Bite-size apple pies

Is anyone else's house overflowing with apples?  Well, this recipe won't get rid of a ton of them (I think I only used 4 apples for the entire batch of two dozen micro-pies), but it's certainly a cute and delicious fall treat!  Everything is more fun in miniature, right?

I started by rolling out some of my great-grandma's fantastic pie crust that had been chilling in the fridge (roll it out between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment - it keeps it from sticking and you don't have to add any excess flour).  Then I used a cookie cutter to cut out 3 inch circles of dough.

I nestled the dough into mini muffin tins and let the edges naturally crimp as they settled into place.

Then I mixed up my apple filling.  Like I said, it only took about 4 apples (I used golden delicious, picked from Wasem's Fruit Farm last week) mixed with some flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to fill all of the tiny pies.  Sorry I can't provide exact amounts - I always eyeball measurements when I bake - contrary to what people say about baking being an exact science.  But then again, I rock as a baker, but completely suck at cooking.  Go figure.

Fill your crusts with the apple filling, erring on the side of overflowing since the apples will cook down a bit.

Then I made my crumb topping.  Once again, no measurements, but I promise that if you combine some butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and oats (not the quick cooking kind), you'll end up with something delicious.  

Sprinkle the topping evenly over your pies.

Bake at 425 for about 25 minutes, or until they are bubbling and the crust and topping looks nice and brown.  Prepare for squeals of excitement when you bring them to your next party.  Or just eat them all before 24 hours is up.  That's what happened in this family :)

More about piecrust

Apple pies baked in muffin tins

I am super snooty when it comes to pie crust.  I'm a huge dessert lover if there ever was one, but I will turn down anything made with a store-bought crust.  I've been brought up on the homemade stuff, and I was told that my great-grandmother made the best pies ever - mouth watering fruit fillings, meringue piled miles high, flaky crusts made out of real lard...

Sadly, my great-grandmother was well into her eighties when I came around and wasn't making pies anymore.  However my own mother carried on this tradition and still uses great-grandma's recipe, although substituting Crisco for the lard.

Spinach-Feta Quiche

I started making pies with my mother very early on; she would make and roll out the dough, while I mixed up the filling.  While we worked she would tell me stories of great-grandma's pies and all of the secrets to a good crust.

Handle the dough as little as possible, keep all of your ingredients as cold as can be, don't worry if it tears, but above all things - don't be scared!  Many people shy away from making their own because they feel that it's too complicated or takes too much time, but in reality, there's only five ingredients and it only takes about five extra minutes.  Sure, there's a lot of practice involved, but the end result is well worth it.

Apple Pie; pre-oven

So who wants the recipe...... yes?

Great-Grandma's Pie Crust - makes 3 crusts

3 cups flour

1 1/4 cup Crisco (use the name brand stuff)

1 egg - beaten

1 Tablespoon vinegar

5 Tablespoons ice water

In a large bowl, cut the flour into the Crisco with a pastry cutter.  In a small bowl beat the egg, then add the vinegar and ice water.  Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Divide the dough into three disks, wrap and refrigerate before use.

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*A couple extra tips - only roll the dough out once, use lots of flour, and if it tears, just piece it back together.  I've made some super ugly pie crusts in my day, but re-rolling the dough will take away all of the flakiness.

Mini Peach Pies; pre-oven

Alrighty folks, we've got two huge pie holidays coming up, and I hope everyone will give it a shot at least once!

Stepping off my soapbox now.