Name: Mini double-crust apple pies Recipe
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 12
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) butter; 6 large tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar; 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup raisins, rehydrated in rum, another liqueur or juice; 12 unbaked mini pie shells with 12 unbaked top crusts; Prepared egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water); Coarse sugar for dusting, if desired

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By Noelle Carter

Nov. 17, 2012

Short of any family drama, the biggest dilemma most of us face at the holiday table revolves around dessert. Specifically: Which pie do I choose? (Or, rather: Why do I get to try only one?)

Why stop at one? Friends and family, there is a solution: the mini-pie.

At first glance, it looks exactly like a traditional pie ... but miniaturized. Same rich and buttery crust with that tell-tale flake, same flavorful filling. All scaled down, “Mini-Me”-style. It may even have the same artfully crimped edges, only they’re tiny. Delicate even.

Call them what you will -- tiny pies, muffin tin pies, cup-pies (a la the show “Pushing Daisies”) -- they’re essentially pies baked in muffin tins. And you can bake batches at a time.

You don’t need anything fancy to make the cute little guys -- a couple of standard nonstick muffin tins will do, maybe one or two tiny cookie cutters if you want to get fancy. As for ingredients, a single standard pie’s worth of filling and two to three single pie crusts are enough to give you a dozen or so mini-pies.

They make a perfect project. Though mini-pies are a bit more involved than throwing together a standard pie -- you are, of course, forming and filling a bunch of smaller pies rather than one of, well, normal stature -- they are fun to make. Vary the crimping for the crusts, add little lattice tops if you’d like. Use tiny cutouts baked from spare bits of crust to garnish the pies. Let your creative juices flow, albeit on a size-restricted scale.

Probably the only thing more entertaining than actually making the pies is watching your guests gleefully devour them. The little pies are great when you’re planning for company or potlucks. Did I mention holiday dinners? And they make perfect homemade gifts, each treat individually wrapped for family and friends.

Of course, you could just keep a batch all to yourself. No dilemma there.

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4 tablespoons ( ½ stick) butter

6 large tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch pieces

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Scant ½ teaspoon salt

½ cup raisins, rehydrated in rum, another liqueur or juice

12 unbaked mini pie shells with 12 unbaked top crusts

Prepared egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

Coarse sugar for dusting, if desired

Make the filling: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the diced apple, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, and cook, stirring frequently, just until the apple starts to soften, 4 to 5 minutes (the pieces should still be crisp). Remove from heat and stir in the raisins. Spread the apple mixture onto a baking sheet to allow the apples to cool quickly, then cover and refrigerate until needed. The filling can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Fill the pie shells: Brush the edges of each bottom crust with the prepared egg wash and fill with the apple filling, a generous one-fourth cup filling for each shell, carefully packing it in the shell so there are no gaps and mounding the filling slightly in the center. Top the filling with the top crusts (use a knife to cut vent holes in the top crusts if they are not already vented), and brush the top crusts with egg wash. Gently roll the outer edges of each bottom crust inward over the top crust to seal the pies and crimp as desired. Brush with a little more egg wash and dust if desired with a sprinkling of coarse sugar.

Bake the mini pies, one tin at a time, in the center of the oven until the filling is set and the crust is puffed and golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Cool the pies, still in the tins, to room temperature, twisting them gently every few minutes so they do not stick to the pan.

To rehydrate the raisins, place them in a small saucepan and cover with rum, another liqueur or juice, and warm over gentle heat until the raisins are softened and plump. Remove from heat and drain before using.