Mini Apple Pies

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There’s nothing better than a slice of apple pie…well, almost nothing. These individual-sized, mini apple pies are a fun, personalized twist that gives the classic a run for its money. No need for slicing and serving, because everyone gets their own perfectly portioned pie all to themselves. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you’ve got a year-round dessert that couldn't be cuter.

How To Make Mini Apple Pies

INGREDIENTS

• Pie dough: I love Makinze’s homemade pie dough recipe, but when I don’t have the time or energy to make one from scratch, my go-to store-bought option is from Pillsbury.
• Apples: My personal favorite are Honeycrisps, but any baking apple (check out even more types of apples here) will work. Peel them, cut out the core (use a corer if you’ve got one!), and chop them into small pieces.
• Light or dark brown sugar: Though most recipes call for one or the other, I’m a BIG fan of using what you’ve got, so either will work here.
• Granulated sugar: Organic or regular will work here. Don’t have brown sugar? You can also use entirely white—your resulting pies will have a little less depth of flavor, but will be no less delicious.
• Cornstarch: Apples do contain pectin, which should help thicken this filling on its own, but why risk it? I like adding cornstarch to guarantee that perfect jammy texture.
• Cinnamon, salt, vanilla: I consider these the perfect trifecta of simple apple pie seasonings, but feel free to mix it up. Additional fall seasonings would be more than welcome here!
• Egg: Adding an egg wash helps give your finished pies a nice shiny, crispy crust, so I always recommend doing one. That said, if you don’t regularly buy eggs or are out, you can also use a milk wash. Your finished pies won’t be as shiny, but it will help the sugar adhere and help your crust brown in the oven.
• Coarse sugar or sanding sugar: I like to keep a box of sanding sugar around to add a little sparkle and crunch to the top of my baked goods, but feel free to use regular granulated sugar on top before baking instead. Hot tip if you don’t bake too often: grab a packet of Sugar In The Raw from your local coffee shop and use it on the rare occasion you do!
• Vanilla ice cream: This is obviously optional, but there’s nothing quite like a bite of hot pie mixed with cool, creamy ice cream, don’t you think? Use store-bought, or make our homemade vanilla ice cream to really go above and beyond.

SUPPLIES

This recipe calls for a 4" round mini pie pan. Mini pie pans can be found in specialty baking shops or online. Either a disposable pan or one made to last works great for these. If you only have a 5" or 6" pan, you’ll need to adjust the recipe by making more crust and more filling. Be sure to roll your dough out to no thicker than 1/8". Because of the miniature size, you want a thin dough so the ratio of crust to filling is right.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

You can either start by rolling your dough out, like we do in the instructions below, or by making your pie filling, like we do in the video above. Personally I like to get the crusts chilling in the fridge for as long as I can, but you do you.

If you do go that direction, start by flouring a surface, then rolling out one of your doughs until it’s about ⅛” thick (hot tip: get a baking ruler!). Cut 2 (~7" circles) and place into 2 of your 4 pans. Repeat the process until you have 4 circles waiting in your 4 pans. Gently press each circle into the bottom of your pan, trying to keep it as centered as possible as you press up the sides. Tuck the edges under and crimp, cutting off any excess with a knife. Re-roll your scraps to the same thickness, then cut ~24-32 strips (about ⅓”x 7”) to use for your lattice. Place everything on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment, and fridge while you make your filling.

Preheat your oven! Then, mix all your remaining filling ingredients in a bowl. Pull your pie shells out, and divide the filling into them as evenly as possible. Brush the edges with a little egg wash so the lattice strips will stick.

Place 3-4 lattice strips across your filling. Lift up every other one and place another strip across horizontally. Lay the strips back down, and repeat until you’ve created a weave and the top of your mini pie is covered.

Trim the strips and repeat until you’ve done all 4 pies. Give the lattice strips a brush with more egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar.

Bake pies for 35-40 minutes, until the filing is thickened and bubbly and the crust is just starting to brown. Serve with ice cream, and enjoy!

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Variations

Not a fan of apple? This recipe works pretty well with nearly any other pie fruit. Keep the proportions relatively the same, and you can make individual versions of all your favorite fruit pies:

• Cherry Pie.
• Strawberry Pie.
• Blueberry Pie.

Storage

These mini apple pies are best eaten the day they're made, but if you want to make them ahead, freeze after cooling completely, then reheat in a 300º oven until warm throughout.