Muffin Tin Apple Pies
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These muffin tin apple pies are made with homemade apple filling baked in buttery, flaky pie crust for 12 individual-sized desserts!
Equipment
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold (2 sticks)
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt (use table salt or fine sea salt)
- ½ cup ice water, divided (kept cold in the fridge)
Apple Pie Filling
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 pounds apples, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces (about 2-3 large or 4-5 medium)
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Topping
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
- Coarse sugar
Instructions
Prepare the Pie Dough
- Cut the butter sticks into ½-inch cubes and store them in the fridge to keep them cold.
- In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine everything.
- Add the cold, cubed butter to the food processor and pulse until the butter is broken into smaller pieces, with none looking bigger than a pea (about 7 to 10 pulses).
- Add ¼ cup of the ice water and pulse again until the dough starts to bind together and form small lumps. If it’s still too dry after 10 pulses, add another tablespoon of ice water and pulse a few more times. The dough should hold its shape when squeezed in the palm of your hand.
- Dump out the dough on your counter, divide it in half, and press it into two large discs. Wrap each dough disc individually in plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.
Prepare the Apple Filling
- In a large saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the apples soften, after 10 to 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry.
- Bring the apples to a boil then add the cornstarch slurry. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Then set the apple pie filling aside to cool and thicken.
Assemble and Bake
- Generously grease a muffin tin.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of dough until it's ½-inch (1.25cm) thick.
- Use a 3¾-inch (9.5cm) round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to cut out 12 circles from the pie dough. Gently press each one into the muffin tin.
- Spoon the cooled apple filling into the pie crust to fully fill each one in the muffin tin.
- Roll out the second disc of dough until it's ½-inch (1.25cm) thick, for the top crust.
- Leaf Shapes: Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough and place one on top of each mini pie.
- Lattice: Cut the dough into ½-inch (1.25cm) wide strips, then arrange them in a lattice design. Use a 2¾-inch (7cm) round cookie cutter or biscuit butter to cut out circles from the lattice, then gently transfer them on top of each mini pie.
- Crumbles: Instead of rolling out the dough, just crumble it in your hands over the mini pies.
- Put the muffin tin back in the fridge to keep the butter in the pie dough cold while the oven preheats to 425°F.
- Mix the egg and one tablespoon of water together to form an egg wash, then brush on top of each mini pie. Optional: sprinkle coarse sugar on top.
- Bake on the center rack for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool for a few minutes before removing from the muffin tin & allow them to finish cooling on a wire cooling rack.
To get 12 circles, you'll probably need to press the dough back together and re-roll it. Just be sure to lightly flour your counter again first, so the dough doesn't stick to it.
Notes
- Storing: These keep well at room temp, covered for a couple days, or in the fridge for a few extra days. I like to warm them in the oven for a few minutes at 350F before serving, so the crust crisps back up instead of going soft.
- Apples: I recommend using a variety that stays firm as it cooks, such as granny smith, honeycrisp, braeburn, fuji, and jonagold.
- Equipment: Use a standard muffin tin (not a mini muffin tin).
Nutrition
Serving: 1 mini pie (of 12)Calories: 313kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 4gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 253mgPotassium: 128mgFiber: 3gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 565IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
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