a cooling rack and let them cool entirely. Gently put your hand over the top and give them a twist, they should pop right out.
