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YAY!! We made it to Friday!!!
And Friday means it’s time for PIE!
Oh heck yeah, I am more than ready!
So I feel like each and every post this week has been a million and one words long. I think since it’s Friday, I will keep it short and spare you guys all my mindless rambling and jump right into the pies.
The pies NEED to be chatted about. This is apple pie, but apple pie on a whole new level. I don’t know if you guys know this or not, but I think sweetened condensed milk is a magical little ingredient, it makes everything… perfection.
I always say, when in doubt, drizzle on some sweetened condensed milk. It will save any sweet recipe, I swear by it.
Believe it or not, I have had these mini apple pies in the back of my head for months now. Originally I was thinking about posting them in September, but they just seemed so perfect for Thanksgiving that I decided to wait. I know, craziness, but they really are the perfect Thanksgiving dessert. These cute little pies are hand-held, making them EASY for snacking on – before, during or after the big meal. Which we all know that come Thanksgiving Day, snacking is a huge must. It’s the one day of the year when you can get away with eating everything presented to you… bring on the stretchy pants… right?!?!
AND not only did I make these little pies with sweetened condensed milk, but I also went a step farther and covered them in cinnamon sugar
Ya, I went there. It may seem like a lot of sweet for an apple pie, but I promise it’s all good.
Although, apparently everyone in the family has cavities at the moment….ooops. My younger brother actually just had a root canal on Wednesday. I promise though, it had nothing to do with sugar bugs on his teeth. Apparently he broke his front tooth when he was a kid and the tooth is now infected. His whole face has been killing him for the last week. He finally called our family dentist (and my dad’s college roommate) back in Ohio, who told him that he thought he needed a root canal. Long story short, Kai went to see a dentist in LA (cause that’s where her goes to school). The dentist then confirmed that he did indeed need a root canal. Kai was in so much pain that he did the procedure the same day. It was also the same day my dad was getting his cavities filled and my mom had hers done on Monday!
Man. I don’t know what’s going on here, but the Gerard’s are having teeth issues and I’m up next. Luckily I am all good on the cavity front, but if you remember, my wisdom teeth NEED to come out ASAP. Soooo, I have that to look forward to in the new year.
yay? 🙁
But ahh anyway, these cute little pies!
They may not be awesome for your teeth, but they will surely make you the happiest person around… and that I know from personal experience. Here’s the deal, these pies are pretty basic and simple. Think apple pies, but moister, sweeter and just well…better. It’s hard to explain, but the caramelized condensed milk adds the most awesome, buttery, sweet, caramel flavor. I pretty much just adore it.
The first step is to slowly start caramelizing the condensed milk. This does take some time and patience, but it’s easy. You just pour the condensed milk into a saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring often until it’s light golden in color. See, simple, just takes a little time, but while that’s happening, you should be caramelizing the apples on the stove. Why cook them before baking?
While for one, since these are mini pies, the baking time is much less than if it were a traditional apple pie. Two, the apple release juices as they cook and we want to cook those out before we bake the pies so that the pies don’t turn out all soggy.
Once you have those two steps done, just make my favorite pie dough, assemble the pies, chill the pies and then bake. If you wanted to make things easier, you can absolutely use store-bought pie dough OR pie pastry. If you decide to go the store-bought route, I personally would go with puff pastry. It’s kind of my favorite and it’s EVERYTHING when paired with apple pie. Just saying.
Once the pies come out of the oven, you brush them with just a little butter and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar…wow, that excites me just typing the words!
YUM.
Obviously, I like these bestest (my word) warm and straight out of the oven. I mean, it really doesn’t get better. All you need is a scoop of ice cream and a cold glass of milk. OR, maybe a boozy creamy drink? Like a Bailey’s spiked coffee or a hot chocolate!? Ohh, I bet that would be good, you should maybe try that.
Remember, it’s Thanksgiving.
Anything goes!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Hooray for mini pies… and thank God for November. 🙂
PS. I just realized I said I was going to keep this post short….sorry, that was so not short. I guess I just can’t help myself, I like to ramble.
I often put condensed milk in the crock pot to make caramel. This recipe doesn’t cook it quite as far it seems. I know it will be tasty! I’ve never added and egg to my pie crust. Will it make it sturdier? Will it still be flaky? Do you add and egg for large pies or just these minis? My first time on the site thanks to buzzfeed. Looks great! Thanks for sharing!
i love this….i love the hand held mini apple pies…easy to eat !
thanks and i love your blog!
Thank you so much! 🙂
Love your site, made the braised short ribs over the weekend, they were amazing! I am planning on making these pies for Thanksgiving with puff pastry. Can I prepare Wednesday night and once assembled keep them in the fridge and bake on Thursday?
Hey Danielle!
Yes, you can do that. It works great! Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving!
I love how much filling there is! Looks so good!
Thanks Betty! Hope you have a great weekend!!
Hi, awesome recipe, is this 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean extract or 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste? Thanks!!
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. You can omit the vanilla bean if you use the vanilla extract. make sense? Thanks!
Simply the PERFECT BITE!
Thanks Michelle!
The pictures are absolutely stunning and I was planning on making mini pies for holiday parties (easier for take-home leftovers) Definitely have inspired me to get working on some (and I’ll absolutely be trying these)
Thanks!
Thank you SO much, Julia! Hope these pies are a hit! 🙂
These are the cutest apple pies ever! Mini = guilt free, yes? 😉
Thanks you! and um, yes!!! 🙂
These look so good. Can’t wait to see how your buttermilk pie dough turns out. I will use Roasted Saigon Cinnamon in the cinnamon-sugar topping since that doesn’t get cooked. I’m craving them already!
Thanks so much! Hope you love the pies!!
These are too cute! I can just imagine how gooey and delicious the condensed milk gets after they are cooked. Such a great idea!
Thanks Chelsea! Hope you are having a great weekend!
Full of salient points. Don’t stop bevenliig or writing!
Let me amend that…. “psudo art philosophers” sounded harsh, and I don’t mean to come off that way, but in talking to a lot of buyers, I find people who are looking to break into the “art trends” and buys that are investments… and in doing so, are following a trend similar to the financial market. It is so contrary to what I am trying to project as an artist, that I find myself rebelling. Sure, I want to “make it”, but I don’t want to “sell out”. Ugh. So I strap on blinders and get down to work.
This seems to be the same debate that has raged for decades taken to a new battleground. PR vs. marketing.Both sides think that their methods are better in any given situation. The problem is that PR and marketing professionals both think they “know” what the other side does. Most of the time neither really understands the other because they see business through very different paradigms.
I can’t count how many cavities I have had – let’s just say there has been a-lot. Probably because of my deep love for sweets. These apple pies are making me so excited!
Oh no! Some people are just more prone to them then others! 🙁
Thanks Nicole!!
Love the idea of adding the caramelized condensed milk! Almost like dulce de leche 🙂
Thanks Laura! Have a great weekend!!
Wowza! Absolutely gorgeous dear! I’m with Sharon on this one … mini definitely means you can eat more!! 😉
Agreed! Thanks Lauren!
NEED. TO. MAKE. THESE. NOW. xo
hehe! Thanks Debi! 🙂
Mini means I can eat more, right?
For sure! 🙂