Last weekend I purchased a few apples from the farmers market in Union Square, and had a couple of large ones left this weekend. Usually when I have a bunch of apples on hand I’ll make apple crisp, but I wanted to do something different. Considering I only had two apples, I couldn’t make a full apple pie, so I decided to try making single-serving pies. I had no idea if it would turn out okay, but hooray – they’re great!
I’ve decided I want to expand my apple horizon, and try some other varieties. I’ve only really been acquainted with the standard grocery store apples – Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Fuji, among others. It’s high time that I branch out (no pun intended).
The apples that I purchased last weekend are called Idared, or Ida Red. They are a cross between the Jonathan and Wagener varieties, and have a mostly sweet flavor with just a hint of tart. They are supposed to be great when baked, so I forged ahead with making these little pies.
Mini Apple Pies
This recipe makes approximately 6 mini pies the size of medium-sized muffins
For the crust:
- 1 cup white all-purpose flour
- 6 Tbsp. butter I used Soy Garden
- 2 Tbsp. cold water
For the filling:
- 2 large baking apples, peeled and sliced into small pieces
- 1/3 cup sugar I used turbinado
- 1/8 cup white all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- dash of salt
In a medium-sized bowl put 1 cup of flour. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender/cutter until the mixture has small lumps. Sprinkle the cold water over the flour and butter and stir together until the dough pulls together and away from the sides of the bowl. If the mixture doesn’t seem to be doing this you can add another tablespoon of water. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, then place it in the refrigerator for 20 or 30 minutes so it becomes firm. This will make it easier to work with.
Mix together all of the filling ingredients except for the peeled and sliced apples. After they have been mixed add in the apples (or vice versa depending on your bowl situation) and stir until the dry ingredients have been well incorporated with your apples. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 345 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take your dough out of the refrigerator and split into two. On a floured surface roll out the dough until it is thin (not too thin otherwise it will tear).
Use a small bowl as a guide and slice around the bowl like so:
Then take the circle of dough and press it into your muffin pan:
Score the bottom of the dough with a fork a few times. Fill the dough with the apple mixture so that it comes over the top of the pan (when the apples are baking they will loose a lot of their water and sink down).
Cut the excess dough, but don’t do what I did in the following picture. I should have left more dough, so I’d say leave a centimeter of dough on the outside.
Now cut a smaller circle of dough and put it on top of your pie. Pinch the top dough together with the bottom dough (the centimeter part). Score the top with a knife. If you get really creative you can cut little leaves out of your scraps of dough and place those on top. They may fall off, though, so you’ll need to make sure they are secure (gently mashing the ends into the top pie dough).
Continue doing this process until you’ve run out of enough dough or apple filling. There is bound to be leftovers of both so you can just bake the remaining apples in a separate pan, make a pie with no top pie crust, or make a small apple crisp after all.
Place the muffin pan in the oven, and place a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack below to catch any liquid that may fall from the pan. Bake for about 35 minutes, and check to make sure the apple pies are done.
Once they are done take them out of the oven and let them sit for about 15 or 20 minutes so they get cool enough to handle. It’s not easy taking these little pies out of the pan so you may have to be careful while coaxing them out with a knife.
Now you can serve with some vegan clotted cream (I’d suggest doing more cream cheese than butter) or just eat the little things plain.
I’m not that good at making pies but these turned out so well. It’s probably a more intensive process to make a bunch of little pies than one big pie, but they are so cute and it’s such a good idea for serving to guests. Of course, it’s great for making just for yourself. It’s also a good way to not feel guilty about eating a whole pie (or two or three) by yourself.
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thank you :) i tried your apple pie it was great
Hi, I’m thinking of making these today. But I would prefer a sweet pastry.Can I add sugar to this? and how much?
Thanks!
I will definitely be using the dough from this recipe again, it was very simple and very easy to work with… They haven’t even come out of the oven yet and I am CRAZY excited to try them!
thank you! thank you! thank you!
I LOVE THIS RECIPE… is simple and is DELICIOUS!
