Easy Apple Pie Cups

Are you done with the summer heat and itching to bring on Fall?- or are you not quite finished with summer yet and soaking up as much of it as you can? No matter what camp you’re in our summer days are numbered and the crisp autumn breeze and changing leaf colors are on the way!  Soon enough it will be the time for apple picking- and if that’s not your thing the store-bought apples are much more crunchier and juicer when fall rolls around!

Why not bring on the season with these easy to make apple pie-cups?Now don’t let the designs intimidate you- all you’ll need for that is a good set of pie crust cutters- I got this floral set at William Sonoma. Additionally you’ll need a large circular cookie cutter to make the pie-crust cups that go into the cupcake tins.  Or you can use a top of a jar that’s large enough to make circles as your pie crust cutter if you have one on hand. Here’s the UPDATED RECIPE!

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 medium sized apples- peeled, cored and cubed.
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 3 tablespoons  of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoons of nutmeg
• the juice of half a lemon
• 12 cubes of butter
• Three 8-inch pie crusts (store-bought or homemade).

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Then spray a light coat of cooking oil onto a 12-cup muffin tin
• Next cut out 12 circles from your pie crust,  place them in the greased muffin cups and refrigerate.
• Roll remaining pie crusts together into a circular disk and then roll them out flat with  rolling pin for designs.
• In a medium sized bowl, mix together the first 7 ingredients thoroughly then transfer them evenly into the muffin tins. Then place a cube of butter in each cup. Press them down lightly with your fingers so the tops are as flat as can be then refrigerate.
• Meanwhile use pie crust cutters to make the tops for the apple pie cups – or make designs of your own. I did a little of both, making lattice crusts and roses in addition to using cut-outs. You could also skip the designs and use your circular cookie cutter to cut circles with the remaining pie crust and use that for the top of your pie cups.

Bake on a cookie sheet with foil (to catch any juices that might spill over) for 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and juices are bubbling.

Let cool for 10 minutes then transfer individual pie-cups to plates and top with vanilla ice cream.