the very best apple cutie pies

How To Make the very best apple cutie pies

• 1

  Preheat oven to 375. Put a rack in center of oven. Spray cups of muffin pan with nonstick spray.
• 2

  To make filling, peel, core and cut apples into 1/2 inch cubes.
• 3

  In small bowl, mix together cornstarch, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt
• 4

  IN large bowl, mix apples and cornstarch mixture, tossing to make sure apples are well coated.
• 5

  To make crust follow butter crust recipe and roll out the dough per the instructions
• 6

  Cut 16 (5 1./2 inch diameter) circles from dough. Reroll dough scraps to make all the circles and avoid overhandling the dough.
• 7

  Gently but firmly press each dough circle into muffin cup. For the edges, use a fold, tuck and crimp method for each cutie pie. Spoon filling evenly into cutie pie shells and set aside. If using crumb topping, follow crumb topping directions. Sprinkle it over apple filling. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes til crust is golden brown. To see whether the bottom is golden, too, use a butter knife to pop a cutie pie out of a muffin cup. If bottom is not brown, bake a few minutes longer. If pie top is browning too quickly. cover with foil for the final few minutes. After each cutie pie is cool, top with vanilla ice cream if desired.
• 8

  All Butter Pie Crust 2 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, 2 sticks 3/4 cup ice water In large bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar. Mix well. Add butter to the flour mixture and mix gently with pastry blender, a fork or your hands. The goal is to lightly incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients. The butter pieces should be well coated with the dry mixture and somewhat flattened. Gradually add the water to flour mixer, 1 Tbsp. at a time, and continue mixing dough til it comes together and forms pea sized or crouton sized crumbs. The dough should look like coarse individual pieces, not smooth and beaten together like cookie dough. With your hands, gather the dough crumbs together to form 2 patties, gently molding crumb like mixture into a patty shape and being careful not to over handle the dough. Wrap each patty in plastic wrap. Chill dough for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. The dough can also be frozen for up to 2 weeks. When you’re ready to use the dough, let it sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes to soften it and make it workable. On lightly floured surface, roll out each of the 2 dough patties to about 1/4 inch thickness, lightly dusting it with flour, if needed to prevent sticking and making sure to roll dough evenly. Makes 1 double crust 9 inch pie, 2 single crust 9 inch pies, 16 cutie pies, 36 petit-5’s, 8 pie jars 10 flipsides or 50 piepops.
• 9

  Crumb Top ½ cup flour 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 3 Tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. cinnamon ½ cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½ inch cubes, 1 stick ¼ cup rolled oats In large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. Add butter to flour mixture and mix thoroughly with pastry blender, fork or your fingers til texture is like small peas. Add rolled oats and mix to create a crumbly consistency. Sprinkle crumb topping over a pie, cutie pies or Petit-5’s before baking
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