I have a friend that loves apple pie. This is great her family canhave one each. Thank you soooo much.
i had a sudden craving for apple pie.. with only two apples left in my fridge! i searched google a few times to get the tags right and i got this amazing recipe to try from your blog :D im pretty much a cake baker; so when it came to pies i had no idea what to do! your recipe is simple, yet absolutely delicious! i did lack a bit on the dough because my pan is a tad bigger and i had less butter than expected so i cut the flour and water back a tiny bit; and only lost 1 apple pie. i also kinda rolled the dough a tinny bit to thin for the tops so they oozed a bit more then they should have. had no trouble getting them out though! like many of your posters im thinking of trying different fruits and maybe a vegi mini pie (i absolutely adore vegis) one question though how did you do those super cute leaves on the toppers of yours!? :D sorry for the long message. im going to check out some other recipes on here right now!
Nice entry. I think my daughter would like them
My 14 year old is into recipes now. So she tried this one and it came out beautiful and very delicious!!! We also did a very easy chicken pot pie.
I am having my students make these for PI (pie) Day (3.14 or 3/14/12). They are so excited!
I got a fresh fruit basket for Christmas and I want to use all the fruit in a better way then just eating it raw (boring). I have pre made pie crust that will expire this week that I NEED to use. I plan on making these this weekend for myself. I plan on making it with pears too..and maybe throw in some dried cranberries.
This is the best idea ever! I think I will also make a veggie pie for my dinner :) Have you made one of these? And if so…what is the recipe?!
Thanks again!
i just put these in the oven & can’t wait to try one with ice cream! i live alone so i didn’t want to make a whole pie – this is just the ticket! i was in a hurry so used pillsbury pre-made crusts. i’m just hoping i can get each of them out of the tin in one piece – it’s non-stick so it shouldn’t be a problem. i like to brush egg white on the top of pastries and sprinkle with a little sugar before popping them into the oven to give them a little sweet plus! thanks for the recipe!
Omg Noooo! My sister ate all of them!
I was going to bring some to school…. I’ll wake up early to make more of these cute sugary pies
This afternoon I decided I wanted to make apple pie but not use up all the apples we just bought. Afterall, they’re healthier raw with the skin than in a sugary pie! But still I wanted to bake a treat for my kids and me to enjoy this evening. We’re been good little vegans all day. lol. So I googled mini apple pies in a muffin pan and found your blog. Love it! Our apple pies are in the oven now. The kids helped make the pies and we can’t wait til they’re done! I’ll blog about our pies later. Glad to find your site!
I’m thinking of making an apple pie using this recipe in a 21 x 20 cm circular baking tray. Should I double / triple it?
I am not sure if this recipe will make enough for you or not. As an alternative you can use the regular apple pie recipe that is on my blog. Just do a search for “apple pie” or select the Pies category under Dessert.
It works with four cups but I say cram the thing full! The more apples the better because they do cook down.Don’t forget to cut small slits in the top of the larger pie and bake time is closer to 45 minutes. Enjoy
I finally tried this and made a whole pie. I had more than enough dough by just doubling the recipe. It’s an apple lattice pie and is in the oven right now! Can’t wait :)
I didn’t have any problem with not having enough dough. I actually had extra and made 7 pies! Excellent!
I quadrupled this recipe for a barbeque we’re having at our home in Brooklyn today (expecting 20 people – usually end up w/more than we expect but I’m assuming not everyone will have an appetite for my partner’s homemade ice cream (he made a batch of cinnamon and vanilla this a.m.) and my dessert after noshing all day on smoked ribs. ANYWAY, I found that the dough definitely wasn’t enough. My partner asked if maybe you were using mini pie tins? My dough also ended up pretty doughy but I think that may have been because I was using silicone pie tins. He took the baby this morning and got some metal ones. I’m gonna give it another try … will report back. Also, btw, I used dark muscovado sugar based on someone else’s suggestion to add cocoa (muscovado has more of a molasses taste to it). The pie filling is muy delicioso but I’ll go lighter on the nutmeg (ground it myself – maybe that makes a difference?) when I try it again this morning.
I used regular sized muffin tins – not large. Maybe your muffin tin is meant to output larger muffins? I do have a regular apple pie recipe that may give you the right amount of dough next time. Hope these still turned out okay for your party though! I know it is frustrating when recipes don’t turn out the way you thought they would. :(
Hey! I just made these, and i’m very, very excited to try these, considering this is my first time making pie! I made them a bit differently, though. I kind of twisted the top up a bit so that it looked like a hershey kiss. And I kind of over-sugared the apples. Oops. But no one needs to know that… =D I hope they turn out okay! Thanks so much for posting a recipie!
I don’t normally like apples unless they’re made into (sugar-free) applesauce or apple pie so these look especially cute and delicious! ^^
i started making them and found you need to triple the recipe. there isn’t enough dough. very cute idea though..
