Jar lid Mini Apple Pie

OK aren’t these things the cutest little pies you have ever seen!!! My daughter wanted little pies as part of her birthday party menu so I went to work on making these.  I had seen the idea on line a few places so I dove right in and they turned out so stinking cute and well let me just tell you… DELICIOUS!!! Bet you can’t eat just 1!

here we go:

JAR LID MINI APPLE PIE

(by the way you could use whatever filling you’d like but I used my apple pie filling recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 Store bought pie crust (has two crusts in it you need both)
• about 16 Large mouth jar lid rings
• cooking spray

Crumb Topping

• 3/4 C All-purpose flour
• 1/4 C Old-fashioned oats
• 1 C Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 C Butter (at room temperature)

Filling:

• 5 Med. to Lg. Cortland, Ida Red or Granny Smith Apples (I use granny’s)
• 1 C Sugar
• 2 tsp. All-purpose flour
• 3 Tbs. Melted Butter
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. lemon Juice
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Start by preheating the oven to 400.

Now get your crust ready.  You need to cut the crust slightly larger than the ring you are using. I searched around my house until I found a cup that was just larger than the ring.

Now cut out as many crusts as you can and remove the remaining crust from around them.  Then roll out the remaining crust and cut out as many circles as you can.  I ended up with about 16 mini pie crusts which was good because that was all the lids I had laying around.

Now its time to get your rings ready.  Make sure the rings are clean and don’t have rust on them.  Now spray each ring inside generously with cooking spray.  Make sure to get into all the little nooks and crannies.

Next center the crusts into the ring. it should fit about perfectly or even have a little hanging over the edge.

Now that the crusts are ready its time to make the filling.

Start by getting your apples ready. I have an apple peeler I like to use for this step.  Whatever you have you are going to want to peel, core, and chop your apples up. Since these are mini pies you need to get the apple pieces pretty small.

Once they are all cut it’s time to put them into a large saute pan over medium heat.  You want the apples to just get soft not rubbery.  I promise this step makes a HUGE difference in the taste and texture of your pie. During this step you can add the lemon juice so they don’t brown as bad.

Once they are slightly cooked not rubbery or mushy but just right, you can remove from the head and add in the other filling ingredients and mix until all combined.  Now you can add a small amount of filling onto your crusts.  I used my rice cooker ladle and about half of a scoop was about the perfect amount.  I’d say about 1/4 C.

Now on to the last step the oh so delicious crumble topping.  In a medium bowl combine all the topping ingredients and mix with either a pastry cutter or a fork (or if your in a hurry you can use a hand mixer) until it is just mealy.

Sprinkle over the top of the pies making a little mound at the center so the center doesn’t fall into the pie.

Now place in the oven for 20-30 minutes.

remove from oven and run a flat knife around the edge of the ring to get the crust to release from the edge.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes.   Now you can push the pies out of the ring from the bottom carefully.

That’s it you’re done!! Sit back and enjoy their cute deliciousness!