Mini Puff Pastry Apple Pies are the most adorable and delicious little muffin tin apple pies that bake in about 30 minutes. Made with easy homemade apple pie filling and cinnamon crumble topping, they have all the flavors of warm Dutch apple pie in a perfectly flaky crust.
Jump to:
- Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Tips for Working with Puff Pastry
- How to Make Puff Pastry Mini Apple Pies
- Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
- Make Ahead
- Expert Tips
- FAQs
- Stuff I Use
- More Delicious Recipe Ideas
- Let's Stay in Touch
- Mini Apple Pies with Puff Pastry (Muffin Tin Recipe)
- Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
From the moment the first autumn leaf twirls to the ground, it's apple dessert season. Apple crisp, apple coffee cake, apple cobbler ... we love them all.
But if you're craving warm apple pie, but don't feel like making a whole dang pie -- or, let's face it: pie crust -- these individual puff pastry apple pies are the perfect treat.
These mini puff pastry Dutch apple pies have a not-too-sweet apple filling and buttery crumb topping in easy store-bought puff pastry pie crusts.
Best part? They bake in a fraction of the time of regular homemade apple pie.
And anytime we can speed up getting warm apple pie on our plates is a very good thing.
Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
Delicious mini pies filled with classic apple pie flavors
Simple recipe with store-bought puff pastry, so you don't have to make pie crust!
Individual pies are perfect for Thanksgiving or special occasions -- everyone gets their own apple pie!
Ingredients
Puff pastry dough. Flaky puff pastry makes the perfect pie crust for these mini apple crumble tarts. I use frozen Pepperidge Farms puff pastry sheets, but you can also use homemade puff pastry dough.
Fresh apples. I use Gala apples and Granny Smith apples for a mixture of sweet and tart flavors. I also like to bake with Pink Lady and Honeycrisp apples.
Brown sugar. The caramelly molasses flavor of brown sugar adds rich flavor to the pie filling and crumb topping. You can also use half brown sugar and half white sugar or all white sugar -- it just won't have as deep of flavor.
Spices. Cinnamon and nutmeg are classics in apple pie. You can also add a little allspice or substitute with apple pie spice.
Cold butter. Cold butter helps create the wonderfully craggy textures in the crumb topping.
Tips for Working with Puff Pastry
- Thaw one sheet of puff pastry in the refrigerator for about 4 hours or at room temperature for about 40 minutes.
- Wrap the unused pastry sheet in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and return it to the freezer.
- When thawed, puff pastry should feel cold and unfold easily.
- Don't try to work with puff pastry that is still frozen, as it could easily tear.
- It is best to work with puff pastry when it is cold.
- If the puff pastry becomes warm or sticky, return it to the refrigerator to chill it.
- Roll out pastry dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Using gentle pressure, start from the center and roll outward.
- Seal any cracks or tears with a little bit of water.
- Cut puff pastry with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
How to Make Puff Pastry Mini Apple Pies
1. Prep the oven and muffin tin.
Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.
2. Make the apple pie filling.
Peel, core, and chop the apples into small, thin slices, about ¼" by ¾". This will ensure they fit into the small cups, cook evenly, and become tender in a short baking time.
In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little salt. Set aside to allow the apples to release some of their juices (macerate).
3. Make the streusel topping.
In a small bowl, stir the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, fork, two knives, or clean hands until the mixture is combined and clumps together like wet sand. Set aside.
4. Make the mini apple tartlet shells.
Roll the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface into an approximately 9 x 12" rectangle. Use a sharp knife to cut the pastry into 12 small squares.
Slightly flatten and stretch each pasty square with your hands before placing it into a muffin cup.
5. Assemble the pies.
Strain the liquid from the apples or use a slotted spoon to fill each puff pastry cup with the apple mixture.
Sprinkle the streusel on top of each pie.
6. Bake, cool, serve, enjoy!
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the puff pastry and topping is golden brown and the apples are tender.
Cool in the muffin pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Use a thin spatula or plastic knife to gently loosen and remove the pies from the pan.
Dust the tops with a little powdered sugar. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce.
Puff pastry apple pies are best enjoyed the day they are made.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
Store leftover mini apple pies with puff pastry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Freeze apple pies individually wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag, freezer-safe container, or double layer of foil for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
The best way to reheat individual apple pies is in the oven. Place on a baking sheet and reheat at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes until warm. You can also reheat in the microwave in 15-second intervals, but the crust will be softer.
Make Ahead
Baked mini apple crumble tarts may be individually wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Before serving, reheat in a 350-degree oven until warm.
Expert Tips
Keep the thawed puff pastry cold until you're ready to start cutting it.
Macerating the apples helps keep the pie filling from becoming watery. Strain off the liquid or use a slotted spoon to portion the apples (without liquid) into the cups.
Cut the apples into small, thin slices so they easily fit into the mini pie shells, bake evenly, and get tender during the short baking time.
FAQs
Gala, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp apples are all delicious in this sweet apple pie filling. Use a combination of sweet and tart apples to add variation to the flavor.
You can, but you certainly don't have to. An egg wash brushed over puff pastry will make it shiny and deep golden brown. This puff pastry apple pie recipe is an easy recipe so you can skip this step --- the flaky crust gets plenty golden brown without it. But if you were making apple turnovers or other similar recipes that use puff pastry, you might consider it.
It's up to you. Peeled apples give the apple filling a smoother consistency, while the peels will add texture. Some people love it, while others don't care for it.
Stuff I Use
This OXO Good Grips pastry blender is great for making streusels and crumbles. You can also use it to chop boiled eggs, or mash potatoes, avocadoes, or chickpeas.
Okay, I don't have this. But as soon as I get sick of peeling, coring, and slicing apples by hand, this will be the apple corer, slicer, peeler extraordinaire I will get. It has over 14k 4.6-star reviews, so it looks like a good one. If you have it, let me know how it works for you!
More Delicious Recipe Ideas
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Mini Apple Pies with Puff Pastry (Muffin Tin Recipe)
Ingredients
Mini Apple Pies
- 1 sheet puff pastry dough I use Pepperidge Farm
- 3 ½ cups chopped apples 4-5 medium apples, such as Gala, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 pinch salt
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup flour
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup cold butter
- powdered sugar, optional for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.
- Make the apple pie filling. Peel and core the apples. Chop into small thin pieces, about ¼" by ¾". Toss apples with ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 T flour, 1 t cinnamon, ⅛ t nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Set aside to allow the apples to release some of their juices (macerate).
- Make the crumb topping. Combine ½ cup flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, and 1 t cinnamon. Cut in ¼ cup butter with a fork, pastry blender, two knives, or clean hands until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand. Set aside.
- With a rolling pin, roll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 9 x 12" rectangle. Cut the puff pastry into 12 squares.
- Use your hands to slightly flatten and stretch each piece of dough, then place it into a muffin cup.
- Strain the liquid from the apples or use a slotted spoon to fill each puff pastry cup with the apple mixture. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crumb topping and puff pastry are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Use a thin spatula or knife to gently loosen and remove the mini apple pies from the muffin tin.
- Lightly dust the tops with powdered sugar. Serve warm.
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