Mini Apple Pie Recipe
Just in time for Thanksgiving, we have a Mini Apple Pie Recipe for you. A perfect holiday treat that everyone will be so excited to bite into. Thanks to Caitlin for sharing this American classic.
From: Caitlin This recipe has been a progression, with some help from the talented bakers of my favorite bakery in San Francisco; Tartine. I use their shortbread cookie recipe for the top of my pies. Making it extra super delicious. The following recipe makes makes one 9" round pie or six 3 ¾ inch round petite pies. To see all the images close up you can check out the full gallery.
Tartine Shortbread The Topper
9 oz (1 cup +2 tbsp) unsalted butter, very soft
½ tsp sea salt or kosher
9 oz (1 ¾ cup+ 2 tbsp) All Purpose Flour
2 2/3 oz (½ cup +2 tbsp) cornstarch
2 ½ oz (1/3 cup) granulated sugar Place the butter in a mixing bowl. The butter must be very soft- the consistency of mayonnaise or whipped cream. Add the salt to the butter and mix well with a whisk, so that it dissolves completely before you add the rest of the ingredients. Sift the flour and cornstarch together into a bowl. Add the granulated sugar to the butter and mix just until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix just until a smooth dough forms.
On a floured surface form the dough into 2 disks. Roll one of the disks into a circle about ¼ inch thickness. Save the other disk for another time. It can be frozen for up to 2 weeks.
Bottom Crust
2 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 sticks of unsalted butter, cubed and COLD
¼ to ½ cup ice-cold water Using a food processor blend the flour, salt and sugar. Add the cold cubed butter to the flour mixture and pulse until pea-size pieces appear. Add the cold water and pulse briefly- it will still look crumbly. Transfer the crumbs to a clean work surface and form into 2 disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
After the overnight refrigeration-
On a floured work surface roll out the bottom crust into a ¼ inch thickness. Place a petite tart pan to use as a guide on top of the dough. With a paring knife cut a round circle about ¾ inch wider than the actual size of the pan. Gently, place the dough into the pan. Using your fingers cut off the extra dough from the edges. Now give the dough time to chill before filling with the apples.
Apple Filling
8 oz apples, Fuji and Granny smith
2 tbsp All Purpose Flour
3 tbsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon A pinch of ground nutmeg A squeeze of fresh lemon juice Peel, remove core and coarsely chop apples (about ½ inch cubes). In medium size mixing bowl add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice to the apples.
Once the dough has chilled for about 15 minutes begin assembling. Add about a ½ cup of the apple mixture to the pie pans. Cover the top completely with the shortbread dough. Place the pies on a sheet pan and bake until golden brown on top and the juices begin to run out from the pie, about 35-45 minutes.
If there is any left over crust (bottom) using festive cookie cutters make decorations to garnish your petite pies. Prepare some egg wash with 1 whole egg a splash of water and brush the tops of whatever shapes you choose to use!
Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Just before the pies are done, sprinkle the tops with a little granulated sugar. Allow to cool in the pans for at least 20 minutes before removing. Serve with vanilla ice cream or a good cup of coffee!
Featuring the culinary skills of Caitlin Knoop