Easy Apple Pie
I'm not one to make dessert. I don't have a sweet tooth and more often than not I'd rather end the meal with a savory note. That said, I love apple pie. There's something about piping hot apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that says "all is right in the world" and brings that ultimate comfort food feeling the coldest of nights. I love the creamy texture of caramelized apples sandwiched between layers of flaky, buttery pastry, and yet I have not pushed my comfort zone into the realm of baking a pie in many years.
Until I started writing this recipe down, I had forgotten what happened last time I set out to bake apple pie. The year was 2005 and the pie didn't even make it into the oven; my attempt at the perfect dessert was aborted when I rushed to the ER to get stitches in both of my hands after the apple corer split when I applied pressure to cut the apples. Since that day, I have never touched an apple corer, and I don't plan to start again now.
These easy apple pies came to me as an afterthought when trying to decide what to do with my my leftover boreka pastry and it's all about creating that perfect bite with ease. You can hold each "pie" in your hand and these are a delicious dessert served hot, warm or room temperature. There's no pastry to make and you can control the flavors to meet your sweet or savory desire. My favorite thing about this dish is the simplicity.
Quick and Easy Apple Pie Recipe
You will need the following ingredients:
- Frozen puff pastry
- Two apples
- Juice of half a lemon
- Cinnamon
- Brown sugar
- One egg (optional)
Take your puff pastry out of the freezer to thaw. Don't allow it to defrost completely, the chill makes it easier to work with. Leave it on a kitchen towel until you can bend the pastry without the risk of tearing it. Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Peel and cut your apples in to eight to twelve segments, depending on the size of the apple. Then cut your puff pastry into squares that will fit nicely round your apples, I don't expect the squares will be larger than 1.5-2 inches. Put the cut apples in a glass or plastic bowl (absolutely not a metal bowl) and drizzle with lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
Lay the puff pastry on a plastic cutting board and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Pat the apple slices with kitchen towel to remove any excess lemon juice then lay a piece of apple in the middle of the puff pastry square. Finally, fold the pastry around the slice of apple. Seal the ends using a fork. Making sure the seam of the pastry is on the bottom, place the apple pies on a cookie sheet then pierce the top of the pies with a fork or knife. The piercing needs to be large enough to let steam escape from the pies through the top so that the seams of the pastry to not burst while cooking
Brush with an egg wash then place the cookie sheet in a pre-heated oven for at least 25 minutes. When the pastry is golden brown, remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.
There you have it. Easy Apple Pies, without a trip to the ER! Check out these other apple pie recipes from other foodies:
