Author Notes
Let me tell you: people go wild for mini pies. There's something exciting and decadent about having your very own pie to eat in a couple bites. But at the same time, it's less than a whole slice of pie -- which means you could actually manage to eat one after Thanksgiving day dinner! These pies are the perfect holiday sweet snack -- a little spice, a little rum, a little crunch and a whole lot of fun. They also keep well and are reasonably sturdy so they make for a great holiday sweet to ship off just about anywhere -- and what could be better than getting pies by post? —vrunka
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Ingredients
- Pie Crust
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2-1/4 cups
all purpose flour
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8 ounces
cold salted butter (2 sticks), cut into small pieces
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4 tablespoons
cold milk
- Apple Pie Filling
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1/2 cup
dark rum
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1 cup
raisins
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4
granny smith apples (about 2 pounds)
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1
fresh lemon (for juice and zest)
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2 tablespoons
corn starch
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1-1/2 cups
packed light brown sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
fresh grated ginger
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2 teaspoons
cinnamon
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1/2 teaspoon
freshly grated nutmeg
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1
egg yolk
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2 tablespoons
coarse sugar
Directions
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In a food processor, pulse the cold butter into the flour until it is coarsely mixed in. (You may also do this by hand with a pastry blender or forks). With your hands, quickly mix in the cold milk until the dough coheres into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
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In a small saucepan, gently bring the rum to a low boil. Add the raisins, remove from heat, cover and allow to stand for 30 minutes.
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Heat oven to 400 F.
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Roll out the dough and use a biscuit cutter (or other round cutter or a wide-mouth drinking glass) to make circles about 3 inches in diameter. Lightly butter muffin tins and line the cups with these small circles. This should fill 18-24 muffin cups depending on size. Cut lattice strips (about 6 for each pie) from the remaining scraps of dough.
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Peel and core the apples. Chop into a small dice, of about 1/2” cube (the exact size is not that important, just know that this isn't the time for big slices of apple). Toss with juice from the lemon.
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In a mixing bowl, combine the cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg, Make sure you eliminate any lumps. Toss the apple cubes, lemon zest and raisins (and any liquid left in the pot) in this mixture.
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Fill each muffin cup with about 1/4 cup of the apple mixture. Top with strips of dough to form a lattice. The weaving of the lattice strips doesn't need to be perfect; the miniature size is very forgiving!
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Brush tops with egg yolk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving. They're great warm, but equally delicious at room temperature.
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