APPLE CRUMB PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place sliced apples in a large bowl; sprinkle with lemon juice, if desired. In a small bowl, mix together white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over apples and toss until apple slices are evenly coated. Stir in raisins and walnuts (optional). Transfer mixture into pastry shell.
• In a small bowl ,mix together 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over apple filling. Cover top loosely with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

MINI APPLE PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Cut 4 6-inch rounds out of the pie crusts, and fit them into 4 5-inch mini pie dishes. Cut remaining pie crust into 1/8-inch strips, and set dough aside.
• In a bowl, mix the diced apple, tapioca, sugar, lemon juice, nutmeg, and cinnamon until thoroughly combined; allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes to soften the tapioca. Stir the mixture again, and spoon into the pie shells. Use the strips of dough to weave a small lattice crust on top of each pie, and pinch the strips onto the bottom crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the pies are browned and the filling is thickened and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Cool before serving.

MINI APPLE CRUMBLE PIES

Steps:

• First, stew the apples:
• Peel, core and finely chop (1-2 cm cubes) the apples and put in a small saucepan with a lid.
• Add the water and caster sugar, cover and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to allow them to stew while you make the bases. Keep an eye on how soft they are becoming, they should be ready in about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat when they resemble apple crumble filling.
• To make the bases:
• Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF, gas mark 4). Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then gradually beat in the egg.
• Mix the flour and cinnamon, then sift into the batter. Finally add the oats and fold it all together.
• Grease a 12-hole mince pie tin and use a tablespoon to divide the base mix evenly between them. Put to one side while you make the topping.
• To make the topping:
• In a mixing bowl, use your fingers to crumble together the butter and flour, until they form crumbs.
• Add the sugar and crumble it into the butter and flour until the whole mix resembles fine crumbs.
• Assemble and bake:
• Flatten each spoonfull of batter, and use your finger or the back of a spoon to make an indent in each base.
• Use a teaspoon to add the stewed apple to form a small mound on top. Leave 1-2mm of batter visible at the edges beneath the apple. Spoon the crumble topping over each pie to cover the apple and base.
• Bake for 10–15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack with the aid of a rubber spatula.
• Serve warm, if possible.

TINY APPLE PIES WITH CRUMBLE TOPPING

Steps:

• Cream butter and cream cheese together. Once well combined, add flour and work into dough by hand or by mixer. Chill dough for about one hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling by combining the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Allow the apple mixture to sit and flavors to meld.
• Combine flour, brown sugar, and nutmeg into a small bowl, stirring well. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
• When dough is ready, preheat oven to 400°F.
• Divide dough into 24 small balls and press into the bottom and up the sides of the cups in a miniature muffin pan.
• Fill each crust with apple filling - this should rise a little above each cup, as the apples will settle a bit during baking. If you have extra juice in the bottom of the bowl when you've used up the apples, divide that up throughout the cups too.
• Top each pie with crumble topping.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes. Filling will be bubbly and top a light golden brown when ready.