Bite sized apple pie that will bring joy to any occasion.
Who doesn't love bite sized treats? These mini apple pies are perfect for celebrating holidays all year long, from Thanksgiving and Christmas to 4th of July and Memorial Day.
Made in a mini muffin pan, they're truly bite-sized and decorated with festive star cut-outs that make them extra fun for patriotic holidays. You can even sprinkle the stars with gold sugar and make them for Christmas!
I've always loved mini desserts, especially mini pies. They're perfectly portioned for when you just want a little something sweet, and they look beautiful on a dessert table. Some of my favorites are my mini ganache pies and mini strawberry tarts.
Why You'll Love These MIni Apple Pies
- Perfectly bite sized: bake in a mini muffin pan for true two-bite desserts.
- Festive for any holiday: star cut puts make them perfect for summer holidays (and even Christmas!) while warm spices feel right at home in fall and winter.
- Easy to customize: swap in different shapes for different occasions hearts for Valentine's Day, leaves for fall)
- Make ahead friendly: prep them in advance and bake straight from the freezer.
Whether you serve them at Thanksgiving dinner or a July 4th cookout, these little pies bring all the cozy apple pie flavor in a party ready size.
Ingredients for Mini Apple Pies
Equipment Note: I used a mini muffin pan to make these adorable treats. Many other mini apple pie recipes use regular sized muffin tins, but these are truly bite sized.
These mini pies use simple ingredients you probably already have:
- Pie Crust: Use store bought for convenience or make my flaky homemade pie crust. If you use my recipe, double the recipe so you'll have enough for both bottoms and decorative tops.
- Apples: I like Gala for sweetness or Granny Smith for tartness. A mix of both is always delicious.
- Butter: Adds richness and helps apples cook down.
- Warm Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg. A pinch of cardamom or ginger for added flavor is optional.
- Sugar: Use both types. Brown sugar gives a deeper caramel taste, while granulated sugar keeps it lighter.
How to Make Mini Apple Pies
To make bite sized apple pies, you will need to cut out circles of pie dough to fit your mini muffin pan. A circular cookie cutter or anything you can trace around such as a glass or jar lid will do for you to measure the circles.
I suggest a 2.5 inch diameter sized circle but you may need to adjust because the diameter of pans might vary. I suggest cutting one out and testing the size in your pan. It should sit in the bottom and reach right up to the top edge.
Prepare the filling by peeling and chopping apples into small pieces. Toss with sugar and spices. I let the chopped apple pieces macerate with all the spices, sugar and lemon first and then sautee it with butter until the apple pieces are soft but still hold a shape.
Precooking the apples is important because mini pies bake quickly. Basically, the crust might burn before the apples finish cooking because they are so tiny compared to a full sized pie.
Once the apple filling is ready, you can fill your crusts. Any leftover dough can be re-rolled and used to decorate the top with dough cut outs. I used a star cookie cutter on these because I was going for a patriotic theme.
The stars bake up beautifully golden and make these pies perfect for patriotic holidays like the 4th of July. For Thanksgiving or Christmas, try leaf or snowflake cutouts instead. You can even cut strips and lay down a traditional lattice top!
Make the Ahead and Freezer Tips
Mini apple pies can be prepared a day in advance. Follow the recipe all the way up to the baking step. Wrap the whole prepared muffin pan tightly in plastic and store it in the freezer. Unwrap and bake straight from the freezer. Just add a minutes two extra to the bake time.
Leftover baked pies keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven to refresh.
Serving Ideas for the Holidays
- Thanksgiving and Christmas: Add them to your dessert buffet alongside mini pumpkin cheesecakes and mini pecan pie for a variety of options.
- 4th of July and Memorial Day: The star shaped tops make these extra festive. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
These mini pies fit right in whether you're setting out a big holiday spread or looking for a small sweet bite to end every meal.
Mini Apple Pies
Who doesn't love bite sized treats? These mini apple pies are perfect for any occasion and are so simple to make!
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts
- 4 gala apples, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbs lemon juice.
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- In a medium sized bowl, toss the apple pieces with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar and lemon juice until well coated. Set aside.
- Roll out the pie crust dough to ⅛ inch thickness. Using a circle cutter (or a jar lid or rim of a glass) cut out 24 circles approximately 2.5 inches wide. (You may need to re-roll the dough to get enough circles)
- Place the circles in each mini muffin tin compartment, lightly pressing the dough onto the bottom and sides. Refrigerate while you cook the apples.
- In a small skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter. Add the apple mixture, cover and gently and frequently stir over medium to low heat. Cook until the apples are tender but still hold their shape. Let the apple mixture cool completely.
- Fill each dough lined muffin tin with the apple pie filling.
- Re-roll the excess dough and cut out shapes to place on top of the apples. Try stars, hearts, leaves or strips to make a lattice.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pie crust is a golden brown. Let the pan cool for 10 minutes and then remove the pies from the pan.
Notes
Prep Time: Time noted above is based on using ready made crusts.
Make Ahead: These pies can be prepared a day in advance. Wrap the whole prepared muffin pan in plastic and store it in the freezer. Unwrap and bake straight from the freezer!
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