Mini Apple Pies

It's been a week and I'm terribly sorry for the hiatus but my laptop is finally fixed!! This one week has definitely made me realize how much I rely on my laptop to get things done. Probably a bit too much and oh boy! I'm glad that I'm living in this era!

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One of my fondest childhood memory is when my mum would get us (me and my brother) McDonald's apple pies or sometimes, Happy Meals after our Saturday Taekwondo classes. I love the piping hot & sweet gooey filling. I love the crunchy, golden pie. I love that the size of the pie is just enough for you to want more. And of course, I love that it's a treat that my mum would get us after a morning filled with kicks and punches.

So a few days ago, I decided to re-create the 'magic'. But with a different sort of crust. It's the kind of crust which you'd get from a normal round apple pie- buttery and crumbly. As for the filling, there was quite a lot of tweeking before I finally decided that it was close enough to remind me of the Golden Arches' version.

Mini Apple Pies

Crust:
(adapted from Cooking Tackle)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 200 gram cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 4 tablespoons cold water

1. Whisk the flour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and pinch them into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. (Of course, you could just use the food processor for this! But one of the joys of baking is feeling the ingredients with your hands!!)
2. Sprinkle with the cold water and mix until the dough comes together. It will still be slightly crumbly at this point but that's ok.
3. Wrap half of the dough with plastic wrap and form it into a 3/4 inch thick disk. Do the same for the other half. Refrigerate both the wrapped dough for at least an hour.

Filling:

• 4 medium-sized Granny Smith apples, cored and cubed
• 1/4-1/2 cup of brown sugar (depending on your liking)
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup water (depending on how gooey you want them)
• a pinch of salt

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the cubed apples, sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract until the apples are evenly coated.
2. In a large pot or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apple mixture and water and stir occasionally. The liquid with thicken and the apples will soften. Take them out from the heat when it has reached your desired consistency. Let cool before making the pies.

Assembling the mini pies:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celcius.
2. Roll out the chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface. Cut out the individual circles with a cookie cutter or a cup or anything round!
3. Place a tablespoonful of filling onto the centre, sprinkle the edge with water and fold it into half. Seal the edges with a fork. Do this for the rest of the dough and filling. 
4. Place the mini pies on a baking tray, lined with baking paper. Pierce the top of the pies twice or thrice with a knife to allow the steam to escape when it's baking. 
5. Brush the mini pies with egg wash (an egg yolk with a dash of milk). Refrigerate the pies for at least 20 minutes before baking them.
6. After 20 minutes or so, bake them for 25 minutes until golden brown. Transfer them onto a wire rack to cool. Best serve warm! And maybe with a scoop or two of vanilla ice-cream...

The 'juice' did spill out from the pies slightly but I can assure you that the fillings were still ooey & gooey! And imagine that paired that with a buttery crust....

McDonald's apple pies- Yay or Nay?

Favourite kind of pie?