We recently went through a huge house renovation project.  Of all the rooms in the house, it’s turned out that our kitchen is where we spend all our time.  We’ve barely used the living room so far, even when friends come over as everyone gravitates to the kitchen.  As a result of practically living in the kitchen, we have been having friends over a lot more and that has encouraged me to try new recipes and experiment more so I’ve been sharing more recipes here too.  Recently I made these mini apple pie stacks which were yummy so I thought I would share the recipe with you as they are perfect little party desserts.  And who doesn’t love an apple pie?

Kids and grown-ups alike will love these mini apple pies so they’re great for any kind of gathering.  And the best part is that nearly all the work can be done the day before.  I’m loving these as a festive treat -they’re a nice alternative to mince pies especially as they look so snowy and Christmassy with all that icing sugar.  Not only are these mini apple pies delicious and gorgeous to look at, but they’re also easy to make.

So here’s how to make mini apple pies:

MINI APPLE PIE STACKS
Makes:  10 mini pies

6-7 granny smith apples peeled and cored (mini ones)
½ a 370g pack of ready rolled unsweetened shortcrust pastry
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
butter
½ tsp ground cinnamon mixed with 1 tsp soft brown sugar
3 tbsp icing sugar
creme fraiche

Start by cutting out discs of your shortcrust pastry.  I used a 5cm diameter cookie cutter so that the apple pie stacks were small enough to pick up with fingers.  Bake the discs on baking parchment for 10-15 minutes at 175ºC (or 350ºF) for fan assisted ovens.  Otherwise just follow the guidelines on the pastry pack.  To make sure that the pastry discs stay flat, place another sheet of baking parchment and a baking tray on top while baking.  Take out of the oven and leave to cool – removing the baking tray on top.

Next slice the apples really thinly in to rings – ideally use a mandolin if you have one. The apple rings should be roughly the size of your pastry discs.  Heat a large frying pan and melt a generous knob of butter. Lightly brown the apple rings a few at a time.  They just need a minute or so on each side.  Take them out just as they start to soften – you don’t want them too soft as they will be very tricky to handle later.  Once all the apple rings are done, add another knob of butter to the pan. Once melted,  put all the apple rings back in the pan and sprinkle with 3 tbsp of brown sugar.  Very gently turn the apple rings in the butter and sugar to caramalise them.  Once caramalised, leave the apple rings to cool.

Line a baking tray with baking parchment and start building your apple pie stacks.  Take around 3 apple rings and place on top of each other.  Sprinkle the top ring with the cinnamon sugar and add 3 more apple rings on top.  Continue doing this until you have 10 apple stacks.  Place another sheet of baking parchment on top of the apple stacks and a heavyish baking try or similar on top to compress the stacks a bit.  Put in the fridge and leave to cool.  You can do up to this stage the day before – just remember to place your pastry discs in an airtight container.

When you’re ready to serve, heat up the apple stacks in the oven on a low-moderate heat for a few minutes. Then place the stacks on the pastry discs, sprinkle the tops with icing sugar and place under a hot grill to brown.  This will take no more than a minute or two and they will come out looking all golden and slightly charred at the edges like in the pic above.  Once out of the oven, dust with more icing sugar and serve as they are or with a dollop of creme fraiche on top.

I’m not a huge fan of desserts but even I can’t turn down these delicious mini apple pies.  The last time I made these for friends they disappeared in seconds so I suggest making 2-3 per person!  

I will definitely be making these as a festive party treat next month when I have a few Christmas do’s.  And the best part is that with our kitchen being so welcoming and user friendly, our friends often help with the last minute serving up.  With our renovations we went way over budget with our kitchen but now I know it was so worth!  I’ve since learned that a good place to get affordable and quality kitchens is betta living so maybe next time we will check that out.  Does your kitchen inspire you to cook and socialise more? 

P.S. If you want some more party food inspiration, take a look at my mini fish and chips and honey, soy and ginger chicken skewers.  

I got the idea for these mini apple pies from an old Gary Rhodes recipe which I have adapted. 

{all photos by ebabee}

*I’ve linked up to Honest Mum’s tasty tuesdays.