Mini Apple Pies
These Mini Apple Pies are easy to make and filled with a simple homemade apple pie filling. The perfect mini dessert for fall!
If you’ve been around for a while, you may recognize these adorable mini apple pies! I originally shared this recipe in 2017 and since then it’s become a reader favorite, especially around Thanksgiving.
Just like with my carrot cake recipe, I decided it was time to give this recipe a little update. I’ve included more step-by-step photos and tips and tricks to ensure that these mini apple pies turn out perfect for you!
I promise this is one recipe you will want to keep on hand for the upcoming holidays. And besides, mini desserts are just better than regular desserts. Right?
What You Need
The ingredient list for these pies is surprisingly short and simple. It’s very similar to my classic apple pie recipe, but scaled down.
Here’s a quick overview of what you will need:
- Pie Crust: You’ll need two pie crusts for this recipe. You can either use my homemade pie crust recipe or buy a box of pie crusts from the store.
- Apples: I prefer to use a mix of sweet and tart apples, so I used Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples in this recipe. Some other great options are Braeburn, Fuji, or Pink Lady apples.
- Sugar: To keep things simple this recipe uses just 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Feel free to use light or dark brown sugar if you prefer though.
- All-Purpose Flour: This helps to thicken the apple pie filling. Make sure that you measure your flour correctly, otherwise you can end up with a dry filling.
- Vanilla: This adds a little more flavor. I highly recommend sticking with pure vanilla extract, imitation vanilla does not taste nearly as good.
- Spices: There’s a blend of cinnamon and nutmeg in this recipe. If you prefer more spices, feel free to adjust to your personal preference!
- Butter: This ingredient is technically optional, but I’ve since added it to this recipe to add a little more moisture and flavor to the filling.
How To Make Mini Apple Pies
Prepare The Pie Crust
- Roll the pie crusts out on a lightly floured surface until they are about 1/8-inch thick. Then, use a 3.5-inch cookie cutter (or a cup) to cut out 12 circles from the pie crusts. If you don’t have a circle cookie cutter that is the right size, just measure some glasses you have at your house and use that instead.
- Press each circle of pie crust into 12 cavities of a regular muffin pan. You want the crust to fit in the bottom and snuggly around the sides. Transfer the pan and any leftover pie crust to the fridge while you prepare the filling. This will keep your pie crust cold and ensure that it turns out nice and flaky!
Make The Apple Pie Filling
- Add your chopped apples, sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and ground nutmeg to a large mixing bowl and stir until the apples are fully coated in the mixture.
- Remove the muffin pan from the refrigerator and spoon about 3 tablespoons of the filling into each pie crust. If adding the butter, go ahead and dice it into 12 small pieces and place one piece on top of each one.
Assemble and Bake
- If you have any leftover pie crust, you can use that to add some decorations on top of the mini pies. I like to use it to make a simple lattice topping. In other words, no weaving. You could also cut out some cute pie crust decorations with small cookie cutters. If you want to make these a little more intricate, I have a post that shows you how to make a lattice pie crust.
- Bake for 18 to 23 minutes at 425°F or until the pie crust is lightly golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.
- Let the pies cool for 10 to 15 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove them and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (or until they’re cool enough to eat!).
Storage & Freezing Instructions
These will keep just fine in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, you can store them in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
To freeze them: Wrap each pie tightly with plastic wrap and freeze in a large freezer bag/container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or place on the counter several hours ahead of time to bring them to room temperature.
Baking Tips
- Pie crust has quite a bit of fat in it, so it won’t stick to a muffin pan. Feel free to grease your pan with some nonstick cooking spray or butter if you’re worried about them sticking.
- You can make these just a bit easier and completely leave the top off and they still taste just fine! I personally love to serve these with a little scoop of ice cream and salted caramel sauce on top.
- If the tops of your pies brown too much before the filling is cooked, place a piece of foil over the pan until it’s done.
- I personally skip using an egg wash on top of these pies. If you prefer to add one, whisk together one egg with 1 tablespoon of milk and brush it over the top of the pie crust.
- If you need to reheat the pies, microwave them in 20 to 30 second increments or heat in the oven at 300°F until warmed through.
Even More Apple Recipes To Try This Fall!
- Apple Crisp
- Apple Crumble Pie
- Apple Bread (with cinnamon sugar topping!)
- Homemade Apple Fritters
- Apple Hand Pies
Mini Apple Pies
These Mini Apple Pies are easy to make and filled with a simple homemade apple pie filling. The perfect mini dessert for fall!
Ingredients
Servings: 12 mini pies
- 2 pie crusts homemade or store-bought
- 2 ½ cups chopped apples (315 grams)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour measured correctly (15 grams)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (15 grams) optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Roll the pie crusts out to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using a 3.5-inch cookie cutter (or a cup) cut out 12 circles from the pie crusts. Re-roll any scrap pieces of pie dough as needed to cut out the circles.
- Place each circle of pie crust in each cavity of a standard 12-count muffin pan. Gently press the dough down and around the sides, making sure the dough fits snuggly in each cavity of the muffin pan. Transfer the muffin pan and any leftover pie crust dough to the refrigerator while you make the filling.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the chopped apples, sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and ground nutmeg until fully combined.
- Remove the muffin pan from the refrigerator and evenly distribute the apple pie filling (about 3 tablespoons) between all of the cavities in the muffin pan.
- Dice the tablespoon of butter into 12 small pieces and place one piece on top of the filling in each pie.
- Remove the extra pie dough from the refrigerator, cut out your designs for the tops of the pies, and place them on top.
- Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until the pie crust is lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove the mini pies from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Storage Instructions: Store any leftover mini apple pies in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave before serving.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.
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Can I use puff pastry for this recipe ?
I would suggest sticking with pie crust for this recipe. I do have an apple turnover recipe on my site that uses puff pastry though.
Can these pies be frozen and cooked at a later date? Also, cook before freezing or freeze uncooked
I haven’t tried freezing them uncooked, but I think they would freeze just fine once they’re cooked. You can thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and then just warm them up some in the oven.
It says 2 pie crusts and cut out 12 wouldn’t you need 2 muffin tins or is the extra pie crust to put on top of the 12?
I usually need the extra crust to get the last 2-3 circles. But yes, the extra is for the topping too.
Should you spray the muffin tins before you put the pie dough in
You can if you want to, but pie crust has a lot of fat in it so it won’t stick to the pan.
I made these!!!! Awesome easy and delicious!!!
Just made these are in the oven although I did not pinch my tops on , Hopefully they stick .
Hope the pies turned out great for you, Mona!
Can you freeze these?
Yes, absolutely! Once they’ve cooled, you can store them in a freezer bag/container for up to 3 months and thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.
I made them. I think the circle needs to be a bit larger. So it would look better or like yours. I also think my nutmeg was yucky. Cause it smelled strange not like apple pie. To hot to try right now but i will. How do you know if nutmeg is gone bad? Going to di strawberry rhubarb after the hurricane.?
Does your nutmeg have an expiration date on the bottle? I would check there and see 🙂 Hope you enjoyed the mini pies!
Thinking of making these for a bake sale.. do you think if I use cupcake papers/ foil i would have good results? I want to to be easy grab and go without messy.
I think it would probably be okay to use them!
I was wondering if I needed to precook the pie crusts as it suggests in your pie crust recipe, or if because they are so small there is no need to cook them before. Thank you so much and the recipe sounds great!:))
There’s no need to precook the pie crust since these are so small 🙂
Great recipe- absolutely delicious! I made them to eat tomorrow. Is it ok to keep in an air tight container on the counter over night? Or does it have to be refrigerated?
Yes, it’s fine to leave them at room temperature!
Do you need to peel the apples?
I prefer to peel them for this recipe.
I made these and they were perfect and delicious! I didn’t have a cookie cutter so just used a wide-mouthed mason jar which worked fine. The circles were a little smaller but it didn’t really impact the pies. I only used half of the filling because I filled half the circles with a different type of pie, so I’m planning on making the rest later. I also did it at just 415 for about 20 min (lower temp for the other pie filling which was a spinach ricotta deal) and it still turned out perfect. A great recipe to make yourself feel super fancy. What’s better than eating tiny apple pies??
I made these for our Church’s roast beef dinner. Amazing! So simple.. I used Pillsbury ready to bake crusts. A wide mouth Mason jar lid.is 3 1/2 inches and was perfect to cut the crusts with. I used granulated Swerve sweetener and GF ( Bob’s Red Mill) flour and they were so good! I’ll be making them again!
Can you make these in mini pie tins for easy serving? Im having these at my daughters first birthday (Apple themed) and love the look of the mini pie tins
I think that would be fine! You may need to adjust the baking time depending on the size of them.
Can you freeze these?
Yes, absolutely! Just thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Absolutely delicious! Chopped apples into 1/4 inch pieces. Doubled the filling for mounded tops. Used a wide glass that matched size specified to cut circles. Thanks for a terrific recipe!
How many apples would you say equal to 2 and half cups?
About 2 large or 3 medium apples.
Could I make these up the day before but not bake them until the next day just before my event?
I haven’t tried it, but I’m not sure that the apples would hold up well sitting overnight.
I mix apple pie filling and freeze it in gallon sized freezer bags. It gets juicy but works great. I tend to make 6 to 12 pies for friends during the holidays.
Can I still make this in an oven that only goes up to 350
That would probably be fine, you’ll just need to increase the baking time.
Hi Danielle!
Do you happen to have the nutritional information? I’m making these for Ghanksgiving and my 15 yr old is T1D. Thank you!
Hi, Suzanne! I’m not sure about the nutritional information and would hate to give any incorrect information too, since it will vary some depending on the pie crust/apples/etc. that you use. I would recommend plugging in everything you use into an app or online calculator to get a more accurate estimate.
OMG! these are adorable! So yummy! Thanks for the recipe! Just for others who want to try, I did it without the top crust and after out of the oven, i put warm honey+vanilla mix on top for a homey taste! Try it, its GREAT!
I made these as a test run for my daughter’s wedding. They were very dry. Did I miss something? The reviews are so good, but there is NO liquid and they are just so dry.
They shouldn’t be dry. When you were scooping the apple filling into the pie crusts, did you leave a lot of the juice in the bowl? That could cause the filling to be very dry.
Can you use a can of apple pie filling? Should I prebake the bottom first as the apples are already cooked?
You can use apple pie filling, no need to pre-bake the bottom of the pie crusts either.
Can I use fresh pears instead of apples
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work.
You think I could use peaches or rhubarb?
That would probably be fine.
How many calories are in the mini apple pies and the mini pecan pies? Thanks
I’m not sure on the nutritional information, but you can plug the ingredients and amounts into an online calculator to get an estimate.
I don’t have muffin pans, only cupcake tins. Would this work?
That would be fine.
By 2 pie crusts, does that mean I can use 1 double pie crust recipe? Also, is the nutmeg required?
Yes, you can use a double pie crust recipe. You can omit the nutmeg too.
Brown sugar okay instead of granulated white sugar?
Yes, that’s fine.
Truly worth the try. I loved it. Thanks for sharing.