Add a tablespoon of cocoa to the mixture and it’s the best pie I’ve ever tasted. Thanks for the recipe, it’s perfect.
I was in the mood to bake and had two apples staring at me. I literally googled what I could do with two apples and found this website. It worked very well for me. Thank you. :)
thanks so much for the recipe…exactly what i needed for my 2 apples on memorial day weekend! i used a medium sized glass storage container, but turned out i needed a little more on the outsides of the muffin to properly seal the tops. a learning for next time!
Thanks for sharing this! My boyfriend is coming home this weekend from a grueling week of training for the fire service, so I’ve been wanting to make him some yummy treats that he can enjoy. Lucky for me, he LOVES pie and I just happened to find this recipe! I’m excited to try it.
These were AWESOME! I made them for an ‘Apple-themed’ baby shower and everyone was gaga over them! I shared the recipe on facebook! yay! loved it!
I just made them and they are in the oven I cant wait for them to come out! =D
Well, my newly wedded husband of 7mos informed me a cpl hours ago that he volunteered us for 2 pies at the off party on Thursday. I’ve been trying some of my own own off the wall recipes on him & my 17yr old step son. So far everything’s flown out the window. But, Im somewhat scared about baking for 20 something ppl who aren’t family. This looks like just what I was looking for. I hate the same old boring “go to the store & but something to reheat at the office party”. I wanted something that tells them, I dont cut corners & will go the extra mile even though I’m ill & have Lupus & other problems.
So, thank you. I’ll let you know how this flies.
Nina
Sorry for the typos, Im on meds for pain & other stuff. lol
I hope you like them! Keep in mind that this recipe makes approximately 6 mini apple pies the size of small to medium sized muffins, so depending on how many people you are making this for, you may want to double the recipe. An alternative recipe to this would be the regular sized apple pie which is oddly less labor intensive.
If I sprayed the muffin pan with Pam (the kind with flour in it for baking), do you think they would still turn out the same and come out easier? It would be a shame to not have them come out looking nice after all that hard work! Thanksgiving is coming up, this would be perfect to make (I wasn’t up for making a whole pie)
I think that would work! Or you can probably lightly coat it with vegan butter. Either way!
Samantha, these are such gorgeous little pies! I plan to make them tomorrow for a party. You stated above that you used turbinado sugar; would regular light brown sugar work as well? And I have a pan that makes 24 mini muffins rather than a regular sized 12 muffin pan. would the dough be enough to cover that?
Thank You so much! :)
Oh I hope they turn out well for you!
I imagine that light brown sugar would work, or you can just use regular sugar, too. Turbinado is the kind of sugar I used to use all the time, and it worked great, but you can substitute regular sugar too.
This recipe makes about 6 mini pies, so I am thinking that this recipe would probably be enough dough for half of your 24 mini muffin pan. You may want to double the recipe to be on the safe side! Any leftover dough can be refrigerated, or you can be bad like me and roll it out, put it on a pan, cut it into strips and then bake it for about 8-10 minutes. Pie crust on its own is so good. :)
I am using a medium muffin pan and the recipe seems to only be making 4 mini pies. What am I doing wrong? Thanks!
It could be that the muffin pan you are using makes larger muffins than mine. I doubt you are doing anything wrong! If you want more pies, I’d recommend doubling the recipe.
Do you think that using Short Sweet Pastry could be substituted for the other pastry, I need to use the pastry and I thought mini apple pies may be a good way :)
Hi Allana – if you’re talking about a shortbread crust, then I would think maybe. I have never used a shortbread crust for apple pie, mini or not, so I couldn’t tell you how it would work. Although, if you made an appie tart, that would probably work better. I just don’t know how a shortbread crust would hold up the sides of the pan. Sorry for not being much more help than that!
I found a cool trick for making pies look like the shiny store bought ones….just take a little corn syrup and mix with a couple drops hot water until thinned slightly. When you pull the pie out of the oven, lightly brush the mixture over the top of the pie crust to glaze it, then sprinkle some extra course sugar crystals on top. You’ll need to put it back in the oven for about 3 minutes, to set the syrup so its not sticky.
The extra 3 minutes won’t burn the crust or overcook the apples, just set the glaze!
Thanks for your mini recipe. I was nervous about making pies smaller but this worked perfectly!
