Hungry for an easy one - or two - serving apple pie?
Do you ever get the craving for homemade apple? Sometimes I do, but don’t want to spend all afternoon making one. Of course, the big apple pie is always worth the time and effort, especially to share with friends. But sometimes a single serving pie would be great. No need to eat pie all week, when you just want a taste. This one could actually be a two serving, depending on how large the little ramekin is that you use.
I got this idea after I made my Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Pie for 8 people, and the next day I made a mug of cake for one serving. I was working on the mug cake and the idea came to me. Why not combine the ideas and make a one serving mug o’ pie? Like a chicken pot pie, why couldn’t I make an apple pie in one serving and less work than making a full pie. I’m sure I’m not the first to come up with this idea, but I had never seen it. Sorry, if I missed that idea somewhere while perusing through all the baking magazines and books I read, and the tv cooking shows I watch. Whoever thought of it first, great idea!
It’s easy! I almost always have a store bought pie crust in the freezer or fridge. So, I thought, why couldn’t I take a portion of one crust and fit into a ramekin baker and make a double crust single serving pie in that? Add the raw rough chopped apple and spices – it only takes one large apple. Or, why not put some half cooked apples and spices a buttered ramekin, and bake it with a crust on top? So that’s what I did.
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
Prepare the ramekin:
Butter the ramekin on the bottom and sides. (If you don’t have a ramekin, use a small metal, oven safe glass or ceramic container.
Prepare one small pie crust:
In this case I just trim a portion of room temperature readymade pie crust to overlap the baking container, instead of spending the time to make a homemade crust. You'll eventually crimp it all around the container once the filling is settled in. Of course, a homemade crust would taste better, but when it’s just for one serving, a readymade crust works for me.
One serving apple pie ingredients:
Filling:
1 Apple, rough chopped
2 t Sugar
2 t Flour
Pinch of Cinnamon, ground
Pinch of Apple pie spice
Small Pinch of salt
20 Pecans, broken in pieces
1 pat of Butter
Pinch of Sugar for topping the crust
Caramel for topping
Bake the mini pie:
- Mix the apples and spices together with the sugar and flour.
- Fill the microwave safe buttered ramekin to the brim, and even a little above the top edge, with your apple mixture. The apples will sink a little as they bake. - - Break the pat of butter in four pieces and top the apple mixture.
- Sprinkle the pecans on top.
- Lay the crust on top of the ramekin – no need to make any fancy edging, but you can if you like. Or, cut the pie crust in a square and let it overlap the edges for a rustic look.
- Be sure to slice two or three small slits in the crust so the steam from the cooking apples can escape.
- Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on top of the crust.
- Bake this cute little pie for about 20 minutes at 350F degrees and then 10-15 minutes at 375, until the crust is golden brown. It smells wonderful - just a regular sized apple pie.
- Take out of the oven and cool for about 15 minutes before eating.
- Drizzle caramel topping while it's still warm.
Fun serving ideas:
- Savor it as is, spoon by spoon, straight out of the ramekin.
- Eat it in one sitting make it last a couple of days if you eat just a spoonful when you get a crazy craving - or not.
- Drizzle the top of your mini pie with a little caramel ice cream topping.
- Slide a slice of cheddar cheese under the crust and microwave it for a few seconds, like Gramps liked to eat his pie on the farm.
- Heck! Why not top it with some ice cream, too.
- If you like frosting on your pie, top the crust with a little white frosting – just mix ¼ C powdered sugar with a little water. Stir it completely and drizzle it on top of the crust.
This is a mini pot pie that the kids could help with, too. Teach them how to cut an apple, how to roll our a crust, now to crimp a crust, how to mix sugar and spices with the apples.