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Delightful Miniature Apple Raspberry Pies: The Ultimate Easy Dessert for Entertaining

Step into the enchanting world of miniature desserts! These delightful Apple Raspberry Pies, perfectly crafted in standard mini muffin tins, are not just delicious but also incredibly easy to prepare. Ideal for entertaining, holiday gatherings, or simply enjoying a sweet, comforting treat, these bite-sized wonders offer a perfect blend of flavors and convenience.

A Memorable Culinary Journey at Bloomingdale’s

Last month, I had the incredible opportunity to host a cooking demonstration in the state-of-the-art Culinary Kitchen at Bloomingdale’s, located in the Shops at Riverside in Hackensack, New Jersey. It was an afternoon filled with joy, connection, and culinary passion. Meeting fellow food enthusiasts, engaging in lively conversations about cooking techniques, and sharing a taste of autumn with shoppers was an experience I’ll cherish.

Choosing the perfect recipe for such a prestigious event was a thoughtful process. My hosts and I wanted a dish that truly embodied the essence of Striped Spatula – a focus on fresh, high-quality ingredients. Additionally, with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we aimed to incorporate a subtle “pink” theme into our presentation. The answer? An adaptation of my beloved apple pie recipe, transformed into these charming Miniature Apple-Raspberry Pies, complete with a delectable Dutch crumb topping.

These portable pies, infused with warm cinnamon, sweet apples, and a bright, tart pop from fresh raspberries, are an exquisite choice for holiday entertaining. They also offer a fantastic way to utilize a bountiful apple harvest after a fun-filled trip to the orchard.

The feeling of arriving at Bloomingdale’s on that rainy Saturday afternoon and seeing a promotional sign adorned with my name and logo was truly indescribable. It was a moment of profound pride and gratitude. As I stood by the sign (and, yes, took a few selfies), a shopper approached, asking, “Is this you? Are you The Striped Spatula? I heard about this and will be back to see your demo later!” Knowing that people were genuinely looking forward to watching me cook filled me with an overwhelming sense of appreciation.

Of course, the experience wasn’t without its share of nerves. This marked the first time one of my original recipes would be served to the general public, and I fervently hoped shoppers would enjoy these pies as much as my family and friends do. As the inviting aroma wafted through the kitchen, drawing passersby, one gentleman exclaimed they were “the best pies” he’d ever tasted. Another shopper was so enamored, she took five pies home to share with her family. Sample plates dispatched to a neighboring cosmetics department returned with not a single crumb left. To my immense delight, the Miniature Apple Raspberry Pies were an undeniable hit!

The Undeniable Charm and Convenience of Mini Pies

When planning a holiday entertaining menu, especially for a large crowd, convenience is paramount. As a hostess, I aspire to serve beautiful, impressive dishes while also being able to relax and genuinely enjoy the company of my guests. Traditional large pies, while magnificent, can sometimes be a little cumbersome to portion and serve elegantly on a dessert table. This is precisely where these delightful two-to-three-bite pies shine.

They perfectly balance convenience, versatility, and charming presentation, making them an ideal dessert solution for the bustling holiday season. What’s more, they are incredibly simple to make, requiring just a standard mini muffin tin. The process is straightforward: roll out your favorite pie dough – I highly recommend my all-butter pie crust recipe for its flakiness and rich flavor – then use a biscuit cutter to create rounds that fit perfectly into the muffin wells. The fruit filling is par-cooked on the stove, a crucial step for mini pies, before being nestled into the crusts and baked to golden perfection.

As I’ve often emphasized for full-sized pies, par-cooking fruit fillings is a practice I prefer, but it becomes an absolutely essential step for these miniature versions. Given their significantly shortened baking time, pre-cooking the fruit ensures that the apples and raspberries reach that ideal tender consistency without over-baking the delicate crust.

Versatility and Customization: Beyond Apple and Raspberry

One of the greatest attributes of these Miniature Apple Raspberry Pies is their incredible adaptability. While the apple-raspberry combination offers a fantastic balance of sweet and tart with a hint of warm cinnamon, the possibilities for different filling varieties are truly endless. For a distinctly seasonal touch, consider substituting cranberries for raspberries, creating a beautiful and festive flavor profile perfect for autumn and winter celebrations.

