Tiny Apple Pies

i'm certainly not an expert. nor do i pretend to be. i've only recently jumped into this wonderful world of flour and sugar and butter (oh, the butter!) and eggs and more spices than my cabinet can hold - but i'm loving every minute of it.

hopefully this blog will be a way for me to log recipes and keep a tally of my attempts at the perfect buttercream icing (6 rounds so far and i'm still having thickening issues). this could also be used as an excellent excuse to buy a shiny new stand mixer.


anyhow...

Tiny Apple Pies

what you'll need:

HARDWARE:
1 small and 2 large bowls
a large cookie sheet
a sturdy wooden spoon
a vegetable peeler
an apple corer
a knife
a rolling pin (or your hands, i used my hands)
a muffin tin
a small basting brush

DOUGH:
1 1/2 C flour (all-purpose)
16 TBSP unsalted butter - cut into 1/2" cubes
1 TSP salt
3 TSP sugar
8 TBSP ice water

FILLING:
5 med. granny smith apples
1 TSP lemon juice
3/4 C granulated sugar
1/3 C flour (all-purpose)
1 TSP nutmeg
1 TSP cinnamon
1/2 TSP mace
a dash of salt
3 TBSP butter - melted

ASSEMBLY:
1 egg - beaten


what to do:

DOUGH:
in a large bowl combine the flour, salt, sugar, butter, and water.
next grab a wooden spoon and settle in for a good long mixing (you may need to start lifting weights 2 to 3 weeks ahead of time to fully prepare yourself).
once everything is clumped together and mixed well, place the dough on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for an hour.

FILLING:
peel, core, and dice the apples into 1/2" cubes and place into a large bowl.
sprinkle them with the lemon juice and melted butter and mix.
combine the sugar, flour, and spices in a separate bowl then pour the mixture in even shares (mixing between portions) over the apples to evenly coat.

ASSEMBLY:
preheat oven to 350.
remove the crust from the refrigerator and (using flour to keep it from sticking to everything) flatten small portions - with a rolling pin or your hands, i used my hands - into small round circles that when pressed fully into the muffin tin will hang over about an inch.
fill the tiny pie crusts with the apple mixture until it is 1/2" over the crust.
flatten out the remaining dough and cut it into small strips. weave the strips into one large lattice and cut off sections for each mini pie.
pinch the lattice sections together with the bottom crust to seal. trim the excess.
with the basting brush - coat the tops of the pies with the beaten egg.
bake for 40 minutes. add time if you feel it's necessary - the pies should be flaky-golden, not pale. :)


and enjoy!!