I really want to try this recipe! But I was wondering, is it hard to take out these mini-pies from the muffin pan? Would using a cupcake liner be easier to take out the mini-pies?
Hi Sherry! If your filling is going to bubble out of the mini pies it might be a little more challenging getting the pies out. You can try doing what you are thinking, or I would try coating the inside of the pan and the top, just around each hole, a tiny bit of vegan butter or vegetable oil. This may help!
I made these but instead of using the muffin pan I cut my pie dough into squares and wrapped up the apple slices so that they looked like a small apple dumpling. My husband loved them! Just the right size. I plan to try it using peaches next time. Thanks for sharing.
I just made these and am pretty dang excited.
Reading your blog, the idea struck me the same way it struck you which is awesome. How random that I, also, had a hankering for apple pie with only two apples in the fridge.
Also, the fact that these turned out is a huge leap for me. I’m a professional cake decorator but was TERRIFIED of pie crust. I have now overcome that fear!
Next on that list is yeast and bread. :D
I used brown sugar and it was a delightfully gooey filling. So good. And oh so happy.
These are soo cuuute!
I just made them the other day for my friend’s birthday, and everyone loved them (: The only trouble was actually taking them OUT of the muffin tin, because the sugar in the filling oozed out and stuck the pie to the pan :/ But overall, they turned out great!
Great recipe; thanks!
Will this be enough dough for 24 pies using a 12 muffin pan? Also there be alot of extras? And will it be the dough or apple? Im making this tommorow so im just wondering.
Nici – this makes about 6 mini apple pies using a standard sized muffin tin. There shouldn’t be a lot of extra dough or apples, as you’ll be using the dough for both the bottom and top crusts, and the apples will reduce down as they are baking so you’ll need to overfill each muffin tin. I hope this helps!
I made these for a party this weekend and they turned out great! Thanks so much!
I just made these and they came out perfect! Such a great recipe, and the ingredients are things I already had around.
Hello! I just found these today and they looked too cute and simple to not make right away! I used Gala apples and really liked the apple/spice mix, it tasty strangely gingerbread-y, and I did half white sugar and half dark brown sugar. The dough was simple and tasty.
Unfortunately I made me dough too thick when making the little guys (I only had enough dough for 4), so the taste was too doughey. Oh well, lesson for next time I make these, which will hopefully be soon!
Beautiful post! Makes me sorry I don’t eat cooked/baked any more…but not enough to try them. I know you and your DH enjoyed them and that’s enough.
Try Ambrosia apples if you are fortunate to run across them. I got some organic ones and they are delicious! They’re a sweet variety so they might not be as good for apple pie. They’re great for eating out of hand, though.
Absolutely adorable! I’m not a fan of leftovers so making individual mini pies is ideal. Also, I simply like “small food”, just so cute!
What cute little pies! I made a similar thing a month or so ago, called them “cup pies” — like “cupcakes.” I love the leaf decorations on the tops of yours!
I’m going to try making them. How many mini pies does the recipe make?
If I remember correctly, I believe that this was six mini pies. I didn’t really have a goal when I set out to make these, but I think I was able to fill the entire muffin pan which has molds for six regular sized muffins.
I was just wondering how many mini pies does this recipe make?
Samantha – These are the cutest mini pies ever. A quick tip for those making them. I went through 3 test rounds and finally nailed them. The problem… I was leaving too much dough on the cupcake pan and thus when I went to pop them out of the pan, the top came off and the bottom stayed in the pan. The fix (THIS IS IMPORTANT) make sure to cut that bottom crust bigger and the top crust smaller. I folded the bottom crust into the top crust to make a rustic rolled edge. And again make sure the crust diameter does not exceed the side of the muffin tin by too much or you risk “popping the top” and not the whole pie out of the tin. I used Trader Joe’s frozen pie dough and made 9 mini pies with two pie crusts. I would recommend a mix of granny smith & mcintosh (from America’s Test Kitchen recipe). Delicious!
Thanks so much for the recipe! I’ve never made pie from scratch, but with your help, my girlfriend and I made the most amazing Apple Cup-pies in celebration of Pi Day (3/14).
I suggest doubling or even tripling the recipe. Only makes about five or six mini pies. But by far, this is the most delicious mini pie recipe, and a beautiful tutorial so us fumbly-fingers know exactly what to do. ;)
I enjoyed making these little suckers. I should make them again and vary the filling – blueberries, cherries, chocolate (oh my that would be good)…