A classic, comforting all-apple filling would also be absolutely delicious, allowing the pure apple flavor to shine. Beyond traditional fruit fillings, I’ve successfully experimented with miniature pumpkin pies, rich coconut custard pies, and even decadent chocolate-bourbon-pecan pies in these same mini muffin tins. It might sound cliché, but the only true limit here is your culinary imagination. Feel free to explore and personalize these pies to suit any taste or occasion.

Offering guests multiple flavor variations is also a delightful and thoughtful touch at any holiday gathering. Let’s be honest: during this festive time of year, my tastebuds yearn for a slice of every different pie flavor, even when my stomach (often the voice of reason) would prefer just a small sample. Mini pies come to the rescue, allowing everyone to enjoy a taste of everything without overindulging!

Crafting Your Perfect Mini Pies: Tips for Success

Achieving bakery-quality miniature pies at home is simpler than you might think. Here are a few tips to ensure your Apple Raspberry Pies turn out perfectly every time:

Choose the Right Apples: While Fuji apples are excellent for their sweetness and firm texture, varieties like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith (for more tartness), or a blend of several types can also work beautifully. Ensure they are cut into small, uniform 1/4-inch dice for even cooking.
Don’t Skip Par-cooking: As mentioned, this step is vital. It softens the fruit and thickens the juices, preventing a soggy bottom crust and ensuring the filling is perfectly cooked within the mini pie’s shorter bake time.
Chill Your Dough: After fitting the pie dough into the muffin tins, refrigerating them for 30 minutes helps the crust hold its shape better during baking, resulting in flakier, crisper shells.
Watch the Crumble: The Dutch crumb topping can brown quickly. If you notice it getting too dark before the crust is golden, loosely cover the tins with foil.
Gentle Removal: Mini pies are delicate when warm. Use two forks or a small offset spatula to gently lift them from the tins to a wire rack. Allow them to cool slightly before serving for the best texture and to prevent crumbling.
Serving Suggestions: These mini pies are fantastic on their own, but a dollop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce can elevate them to an even more luxurious dessert experience.

My heartfelt thanks extend to Jessica Rupnik and Nicole Carvalho for their gracious hospitality at Bloomingdale’s. It was also an absolute pleasure to cook alongside Suzanne Lowery, a celebrated chef, culinary educator, and author of the “Soup to Nuts” blog on New Jersey Monthly, during that wonderful afternoon. My deepest gratitude also goes to my friends and their families who took time out of their busy Saturdays to attend my demonstration. Seeing your smiling faces was truly the icing on the cake (or, more appropriately, the buttery crumb topping on these delightful pies) of a wonderful day.

Miniature Apple Raspberry Pies

by Amanda Biddle

Use mini muffin tins to make easy and delicious single-serve apple pies. Yield will vary depending on the size of the wells of your mini muffin tins (this sometimes varies by manufacturer). Yield and instructions below are based on a standard tin.

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Servings: 36 mini pies

Ingredients

2 pounds Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for greasing pans
½ cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1-1/2 teaspoons cool water
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup granulated sugar, divided
¼ cup light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups raspberries, divided
1 recipe all-butter pie crust OR 3 rounds, pre-rolled, refrigerated pie crust

Instructions

Combine apples, 1 cup raspberries, light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large pot. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft but still retain their shape, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue cooking, uncovered, until juices are thickened and clear, 3-5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Cut the remaining 1/2 cup raspberries into halves and gently stir into the filling.
Prepare the topping for the pies by stirring together flour, 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, a pinch of kosher salt, and 3 tablespoons melted butter until crumbly. Set aside. Brush the wells and tops of the mini muffin tins with melted butter. Roll pie dough to 1/8-inch thick and use a 2-3/4 inch biscuit cutter to cut dough into rounds. Fit the dough into the wells of the muffin tins and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Fill each well almost to the top with the apple mixture and top with a few pinches of the crumble topping. Place the tins on baking sheets to catch any filling that might bubble over in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pans and continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until the crust is light golden brown (if the crumble is browning too quickly, loosely cover the tins with foil). Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Use two forks to gently lift each pie from the tins and transfer to wire racks to cool completely before serving.

Nutrition Estimate

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

About our recipes

Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.