Roll the pie crusts out to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using a 3.5-inch cookie cutter (or a cup) cut out 12 circles from the pie crusts. Re-roll any scrap pieces of pie dough as needed to cut out the circles.
Place each circle of pie crust in each cavity of a standard 12-count muffin pan. Gently press the dough down and around the sides, making sure the dough fits snuggly in each cavity of the muffin pan. Transfer the muffin pan and any leftover pie crust dough to the refrigerator while you make the filling.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the chopped apples, sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and ground nutmeg until fully combined.
Remove the muffin pan from the refrigerator and evenly distribute the apple pie filling (about 3 tablespoons) between all of the cavities in the muffin pan.
Dice the tablespoon of butter into 12 small pieces and place one piece on top of the filling in each pie.
Remove the extra pie dough from the refrigerator, cut out your designs for the tops of the pies, and place them on top.
Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until the pie crust is lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove the mini pies from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Storage Instructions: Store any leftover mini apple pies in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave before serving.
These Mini Apple Pies are easy to make and filled with a simple homemade apple pie filling. The perfect mini dessert for fall!
If you’ve been around for a while, you may recognize these adorable mini apple pies! I originally shared this recipe in 2017 and since then it’s become a reader favorite, especially around Thanksgiving.
Just like with my carrot cake recipe, I decided it was time to give this recipe a little update. I’ve included more step-by-step photos and tips and tricks to ensure that these mini apple pies turn out perfect for you!
I promise this is one recipe you will want to keep on hand for the upcoming holidays. And besides, mini desserts are just better than regular desserts. Right?
The ingredient list for these pies is surprisingly short and simple. It’s very similar to my classic apple pie recipe, but scaled down.
These Mini Apple Pies are easy to make and filled with a simple homemade apple pie filling. The perfect mini dessert for fall!
If you’ve been around for a while, you may recognize these adorable mini apple pies! I originally shared this recipe in 2017 and since then it’s become a reader favorite, especially around Thanksgiving.
Just like with my carrot cake recipe, I decided it was time to give this recipe a little update. I’ve included more step-by-step photos and tips and tricks to ensure that these mini apple pies turn out perfect for you!
I promise this is one recipe you will want to keep on hand for the upcoming holidays. And besides, mini desserts are just better than regular desserts. Right?
What You Need
The ingredient list for these pies is surprisingly short and simple. It’s very similar to my classic apple pie recipe, but scaled down.
Here’s a quick overview of what you will need:
Pie Crust: You’ll need two pie crusts for this recipe. You can either use my homemade pie crust recipe or buy a box of pie crusts from the store.
Apples: I prefer to use a mix of sweet and tart apples, so I used Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples in this recipe. Some other great options are Braeburn, Fuji, or Pink Lady apples.
Sugar: To keep things simple this recipe uses just 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Feel free to use light or dark brown sugar if you prefer though.
All-Purpose Flour: This helps to thicken the apple pie filling. Make sure that you measure your flour correctly, otherwise you can end up with a dry filling.
Vanilla: This adds a little more flavor. I highly recommend sticking with pure vanilla extract, imitation vanilla does not taste nearly as good.
Spices: There’s a blend of cinnamon and nutmeg in this recipe. If you prefer more spices, feel free to adjust to your personal preference!
Butter: This ingredient is technically optional, but I’ve since added it to this recipe to add a little more moisture and flavor to the filling.
How To Make Mini Apple Pies
Prepare The Pie Crust
Roll the pie crusts out on a lightly floured surface until they are about 1/8-inch thick. Then, use a 3.5-inch cookie cutter (or a cup) to cut out 12 circles from the pie crusts. If you don’t have a circle cookie cutter that is the right size, just measure some glasses you have at your house and use that instead.
Press each circle of pie crust into 12 cavities of a regular muffin pan. You want the crust to fit in the bottom and snuggly around the sides. Transfer the pan and any leftover pie crust to the fridge while you prepare the filling. This will keep your pie crust cold and ensure that it turns out nice and flaky!
Make The Apple Pie Filling
Add your chopped apples, sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and ground nutmeg to a large mixing bowl and stir until the apples are fully coated in the mixture.
Remove the muffin pan from the refrigerator and spoon about 3 tablespoons of the filling into each pie crust. If adding the butter, go ahead and dice it into 12 small pieces and place one piece on top of each one.
Assemble and Bake
If you have any leftover pie crust, you can use that to add some decorations on top of the mini pies. I like to use it to make a simple lattice topping. In other words, no weaving. You could also cut out some cute pie crust decorations with small cookie cutters. If you want to make these a little more intricate, I have a post that shows you how to make a lattice pie crust.
Bake for 18 to 23 minutes at 425°F or until the pie crust is lightly golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.
Let the pies cool for 10 to 15 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove them and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (or until they’re cool enough to eat!).
Baking Tips
Pie crust has quite a bit of fat in it, so it won’t stick to a muffin pan. Feel free to grease your pan with some nonstick cooking spray or butter if you’re worried about them sticking.
You can make these just a bit easier and completely leave the top off and they still taste just fine! I personally love to serve these with a little scoop of ice cream and salted caramel sauce on top.
If the tops of your pies brown too much before the filling is cooked, place a piece of foil over the pan until it’s done.
I personally skip using an egg wash on top of these pies. If you prefer to add one, whisk together one egg with 1 tablespoon of milk and brush it over the top of the pie crust.
If you need to reheat the pies, microwave them in 20 to 30 second increments or heat in the oven at 300°F until warmed through.
