“Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.” Jane Austen
I couldn’t agree more! The fall season just isn’t complete without the smell of a homemade apple pie baking in the kitchen. For me, the scent evokes memories of childhood on cool, crisp days. My mother with her blonde hair pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head. Her apron covered in flour as my younger siblings ran around her. Those were the days when you felt like anything and everything was possible as you jumped into a big pile of crunchy leaves your dad just completed. Next, hearing him say, “You need to rake those back when you are done.” Oh, fall! How I love you!
My toddler, Ruby and I began our fall filled day with a ghostly snack. I sliced a banana with peanut butter, cheerios, cracker sticks, and chocolate chips. I stacked the banana slices with peanut butter in-between each to help hold its shape. The ghost’s eyes were two cheerios, and the mouth was a single chocolate chip. For the arms I used two cracker sticks. Although I thought the ghost looked hauntingly good, Ruby immediately called it a Minion. After looking more closely at it, I agreed with her! Either way, she enjoyed eating it!
After we tidied up around the house, we began on our mini apple pies! Ruby loves helping me in the kitchen, so as often as I can, I try to include her! The recipe I like to use is very simple and that’s the way I like it! “Work smarter, not harder!” Especially when you have little ones assisting you!
To begin, I set my oven to 375. I coat my 12-tin muffin pan with coconut oil. Next, I lay out two pre-made pie crusts on my flour sprinkled countertop. You can use any pie crust you prefer! For my mini crust’s I use a one cup bowl and trace around it, cutting it into a small circle. I then place the mini crust in the base of each muffin tin. I then take out a fork and gently pierce the bottom of the crusts a few times. This allows my dough to cook evenly. Next, I start on my filling. I peel, core, and slice my apples into small cubes. I find that when my apple pieces are cut smaller, they cook more fully and allow the spices to be evenly distributed. I add the rest of my pie filling ingredients to the apples in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Once done, in a smaller bowl, I mix together my crumble topping. Rather than mixing in my salted butter, I keep the butter cold and cut it into small cubes. I place the cold butter on top of each mini pie. Also, I like using salted butter because I believe it adds additional flavor to my pie. After doing that, I sprinkle the crumble topping over each one. Now your pies are ready to bake! I place my muffin pan in the center of the middle rack and allow it to cook for 15-20 minutes. You will know your pie is done when the edges of the crust are a golden brown. Once done, allow the pies to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing them.
Apple Pie Filling Ingredients:
- 1 box pie crust (2 crusts in the box), or your favorite pie crust.
- 4 cups apples peeled, cored, and diced. I used Jonathan apples.
- 1 tsp. lemon juice.
- 1/4 cup white sugar.
- 1/4 cup brown sugar.
- 2 tbs. flour.
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg.
Crumble Topping Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup flour.
- 1/4 cup brown sugar.
- 1/4 cup white sugar.
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.
- 6 tbs. butter
Don’t throw away your leftover apple peels and pie crust! We will show you why!
While our mini pies cooked, Ruby and I made two more yummy treats: leftover apple peel chips and pie crust crackers! With the apple peels, I placed them on a lined baking sheet, sprinkled cinnamon and sugar over them and cooked for 5-10 minutes at 375. Word of warning! The peels cook quickly at this temperature so if you prefer a crunchier peel, I recommend lowering the temperature to 200 and baking until lightly brown and dry. Another great way to use your leftover apple peels is to toss them into your smoothie!
With your leftover pie crust, place them on a lined baking sheet. Lightly coat the dough with butter, sprinkle each with cinnamon and sugar. Cook dough at 375 for 10 minutes or until golden brown. These little cinnamon crackers are a great addition to vanilla ice cream! Another recipe idea is to use the dough as the base for mini pizzas! Flatten out your dough, assemble your pizza with sauce and toppings and bake for 10-20 minutes.
“Wast not, want not!” You know what I loved most about this day? My daughter and I came up with creative and yummy ways to use everything we had. Rather than simply giving my daughter a banana, I reimagined it for her. We turned snack time into play time and allowed our imaginations to engage! Next, we took our leftover apple peels and pie crust and used them to make two additional treats for us to enjoy. When we use what we have been given, we learn to embrace the life we have! When we learn to love the life we have, we no longer have the need to search for something more – we want not! We are content in the precious life we have been given! I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty great! In a world that says you need more remind yourself that what you have is just enough and if you feel like something is lacking, challenge yourself to innovate a solution to the problem.
“It is not the man who has little, but he who desires more, that is poor.” Seneca
I love the above quote by Seneca! He was a philosopher that believed our virtue was more important to our happiness than our material possessions. He recognized that our thoughts and our actions are far more important than the things we own. I couldn’t agree more! Your state of mind and your view of your reality directly impacts the view of your life and happiness. When we learn contentment, we embrace a richer spirit for life. We find our happiness and peace!
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