Mini Apple Pies With Puff Pastry (No Peeling)
These simple mini apple pies feature a classic cinnamon apple filling wrapped in a flaky puff pastry. Delicious little single-serving desserts made in a muffin pan with just 5 ingredients.
Devour them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
What to expect
Yield, look and taste:
- These little rustic bundles taste like apple pie in a crispier crust. I say rustic because, as you can see, they are not all perfectly identical and smooth. I like to think the imperfections give them charm! This is comfort food, not fine dining.
- The recipe uses one sheet of dough to make 9 mini puff pastry apple pies in a regular-sized muffin pan. You can also make twice as many smaller pies in a mini muffin tin with the same amount of dough.
Simplified recipe: We made these mini apple pies as simple as possible without sacrificing flavor. A couple of quick shortcuts help get the job done efficiently.
- No peeling of apples is necessary (you can if you want but I never bother)
- We use store-bought puff pastry which is an excellent product (making homemade puff pastry is a big tricky job).
- Many recipes use lemon juice to keep the apples from turning brown. I don’t bother as the cinnamon and sautéing turn them brown anyway.
- The muffin tins keep the little pies nicely shaped, and
- They are really easy to serve – no slicing and no oozing filling. Just plop one in a bowl with some ice cream – done!
Want to jazz them up a bit? We have ideas.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Apples: Use any apple that holds its shape when cooked. Good choices are Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, Bradburn, and Honeycrisp.
Puff Pastry: Buy a box of frozen puff pastry dough in the freezer section of your local grocery store. If possible, try to get a brand that says ‘made with butter’ on the package for a richer taste. If not available, don’t worry about it. Also try to get a box with 2 sheets. This is a huge convenience as each sheet is pre-rolled.
Variations for filling: In addition to apples, butter and cinnamon you can add other options like dried fruit, a pinch of nutmeg, nuts (pecans or walnuts), a dash of vanilla extract, lemon zest or brandy.
Finishing ideas: You can serve the individual apple pies plain with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar or fancy them up with:
- a drizzle of glaze
- a drizzle of maple syrup
- a little cut-out shape of dough on top of each pie, added before baking e.g. a leaf or star.
Step-by-step instructions
Tips
- It’s easier to work with cold dough. It’s best to defrost the dough overnight in the fridge. If you forget (like I do pretty much always!), let it sit on the counter for 45 minutes or so.
- Be sure to let the juices from the apples evaporate in the skillet. This will avoid soggy bottoms.
- If you plan to make the mini pies a day ahead, add a small pinch of flour to each puff pastry cup before adding the apple mixture to absorb any extra liquid that might seep out when sitting around unbaked in the fridge.
- Brush egg wash on each pie before baking to achieve a golden brown finish. If you forget, don’t worry, the taste will not be affected. The pies will just be paler.
Make Ahead
The mini apple pies are best eaten fresh out of the oven. I make them a few hours ahead and pop them in the oven just before we sit down to dinner. Instructions for making ahead, freezing and reheating are in the recipe card.
What to serve with mini pies
My go-to with this apple dessert is vanilla, caramel or butter pecan ice cream. Other good pairings are whipped cream, caramel sauce or vanilla sauce.
More apple recipes
- Puff pastry tart with apples (30 minutes) – a similar recipe in a different format
- Apple and blueberry crumble
- Apple crisp without oats
- Sous vide pork chops with apple chutney
- Apple cinnamon cake with bourbon caramel sauce
- BBQ sweet potatoes and apples
If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟with a comment in the recipe card below. Thanks so much!
Mini Apple Pies With Puff Pastry (No Peeling)
These simple mini apple pies feature a classic cinnamon apple filling wrapped in a flaky puff pastry. Delicious little single-serving desserts made in a muffin pan with just 5 ingredients.
Servings: 9 mini apple pies
Equipment
- standard muffin tin
Ingredients
- 4 small fresh apples, cores discarded, Note 1 finely diced to 1/4 inch/6 mm
- 1 tablespoon butter (plus 1/4 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (use 3 tbsp if you like sweeter or if apples are not sweet)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 sheet puff pastry dough, thawed, Note 2
- 1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water for egg wash Optional – helps make a golden brown finish on pies.
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar (also called icing sugar or confectioner sugar)
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN TO 425F. Lightly spray 9 (of the 12) cups in the muffin tin with oil.
- PRE-COOK APPLES FILLING: Place diced apples, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in medium skillet. Heat to medium high. Stir 2-3 minutes so that apples begin to release juices. Cover, lower to medium heat, and cook 10 minutes. Uncover, and cook 2-3 more minutes until all liquid evaporates.
