Use standard mini muffin tins to make delicious and easy Apple Raspberry Pies that are perfect for entertaining!

Miniature Apple Raspberry Pies

Last month, I was invited to give a cooking demonstration in the Culinary Kitchen at Bloomingdale’s, at the Shops at Riverside in Hackensack, New Jersey. I had such a fun afternoon meeting fellow food enthusiasts, chatting about cooking, and preparing a little taste of fall for shoppers to sample.

In choosing a recipe for the event, my hosts and I wanted a dish that would highlight fresh ingredients (the driving focus behind Striped Spatula) as well as fit a “pink” theme for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

With autumn being the perfect season for warm and comforting desserts, I decided to adapt my favorite apple pie into Miniature Apple-Raspberry Pies with Dutch crumb topping.

With warm cinnamon notes, sweet apples, and a rounded pop of tartness from the berries, these portable pies are a wonderful option for easy holiday entertaining. They’re also a great way to utilize your apple haul after a trip to the orchard!

Bloomingdale's demo promo sign

The feeling of walking into Bloomingdale’s that rainy Saturday afternoon and seeing this promotional sign, adorned with my name and logo, was indescribable.

As I stood next to the sign (taking numerous selfies, I have to admit), a shopper approached me and asked, “Is this you? Are you The Striped Spatula? I heard about this and will be back to see your demo later!”

To know that people were looking forward to coming to an event to watch me cook filled me with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

Of course, the experience wasn’t without its fair share of nerves. This was the first time that one of my original recipes would be served to the general public, and I hoped that shoppers would enjoy the pies as my family and friends have.

As the aroma drew passersby to the kitchen, one gentleman declared them “the best pies” he’d ever eaten. Another shopper enjoyed them so much, she ended up taking five pies to share with her husband and children. Sample plates taken to an event in the neighboring cosmetics department returned with nary a crumb. Much to my joy, the pies were a hit!

filling miniature apple raspberry pies
When I’m planning a holiday entertaining menu, especially for a crowd, convenience is key. As a hostess, I want to serve beautiful dishes to my guests, but I also want to be able to enjoy their company.

As much as I love large pies, I find that they can be a little cumbersome to serve on a dessert table. These two to three bite pies fit the bill for both convenience and versatility during this busy season, and are a cinch to make in a mini muffin tin.

Just roll out your favorite pie dough (such as my all-butter recipe), cut rounds with a biscuit cutter to fit the dough into the wells, par-cook the fruit filling on the stove, fill, and bake.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I often prefer par-cooking my fruit fillings for full-sized pies, but it’s really an essential step here given the shortened baking time needed for mini pies.

miniature apple raspberry pies
Miniature Apple Raspberry Pies are easy to adapt with different filling varieties.

Cranberries would be a beautiful, seasonally-inspired substitution for the raspberries. A traditional all-apple filling would also be delicious. I’ve even done miniature pumpkin, coconut custard, and chocolate-bourbon-pecan pies as well. As clichéd as it might sound, the only limit here is your imagination.

Offering multiple flavor variations to guests is also a lovely touch to a holiday gathering. Honestly, when it comes to pies, my tastebuds want a slice of all of the different flavors this time of year, when my stomach (i.e. the voice of reason) would prefer just a small taste. Mini pies to the rescue!

Many thanks to Jessica Rupnik and Nicole Carvalho for hosting me at Bloomingdale’s and to Suzanne Lowery, chef, culinary educator, and author of the “Soup to Nuts” blog on New Jersey Monthly, with whom it was a delight to cook with for the afternoon.

My heartfelt gratitude to my friends and their families, who took time out of their busy Saturdays to attend my demo. Seeing your smiling faces was the icing on the cake (or, more appropriately, the buttery crumb topping on the pies) to a wonderful day.

5 from 4 votes

Miniature Apple Raspberry Pies

Use mini muffin tins to make easy and delicious single-serve apple pies. Yield will vary depending on the size of the wells of your mini muffin tins (this sometimes varies by manufacturer). Yield and instructions below are based on a standard tin.
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 36 mini pies

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Fuji apples , peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus additional for greasing pans
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch , dissolved in 1-1/2 teaspoons cool water
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar , divided
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups raspberries , divided
  • 1 recipe all-butter pie crust OR 3 rounds, pre-rolled, refrigerated pie crust
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Instructions 

  • Combine apples, 1 cup raspberries, light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large pot. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft but still retain their shape, 15 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture and continue cooking, uncovered, until juices are thickened and clear, 3-5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Cut remaining 1/2 cup raspberries into halves and gently stir into the filling.
  • Make the topping for the pies by stirring together flour, 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, a pinch of kosher salt, and 3 tablespoons melted butter until crumbly. Set aside. Brush the wells and tops of the mini muffin tins with melted butter. Roll pie dough to 1/8-inch thick and use a 2-3/4 inch biscuit cutter to cut dough into rounds. Fit dough into the wells of the muffin tins and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Fill each well almost to the top with the apple mixture and top with a few pinches of crumble. Place tins on baking sheets to catch any filling that might bubble over in the oven. Bake 20 minutes, rotate pans, and continue baking 10 minutes, until crust is light golden brown (loosely cover with foil if crumble is browning too quickly). Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Use two forks to gently lift each pie from the tins and transfer to wire racks to cool before serving.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 1.6mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

About our recipes

Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.

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6 Comments

  1. Trang says:

    How cute are these little pies! I love miniature desserts, this would be perfect for a holiday work potluck.

  2. Traci says:

    Ok, these look adorable and ridiculously delicious! Pretty sure I couldn’t resist eating only one!

  3. Ginny says:

    Fuji apples are my favorite and I love these little pies. I could just pop these in mouth all day long!

  4. sue | theviewfromgreatisland says:

    These are darling, and that crumb crust is to die for!

  5. Deanna says:

    These look so good! I love that mini they are perfect to serve up for brunch!

  6. Emma @ Bake Then Eat says:

    Mini anything is always a great choice and these mini pies are no exception beautiful, and I am convinced super tasty too :D