Mini Bite-Sized Apple Pies

To make pie dough:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add your spooned and leveled flour, salt and sugar.

2. With your mixer on medium to medium-low, add your cold cubed butter, one square at a time. When all the butter has been added you’ll want to see a sand-like texture with a few lumps of butter the size of peas.

3. Turn your mixer down to low and slowly add your ice water (omitting ice!) little by little until the dough just comes together and starts to pull away from the bowl (DO NOT OVERMIX). Depending on where you live and the weather the day you do this, your water amount could possibly change. You may need a little more, maybe a tiny less. Just add a little at a time until you achieve desired look. As soon as it does this, STOP mixing! You can easily over mix, which will result in a less flaky crust.

4. Pull dough out of bowl onto a floured surface and gently pat together into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in your refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

5. When the dough has chilled, pull out of fridge and roll out on a floured surface until you have a circle about 1/8″-1/4″ thick. Using a 2.5” circle cutter, cut out 24 circles. Take your (24-count) mini muffin or cupcake pan and push circles of dough down into tins using end of dowel (or your fingers). Do not line the pan with liners. You do not need to grease pan either. I added little mini liners after the pies had baked and cooled for a fancy effect. If you’re nervous, you can very lightly grease the pan but make sure it’s light. Make sure to really press dough down into the bottom of tins! This will make a flat bottom and allow the pies to sit on a counter or platter by themselves.

6. Once all the circles of dough are in the tins, set the pan in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.

To make pie filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In a bowl mix together tiny squares of apples, vanilla sugar, brandy, vanilla extract, lemon zest, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and salt.

3. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of filling into the dough cups (or until filling reaches top of dough) and top with tiny dollop of unsalted butter.
* Optional: Left over dough? Make little lattices! These are totally yummy with no crust on the top, as well! Or you could even make some crumb topping and top with that instead!

4. Place cupcake tin on a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake at 350 F for approximately 12-15 minutes. Check after about 10 minutes. You’re looking for a crispy golden brown crust and bubbling filling.

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 10-15 minutes.

Notes:
– These can store in an airtight container in fridge for up to one week. When wanting to serve just allow them to first come to room temp.
– These can freeze in an airtight container for up to a month.
– These can store in an air tight container room temperature for 2 days.