Guys, I have the most delicious mini dessert for you.
My husband loves pies so I wanted to bake him some kind of pie for Valentine’s Day. I didn’t want to bake a normal size pie for just the two of us because I didn’t want an entire pie lingering around. Don’t get me wrong, pie is delicious, but my waistline would not be happy with me.
These personal sized pies are SO delicious. My husband said that I should have made a normal size because he wanted to enjoy the leftovers. Womp, womp. I actually agree with him, but mostly because it was a lot of work for just two servings. My husband is worth it though. 🙂
I used two mini tart pans because that’s what I had handy. I like that you can see the crust when you remove the baked pies from the tart pans. You could use similar sized ramekins instead and eat the pie straight from the ramekin.
This pie crust is the same recipe that I use for every pie because it’s flaky and amazing, and it always comes out perfect. (Thanks, mom-in-law for the recipe!) The apple filling has the same great flavors as my apple pie recipe (another awesome recipe from my mom-in-law). It’s a winner, so why mess with it. Except I’m totally going to mess with it.
The technique of making the filling is different with these two miniature tarts. I pre-cooked the apple filling on the stove before I baked the mini pies. In general, I don’t like the idea of cooking fruit filling for a pie before it goes into the oven because I think it’s an unnecessary additional step. However, I think that it’s a necessary step with miniature pies because they are small and short. The crust and topping might burn before the fruit filling gets properly cooked. Soggy pies and hard apples do not make for a tasty treat, but that’s avoided here with a little stove time. (I’m sorry for the additional step but it’s worth it.)
I’ve always wanted to try a crumb topping on a fruit pie and I’m glad that I did because I love it. The topping gives the apple pie more sugar and cinnamon flavor. Plus, it adds a nice crunchy texture. I have to admit that I prefer a pie crust on top (because hello, crust is delicious). That’s weird for me to say that since I’m the queen of crumb cakes. I guess I just prefer my crumbs on cakes. 😉 My husband also prefers the normal way with crust on top, but I suspected that he would and I wanted to try this anyway.
I also made a few heart shaped pieces from the leftover pie crust to add a little Valentine touch. I sprinkled some powdered sugar on top of the heart shapes (because why not?). Cute on top of cute. 🙂
I think the only thing missing on this plate is a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or do you prefer whipped cream and caramel sauce?
Apple Pie Crumble for Two Recipe
(Makes 2 servings)
Ingredients for Pie Crust:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup shortening, chilled
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, very cold
Ingredients for Apple Filling:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 apples, cored, peeled, and sliced into 1/4 inch slices (equivalent to about 2 and 1/2 cups)
- 4 tablespoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Minute Tapioca
Ingredients for Crumble Topping:
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar (Dark brown sugar will also work instead.)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions for Pie Crust:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
- Add the shortening and mix with a pastry blender or fork until the dough is crumbly.
- Add in 2 tablespoons of very cold water and mix with a fork (not the pastry blender any more if you used it on the previous step) until the dough is moist and comes together. Add more cold water a few drops at a time, if needed.
- Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
Directions for Apple Filling:
- In a sauce pan, on medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the apple slices to the pan.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Add the sugar mixture to the pan and stir everything together. Lower the heat to low and cook the apples until they start to soften. Stir the apples frequently. (About 5 to 7 minutes.)
- Add the flour and tapioca and stir everything together. Continue to cook the apples until the sauce thickens. Stir the apples frequently. (About 3 minutes.)
- Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside and let the apple mixture cool.
Directions for Crumble Topping:
- Melt the butter and set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together.
- Add the melted butter and mix everything together. The crumble will be thick.
Directions for Assembling the Apple Pie Crumbles:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease two 4 inch pie mini tart pans and set them aside.
- Flour your rolling surface.
- Split the pie dough in half.
- For each apple pie crumble, do the following:
- Using a rolling pin, start rolling from the center and work your way out. Sprinkle a little flour over the top of the dough and on your rolling pin if the dough is too moist, i.e. it sticks to your rolling pin.
- Roll out the dough to fit in your size pie plate. I am using a 4 inch pie mini tart pan and I rolled out the dough about 7 inches in diameter to allow for enough dough to go up the sides of the pie plate. These mini tart pans have a removable base but that’s not required for this recipe. These are just what I had handy for the size I wanted to use.
- Carefully lift the dough off of the surface. Gently lay the dough into the pan and gently press the dough into the edge of the pan taking care to avoid poking holes in it or tearing it.
- Cut off any excess dough that hangs over the pie plate edge.
- Pour half of the apple filling into the crust. Since you have a small surface area, take care trying to spread the apples evenly.
- Sprinkle half of the crumble topping on top. Go for small and big crumbs for variety.
- Place both apple pie crumbles on a baking sheet. This step is important for 2 reasons. One, it’s easier to handle the mini pies when taking them in and out of the oven. Second, the baking sheet will catch any apple goo that spills from the mini pies.
- Bake the pies in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until some apple juices have leaked and the crumble is a golden brown.
- Let the mini pies cool before serving.
Source: Tina’s Chic Corner
