Mini Apple Pies with Gluten-free Crust

Mini desserts are my favorite because I am a fan of tasting. I don’t need a whole cheesecake, or ice cream sundae; I just want a taste. My second obsession is desserts in jars, but more on that later. I started seeing a lot of mini pies popping up all over food blogs and I was instantly intrigued.

If you are short on time, you can buy a frozen pie crust at the grocery store. One box (2 crusts) will make 6 mini apple pies. The recipe I use for my pie crust is from The Pioneer Woman blog, and by substituting a few ingredients, it is very easy to make a delicious gluten-free crust! Several wonderful friends in my life are gluten-free and it is nice for me to be able to share my desserts with them. Click here for the gluten-free pie crust recipe.

The perfect single serving size!

Apple pie filling
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman and Food Family Finds

7-8 medium apples, peeled and sliced

Juice from 1 lemon

2 tbsp All purpose gluten-free flour

1/2 C Granulated sugar

1/2 C Packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Apple pie spice

1 tbsp Maple syrup

Peel and slice your apples into small pieces; about the size of a dime. Remember that you are putting these into muffin tins, so the smaller the pieces, the more filling you can have. Squeeze the juice from a whole lemon over the apples.
Add all of your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and apple pie spice.

The smaller you dice the apples, the more you can fit in your pie!

Mix all ingredients well and then add maple syrup.

I love maple syrup! Especially from Vermont 🙂

Using a sauce pan on medium high heat, cook the apples for about 10 minutes until they begin to brown and bubble. Let it cool for at least 5 minutes.

Resist the urge to just eat the apples!

Once your pie filling is ready, roll out your crust at least ¼” thick. You don’t want the crust to be too thin, because the crust is very delicate. Cut out a large circle, approximately 4 ¼” in diameter. I use circle cookie cutters, but you can use any rounded cutter. You may have to play around to find the right size to fit into your muffin pan. Fold the circles into your pan. Note that I usually do not grease the pan or use paper liners.

Fold dough into muffin pan

Fill each crust to the top of the pan. I try and not fill them too much, because it makes it harder to remove.

Space out your apple pies in the tin

Next, you will need to cut the tops of the pie crust, about 2 5/8” in diameter. Place over top of filling, pressing the edges together.

Cut the tops for the crust

I like to use mini cookie cutter shapes to make pie toppers. Then I brush my pies with an egg wash to make the top of the pie brown nicely as it cooks. This step is optional. I lightly beat an egg and brush it over the top of the pie crust, just a light coating. I also like to sprinkle some coarse sugar on top.

Decorate the tops of your crust any way you like!

Your pies are ready for baking!

Bake at 425° F for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Let cool in the tin for at least 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pies before removing from the pan.

These are best served warm with a side of vanilla bean ice cream! I like to save the juices from the cooked apples and reheat for 5 minutes. I store it in an airtight container and serve it as a syrup over my ice cream and pie; or I just eat it with a spoon. I can’t wait to make these for Thanksgiving! Enjoy!