mini apple pies

Serve these cute little buggers to dinner guests or for special occasions, or to help yourself with portion control.  Either way, it's a fun way to eat apple pie.  Admittedly, it's a little more work than making one big pie, but the baking time is reduced and the presentation is undoubtedly more gratifying.

mini apple pies (makes 6 pies, regular muffin tin size)

crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

2 tbsp cold water

filling:

2 large baking apples, sliced into small pieces (you can peel them first, but I don't.  Just wash them first if not.)

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon, or more

1/4 tsp nutmeg, or more

dash of salt

Put 1 cup flour into a medium sized bowl.  Add cold butter pieces, and cut in the butter with a fork, pastry blender or your fingers (if you're like me), until the mixture resembles course crumbs.  Sprinkle the cold water over the flour/butter and mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  If the mixture doesn't seem to be doing this, add another tbsp of water.  Roll the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes until firm.  This will make the dough easier to work with.

Meanwhile, slice your apples (if you haven't already) and set them aside.  In a bowl (you could use the same bowl that you mixed the dough in), mix together all the other filling ingredients (sugar, flour and spices).  Add the apples and stir until the apples are coated and everything is well incorporated.

When your dough is chilled, get it out of the refrigerator and unwrap.  Sprinkle some flour on a flat, clean surface and on the dough.  Roll the dough out flat with a rolling pin (or empty wine bottle) evenly, into a circle, about 1/8- 1/4 inch thick.  Rub some flour onto your rolling utensil to prevent sticking, and add more flour to the counter and dough as needed.  (If you've never made pie crust before, rolling can be tricky.  It's too thin if you pick it up and it tears or you can see your fingers through it, but if you roll it out too thick, you won't have enough dough to make 6 pies.  If you make a mistake, knead the dough back together and start over.)

Use something round, like a small bowl, which is a little bigger than the size of each the muffin compartment, and cut out circles of dough.  Gently press one circle of dough into a muffin compartment so it makes a cup shape.  Fill it with apple slices.  For the top crust, cut a few slits into the dough circle for steam vents, then place the top crust on top of the apple slices and gently pinch the edges of the top and bottom crusts together to seal.  The apples will bake down, so fill them as much as you can, and are still able to pinch the crusts together.  Repeat this process for the other 5 muffin compartments.  

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celcius until tops are lightly browned.  These mini pies won't take as long as a big pie to bake, so keep an eye out.  Allow to cool for a few minutes before taking them out of the tin.  Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon for garnish.  Add a dollop of yogurt or ice cream for an extra special treat!