Did you start your Christmas shopping yet, or are you waiting for Black Friday to pass? This year I’m planning to do most of my shopping online to avoid the crowds. Yesterday we went hiking with friends in Marin County and arrived just in time to watch fog roll over the city.
Today I spent a little time decorating for the holidays. To kick off the season, Organic Valley sent a coupon to try one of their products, so I picked their organic butter—an essential for holiday baking. I used it to make mini caramel apple pies, which turned out delicious. Think of caramel-dipped apples meeting apple pie. I prefer baking mini desserts so we don’t end up with too many leftovers, though sometimes that’s not a bad problem to have.
- Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 12 tbsp Organic Valley butter, cubed and chilled
- Filling
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp apple juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp Organic Valley butter
- 12 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced
- 1/4 cup almond liqueur (optional)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cardamom
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Topping
- 1/2 cup Organic Valley butter, cubed and chilled
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the topping by combining the topping ingredients and cutting them together until crumbly. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Whisk together the cornstarch and apple juice and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat, add the sugar, and stir for about 7 minutes. Continue cooking until the sugar caramelizes.
- Toss the apple slices with the spices in a bowl.
- Add the spiced apple slices to the pot and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the vanilla and the cornstarch mixture, cook for 2 minutes more, then remove from heat and let cool.
- Roll the dough into four 7-inch rounds about 1/8 inch thick, and press half of them into greased 5-inch pie plates to form the crusts.
- Divide the cooled filling among the four pies and sprinkle the crumbly topping over each.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- Serve warm or cooled, with additional caramel topping if desired.
Recipe adapted from Organic Valley Caramel Apple Mini Pies