Apple Pie Bites

For the pastry:
In a large bowl, whisk together both flours and salt. Using a pastry cutter, mix in the shortening and the butter. You want to keep mixing until the dough resembles peas and cornmeal.

Add iced water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork, until the dough comes together. You want the dough to start pulling together well, but not be at all wet. (Note: You want the dough to come together with the least amount of water possible to ensure that it is flaky. You should also try to handle it quickly and gently so as not to melt all the butter.) Work it into a ball, cut the ball in half, work each half into a disk and then wrap it it wax paper or plastic wrap. Let the disk rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

For the filling:
Peel, core and dice your apples (1″ dice or smaller is best). Add the diced apples to a bowl waiting with the lemon juice. Swish them around with every addition of apple.

In a small bowl, mix all the dry ingredients except the brown sugar. Pour the flour mixture over the apples and mix well.

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or deep pot. Add the apple mixture and then pour over the brown sugar and mix it in. Cover the pot and let it simmer, on medium low, until the apples are cooked through (about 20 minutes for me). Stir often so as not to burn the sugars.

If your chunks are too big, break the whole mixture up a bit with an immersion blender. Large apple pieces tend to break the top pie crust.

For the final assembly:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Use a 2″ cookie cutter to cut the bottom of the pie bites. I used a 2 1/2″ cookie cutter to cut the top. I found it was easier than trying to stretch the 2″ but you can use either. Lay the circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment. (Note: I found the dough would get too warm to deal with quickly, so I would cut 12 or so circles and set them on the tray, then put the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes before trying to release the circles. I got 24 circles from each ball of dough, cutting 12 and then re-rolling.)

Fill each circle with 1 teaspoon of filling. Spread egg wash around the outside rim, them top with the larger circle. Use a fork to crimp the sides and seal the pies. Cover with the egg wash and poke a couple of vent holes in each pie.

If you are not sending them to a school that cares about sugar, dust the top of each pie with some sugar in the raw or other large crystal sugar. Bake the pies for 15-20 minutes looking for them to be golden brown. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the tray, then transfer them to a cooling rack.