Did you know you can make mini pies in muffin tins? These little pies are as delicious as they are adorable! With a delicately spiced, wonderfully sweet-tart filling, these cute little apple pies with pie crust are the perfect addition to any holiday dessert spread.
Individual apple pies are a fall favorite of mine. The golden brown lattice top takes a little time to achieve, but is attainable for all baking skill levels! Don’t let it intimidate you. If you don’t want to bother with the lattice top, you could also whip up a quick and easy streusel topping. For more apple recipes, try my homemade apple pie recipe, apple crumble pie recipe, and apple muffins recipe!
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Crust — you’ll need 2 disks of homemade pie crust or store-bought pie crust.
Apples — peel, core, and chop about 2 large apples. You will need 2 cups of prepared apples for this mini apple pie recipe. I used Granny Smith apples.
Cinnamon — cinnamon and granulated sugar are all you need to spice and sweeten the apples.
Vanilla extract — use good vanilla extract, not vanilla essence.
Butter — this is a must for a rich pie filling: Cut 3 tablespoons of unsalted cold butter into 24 pieces.
How to Make Mini Apple Pies
1. Add the chopped apples to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the sugar over the apples and stir. Let the apples sit at room temperature for about an hour until liquid is released. Drain the liquid.
2. Add the flour, cinnamon, and vanilla extract to the apples and set aside while you prepare the pie crust.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one pie crust to a ⅛-inch thickness. Cut out 12 circles using a 3 ½-inch round cookie cutter. Gently press each round of dough into a well of a 12-cup muffin tin.
4. Spoon 2 tablespoons of apple mixture into each dough-lined cup.
5. Place 2 pieces of butter onto the apple mixture. Press the butter gently into the apple mixture to create an even layer.
6. Roll out the second pie crust into an approximately 13-inch square. Cut the dough into ½-inch-wide strips and arrange the strips into a large lattice.
7. Cut the lattice into 12 circles using a 2 ½-inch cookie cutter. (You may need to reroll and recut scraps.) Place a lattice circle on the top of each filling and press the edges so they meet the edge of the bottom crust.
8. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and water to make an egg wash. Brush the lattice tops with the egg wash. Bake the pies at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the tops are a beautiful golden brown. Let the mini pies cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes. Then carefully remove them from the pan, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Serve and enjoy!
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
- Cut up the butter in advance to save time. Cutting the butter into 24 small pieces is a little time-consuming, so you can do that ahead of time if you like. Just store the cubes in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
- Allow the apples to release some juices. After mixing the apples with sugar, let them sit for about an hour to release liquid. This will help prevent soggy pies. If you want a little extra zing to the filling, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the apples with the sugar.
- Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of the pies. Before baking the mini pies, you can sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of the lattice for a sweet, crunchy topping.
- Top with a crumb topping instead of pie crust. For something different, swap the lattice top for a simple streusel topping. Like I do in my blueberry muffins recipe, whisk together ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar (or brown sugar), and a pinch of salt. Add ¼ cup of cubed butter to the bowl and crumble the mixture together with clean fingers or a fork. You should end up with a clumpy mixture. Sprinkle the crumb topping over each mini apple pie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tart apples like Granny Smith apples are a classic choice to balance the sweetness of the sugar in this mini apple pies recipe. If you want to add more sweetness to these easy individual apple pies, use a mixture of tart and sweet apples. Some options for sweeter apples are Gala and Honeycrisp. You could even go as sweet as fuji apples.
Yes, peel the apples before chopping them. It only takes an extra minute or two since you don’t need many apples for this recipe. Apple peels get a weird, unpleasant texture when baked.
Mini apple pies last for a few days, so feel free to make them a day or two ahead of when you plan to serve them. You can serve them to your guests at room temperature or pop them into the oven for a few minutes if you prefer them slightly warm.
Apple pies of any size are a dream with a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream. These little pies are equally good with a small dollop of whipped cream. If you’re looking for more sweetness, drizzle a little homemade caramel sauce on top.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I typically set them out of the fridge about an hour before serving so they are closer to room temperature. If I’m feeling cozy, I reheat the pies in the oven for a few minutes so they’re nice and warm.
You can freeze mini apple pies! Once the pies are completely cool, wrap them in a layer or two of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil for extra protection. Store them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw the pies overnight in the refrigerator before digging in.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this mini apple pies recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Mini Apple Pies
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts (homemade or store-bought)
- 2 cups chopped apples peeled and cored (about 2 large apples) (300g)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (66g)
- 2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 24 pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the apples and sugar. Let sit at room temperature until the liquid is released, about 1 hour. Drain, and set aside.
- Roll out the first pie crust to a ⅛-inch thickness, and cut out 12 circles using a 3 ½-inch cookie cutter. Press each dough round into the well of a 12-cup muffin pan.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, and vanilla to the drained apples. Portion 2 tablespoons of apple mixture into each dough-lined cup. Dot the apple mixture with two pieces of butter, pressing butter gently into the apple mixture to create an even layer.
- Roll out the second pie crust into a roughly 13-inch square. Cut the dough into ½-inch-wide strips and shape into a large lattice. Cut the lattice into 12 circles using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter. (Reroll and recut scraps if needed.) Place a lattice circle on the top of each filling, pressing the edges to the edge of the bottom crust.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water until well combined. Brush the lattice tops with egg wash.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the tops are golden brown. Let cool slightly in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the pies from the pan, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Cut up the butter in advance to save time. Cutting the butter into 24 small pieces is a little time-consuming, so you can do that ahead of time if you like. Just store the cubes in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
- Allow the apples to release some juices. After mixing the apples with sugar, let them sit for about an hour to release liquid. This will help prevent soggy pies. If you want a little extra zing to the filling, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the apples with the sugar.
- Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of the pies. Before baking the mini pies, you can sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of the lattice for a sweet, crunchy topping.
- Top with a crumb topping instead of pie crust. For something different, swap the lattice top for a simple streusel topping. Like I do in my blueberry muffins recipe, whisk together ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar (or brown sugar), and a pinch of salt. Add ¼ cup of cubed butter to the bowl and crumble the mixture together with clean fingers or a fork. You should end up with a clumpy mixture. Sprinkle the crumb topping over each mini apple pie.
Marty Massiello says
LOVE these! Big hit tonight as our dessert. Love your site!
Xochitl V. says
Made these for Thanksgiving and they were a hit! I made everything from scratch and it was amazing, hard work but amazing!
Jennifer says
These look amazing!
Dolly says
Hi John!
I just finished baking these and they are superb! Thank you! You are right about the filling. But that gave me an excuse to make another couple of batches! (Haha)
Joy Taney says
Hi John I’m an avid fan of yours and I find your Video tutorials are amazing! I want to try this recipe because they look and taste seemingly awesome.I have a question tho regarding the Egg on your apple filing recipe because I didn’t see you use the egg as you prepare and cooked the filling.More powers to you!!
jkanell says
Hi! The egg wash is to brush the pastry with 🙂
Liv says
Love these 🙂
K says
OBSESSED!!