- PREPARE PUFF PASTRY: Unfold puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it to ~11×11 inches/ 28 x 28 cm (making it a little bigger on all sides). Alternatively, stretch it out a bit by hand. Cut into 9 squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Place each square in a muffin tin cup (stretch it out a tiny bit before placing it in the cup). Press down so that the dough touches the bottom and the corners hang over the top. Repeat with all 9 puff pastry squares.
- FILL AND COMPLETE PIES: Fill each puff pastry cup with apple mixture about 3/4 full. You will use about 2 1/2-3 tablespoons for each cup. To cover each mini pie with puff pastry: fold the two overhanging corners facing each other towards the middle. Pinch. Then fold the other two corners towards the middle and pinch. Leave a few air vents. No need to be perfect – rustic is fine! I recommend brushing the tops with egg wash using a pastry brush to create a golden brown finish (it's not essential – pies will just be paler). You will not need all the egg wash.
- BAKE pies in middle rack of oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown with a flaky crust. Most oven temperatures are not accurate so you may need an extra couple of minutes. Transfer the pies to a cooling rack (I gently scoop them out with a soup spoon) to cool for 8-10 minutes.
- FINISHING TOUCH: Place powdered sugar in a small fine mesh sieve and shake it gently over each pie to distribute over the tops of the pies. If you don't have a sieve, just use your fingers and sprinkle from 10 inches/25 cm above.
Recipe Notes
- Apple options: Choose apples that will keep their shape such as Granny Smith apples, Gala, Fuji, Bradburn, and Honeycrisp. Use 4 small apples or 3 medium apples. You will need a total of 2 1/2 cups (310 grams) of finely diced apples. I don’t peel the apples but you can if you prefer.Â
- Puff pastry: comes frozen, typically as 2 rolled-out puff pastry sheets per box (1.1 lb/17 ounces/490 grams). Each sheet will be folded in thirds and often unfolds to a 10×10 inch square (25×25 cm). You will need half a box or one sheet (unless you are doubling the recipe). The brands that say “made with butter” will have a richer taste. If your dough comes in a block, you will have to roll it out to an 11 x 11 inch square (28×28 cm). Defrost frozen dough in fridge the night before. If you forget, defrost on the counter for 45-60 minutes. It’s easiest to work with cold dough (otherwise it can tear more easily).
- Filling variations: you can add to the apple mixture a little dried fruit, a pinch of nutmeg, 1/4 cup/38 grams chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts), a dash of vanilla extract, lemon zest or a splash of brandy.
- Finishing touches: Drizzle on a simple icing glaze or maple syrup in addition to or instead of powdered sugar. You can also use extra dough to make little cut-out shapes to add on top of each pie e.g. a leaf or heart.
- How to serve: Serve the pies warm with ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce or vanilla sauce.Â
- Make ahead:
- A few hours or 1 day ahead: If making the pies a few hours or a day ahead, add a tiny pinch of flour to each puff pastry cup before adding the apple mixture. This will absorb any additional juices that might seep out. If baking the next day, cover the muffin tin with the unbaked pies with foil and place in the fridge. Bake when needed.
- Storing: Two days at room temperature or 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Freezing: You can freeze the unbaked pies in the muffin tin for a month. Bake from frozen at 375F/190C for about 30 minutes.Â
- Reheating: The best way to reheat the baked puff pastry pies is a 350F/177C for 5-10 minutes. This will crisp up the crust. Microwaving for 15 seconds will warm them, but the pastry will be a bit soggy.Â
Nutrition
Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 72IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?We’d love you to rate it above under ‘rate this recipe’ or in the comment section below. Thanks!
I need to make a day ahead. Is it better to bake and reheat, or assemble and bake the next day? Thanks.
Hi Linda. I would assemble them and bake them the next day, making sure you add a pinch of flour or cornstarch to each muffin cup to absorb the juices before filling them. Even better, you can do a hybrid method – cook the apple mixture and store it separately in the fridge in a container. Prepare the dough in the muffin tins, cover with foil and refrigerate. The next day, fill the cups with the apple filling, fold over the dough and bake. I hope that helps!
Lovely hand-pies for party. We put 2-3 jarred tart cherries with the apple mix in some of these and it was delicious!
What a great add-in Sara! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, lovely recipe
Omg this is so delicious and cute
This is the perfect replacement instead of making a whole pie. Delicious
Glad you like the pies Shannon 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.