Apple Cup Pies

January 12, 2011

I’ve been dying to make these cute cup pies for a while now. After delivering 400 scrumptious cookies to a wedding on Saturday, I found myself bitten by the baking bug and came straight back to the kitchen to whip some of these babies up. While I’m a pro at eating pie, I’m a total newbie at making it so I consulted one of my fave food blogs, Smitten Kitchen, for the perfect pie crust recipe.

Pie Crust from SK blog

All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough

Makes enough dough for one double, or two single-crust pies. (Or, in my case, enough for just over 24 mini cup pies)

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces, 16 tablespoons or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold

Gather your ingredients: Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a large bowl — I like to use a very wide one, so I can get my hands in — whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Dice two sticks (8 ounces or 1 cup) of very cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch pieces. Get out your pastry blender.

Make your mix: Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and begin working them in with the pastry blender, using it to scoop and redistribute the mixture as needed so all parts are worked evenly. When all of the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas — this won’t take long — stop. Yes, even if it looks uneven; you’ll thank me later.

Glue it together: Start by drizzling 1/2 cup of the ice-cold water (but not the cubes, if there are any left!) over the butter and flour mixture. Using a rubber or silicon spatula, gather the dough together. You’ll probably need an additional 1/4 cup of cold water to bring it together, but add it a tablespoon as a time. Once you’re pulling large clumps with the spatula, take it out and get your hands in there (see how that big bowl comes in handy?). Gather the disparate damp clumps together into one mound, kneading them gently together.

Pack it up: Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. I like to use the sides to pull in the dough and shape it into a disk. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out.

Do ahead: Dough will keep in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer longer. If not using it that day, wrap it in additional layers of plastic wrap to protect it from fridge/freezer smells. To defrost your dough, move it to the fridge for one day before using it.

For the filling, you’ll need:

4 large apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
~~4 tsp sugar~~ Correction: 4 tablespoons sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
4 tsp flour

Equipment:
2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter
~~muffin pan~~ Mini cupcake pan (the kind with 24 cups)

Directions:

Combine your diced apples, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg and flour in a bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly butter the insides and around the top rim of your muffin cups

Take the dough and roll it out to about 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use the biscuit cutter to cut out 24 circles. (you might have to re-roll the dough to get all the circles cut)

Make the cup pie bottoms by pressing 24 of the circles of dough down into the muffin cups, firmly pressing with your fingers to line the cup evenly (the dough will fold a bit on the sides, but just mold it with your fingers to follow the surface of the muffin cup.) You want some of the dough to come up above the surface of the muffin cup.

Divide the apple filling among each of the cup pie bottoms.

For the top crust layer, I decided to create strips for a lattice top. You can cover the pies up completely, creating a traditional fluted edge by pinching the dough together with your fingers. If using this method, make sure you create a few slits to allow some steam to escape.

Brush the tops of your pies with egg wash (whisk one egg with one tablespoon water).

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly browned, turning once to ensure even cooking.