Caramel Apple Pot Pie

Hooray for autumn! Which, in my opinion, is a much more beautiful word to describe this season than fall. I know I live in perpetually 70°F Los Angeles, but I still get excited about the changes in season as much as the next person in New England. (I just don’t get the breath-taking view of leaves changing color, which really is a bummer.) Autumn to me is cardigans, and boots, and scarves, and the beginning whispers of the holidays to come. Oh–and with autumn comes autumn produce! Pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes… and apples.

Apples are much less temperamental than berries (alas! berry season, farewell!) which is why they’re usually delicious all year round. However, this hardy fruit is especially delicious around this time–and you’ll see signs of everyone taking advantage of its ripeness around this time. Apple cider, apple cake, apple pie… you see, something about the mix of apples and cinnamon just screams cozy, and the mixture warms your taste buds. But what if we decided to throw caramel into the mix? What, indeed.

I found a recipe in a recent Saveur issue for caramel apple pie and was intrigued; here was a unique twist on everyone’s favorite dessert that should have been obvious! So I made the filling following the recipe and formed them into pastry pockets (think of Pop-Tarts, but with 100% less preservatives) for my friends’ housewarming BBQ. It was a hit and I enjoyed the flavor–but when I endeavored to make the recipe again, I decided to make a few changes.

With less sugar, a little more cinnamon and more caramel–of course!–I found the filling that I was looking for; I just needed a ‘vessel’ for it. Enter the idea of personal pies, or “pot” pies. I always try to give my friends dessert to take home with them, but bringing home pie slices is kind of messy. But who could say no to a personal-sized pie? So I used my large muffin/cupcake pan and the rest is history!

A few things I would change from what is shown in these images: first, I would’ve stacked the apples instead of pouring them into the pie shell in order to fit more apples into each pie. Next, I would’ve been more careful about how much sauce I poured into each pie–I went a little overboard with one pie and the sauce ended up everywhere! And lastly, I would’ve pinched the edges of the pie with more force to seal the filling in. But it still tasted heavenly–which is why I’m still posting this recipe despite my hiccups.

If you don’t have muffin pans, you can still use this recipe–just double the amount of pie crust , as this recipe will only make enough for 1 9-inch crust and you need 2 of them. Good luck!

 

Pie filling adapted from Saveur: Caramel Apple Pie

Pie crust adapted from The Italian Dish