It's baking time, y'all. You know there is a time of year that you just CRAVE to be in the kitchen, covered in flour and butter while the smells of apple, pumpkin and cinnamon fill the air! It's that time and that makes me happy.
I love single serving baking ideas - I'm the one in our house with a sweet tooth and my husband travels a lot so when I bake I'm left to stare down entire batches of cookies, brownies, cakes, pies, cupcakes or whatever else I've whipped up. Knowing that I can make something in mini form is so fun, especially when it tastes just as good as the big version.
These pies are no different - you get a single serving apple pie in a MASON JAR (seriously, how cute is that?!) and you can happily eat your cute little jar and ignore the rest of the cute jars sitting there, staring at you. Ok, if you can't - these can be frozen before they are baked which is awesome. Just pull one out of the freezer when you are craving dessert and voila!
I don't know about you - but as much as I love pies, I hate to make them. All that chopping and pie crust making - and crusts are a pain, especially if you're making a pie with 2 layers of crust. This breaks it down into a much easier version. Trust me - you can do this recipe even if you've never made pie before.
Ready?
Apple Pies in a Mason Jar
Crust Ingredients/Directions:
- 1 1/4 c. flour (I used half whole wheat pastry and half all purpose)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/3 c. + 1 Tblsp shortening or butter
- ice water (about 3-4 Tblsp)
4 half pint mason jars (the short, squatty ones)
Combine flour and salt in medium bowl. Add shortening/butter in small cubes. Using pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut shortening into flour mixture until it becomes crumbly. SLOWLY add ice water, a tablespoon at a time until the flour mixture gets moistened and starts to stick together. You don't want to overmix dough or it will become chewy and hard when cooked. Turn dough onto floured surface and roll with rolling pin until it is about 1/8" thick.
Use the mason jar rings from the lids as a cookie cutter to cut out the right shape crust for your jars. Cut out 4 circles and use the remaining dough to press into the bottoms of your jars. It doesn't have to be pretty - just grab pieces of dough and press into the jar, covering the bottom and sides with the dough.
Filling Ingredients/Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2 c. diced apples (I used a honeycrisp and granny smith combination)
2 Tblsp sugar (Brown or white - I used coconut palm)
1-2 Tblsp flour (I used about 1 1/2 Tblsp)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Mix apples, flour, sugar and spices together in a medium bowl. Scoop into your 4 prepared mason jars and top with dough circles for crust. Push the top circle of crust down a little below the neck of the jar, decorate for fun!
Put jars on cookie sheet and into 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. If you are using frozen pies, cook for about 50-60 minutes.
Eat and enjoy!
The recipe I used came from Our Best Bites - there are a TON of ideas and tips on the site so head over and check it out!
