Mini Apple Crumble Pies
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It’s my favorite holiday, because the only purpose of it is to gather with loved ones and eat. No presents, no pressure…just good food and good company. When I was growing up, my grandma made the pies (well, she made almost everything really). Every year there was her famous Pumpkin Pie, of course, and usually some kind of apple pie as well.
As an adult, I now make my own pies for Thanksgiving. And while I always opt for my grandma’s pumpkin pie for the big day, sometimes I’ll make a second option — either this Maple Pecan Pie or some kind of apple pie, preferably with a crumbly, oaty, brown-sugary topping. These Mini Apple Crumble Pies are just that, but smaller (and cuter).
Since it’s officially go-time for Thanksgiving pie baking, I figured I’d share this one with you. These cute little pies would be the perfect addition to your holiday table. Add a scoop of your favorite ice cream, and whoa boy…apple pie heaven!
Before we get to the recipe, here are a few of my best tips.
For Your Flakiest Crust and Crumbliest Topping, Keep That Butter Cold
I know I’ve harped on and on about this before, but the trick to flaky pie crust is to keep your butter (or your preferred fat) nice and COLD. That way, when it hits the hot oven, it melts quickly and the water in it (butter has a decently high water content) evaporates, leaving little pockets. Those little pockets mean flaky, flaky pie crust.
Start with cold butter and quickly cut it into your flour using a pastry cutter. (This is one of those pie-baking tools that always seems unnecessary, but when you use it you realize why it exists. It makes quick work of cutting the butter in.) You could also use your hands, but the heat from your hands will cause the butter to melt faster, so keep an eye on it. Then, add ice water until you have a workable dough. Before you work with it further, though, wrap it well and pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Similarly, the crumble topping will be its crumbliest if you keep the butter cold. I like to make the topping ahead of time, then keep it chilled in the fridge until I’m ready to use it.
Actually, you can make both the crumble topping and the pie dough a day or two ahead of time and store them in the fridge so that the day you make your pies you have less to do.
Par-Bake Your Pie Crusts
Also, when you go to bake your pies, par-bake your crusts first.
This gives you even more insurance against soggy crust. You’ll put your pie crust rounds into your muffin tin (see the recipe for details), poke holes in the bottom of them with a fork, and bake for 10 minutes. When they come out of the oven they might need another poke with the fork — if they puff up, poke them down before you add your filling.
Want to Avoid a Soggy Crust? Pre-Cook Your Filling
Yep, that’s right. For this recipe, we’re cooking the apple pie filling first, then adding it to our little crusts, topping it with crumbly goodness, and then baking. Doing it this way means no soggy crusts, no pie filling oozing out all over your oven…just perfectly-cooked, cinnamon-spiced apple pies.
But even before we cook the filling, first we’re going to let the apples and brown sugar macerate for a half hour. “Macerate” means to let something become softened by soaking it in a liquid. In this case, the moisture from the apples combines with the brown sugar to make a liquid. As it sits, that sugary liquid softens the apples.
Once that 30 minutes is up, we’ll add our spices and a bit of flour (this is what thickens the filling), and cook it briefly until we have a thick, delicious pie filling. Note: it’s pretty darn tasty just like this…and feel free to sample it — the recipe makes a bit more than you really need, so there’s plenty for a few taste-testing bites.
Mini Apple Crumble Pies For Thanksgiving and Beyond
Ok friends, those are my best tips. I think we’re ready to make some tasty, tasty pies.
While these little pies are perfect for Thanksgiving, they would be fantastic any time of year. Keep this one in your back pocket for your upcoming gatherings.
Happy baking, and Happy Thanksgiving!
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Mini Apple Crumble Pies
Equipment
- 2 Muffin tins
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry cutter (optional)
- 3 1/2" round cookie cutter
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 1/4 c flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 c cold butter (8T/ 1 stick), cut into 1/4-in pieces
- 5-6 T ice water, plus more as needed
Apple Pie Filling
- 2 1/4 lb tart apples (about 6-8 large apples), peeled and diced
- 1 1/2 T lemon juice
- 3/4 c brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 c flour
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 pinch cardamom
- 1/4 tsp salt
Crumble Topping
- 3/4 c brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 c old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 c flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 6 T cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Instructions
Pie Crust
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender (see photo), cut butter into the flour mixture until butter is in pea-sized pieces.
- Add water 1 T at a time, stirring with a fork, until mixture starts to come together. If mixture is still to dry and crumbly after using all of the 6T of water, add more water 1 T at a time. Press dough together into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the apple pie filling and the crumble topping.
- Once crust is chilled, preheat oven to 375°F.
- Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out with a 3 1/2" round cookie cutter. Place rounds into the cavities of your muffin tins, and poke holes in the bottom with a fork. Chill until all crusts are ready to bake and the the oven is preheated.
- Par-bake crusts for 10 minutes. If they puff up during baking, poke them down again with a fork. Set aside until your filling and topping are ready.
Crumble Topping
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour, and salt. Toss in the cold butter chunks, and use your fingers to rub the butter into the sugar mixture until it is in pea-sized pieces. Chill topping until you're ready to use it.
Apple Pie Filling
- In a large saucepan, combine apples, lemon juice, and sugar. Let sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, combine flour, spices, and salt in a small bowl. Add to apple mixture (after the 30 minutes is complete). Heat mixture on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens and apples start to soften. Remove from heat and set aside until you're ready to put your pies together.
Put it all together
- Add 1 heaping T of filling to each of the crusts, then top with crumble topping. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the edges are turning brown. Allow to cool in the muffin tins for about 10 minutes, then remove from the tins and cool completely on a cooling rack.
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