Happy Fourth of July!
I’ve decided to stray from my usual fare of cupcake and try to make some mini apple pies. I’ve been reading about how to make your own dulce de leche and was dying to try it, so combining apple pie and delicious caramel-y dulce de leche sounded fantastic.
According to those who helped me eat them, it was a pretty amazing combination :)
Click on read more for instructions and more photos!
Mini Dulce de Leche Apple Pies
Ingredients:
1 14oz can of condensed milk (not evaporated)
5 granny smith apples
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Juice of one lemon
2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
½ cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup ice water
To make dulce de leche:
Some recipes advise boiling an unopened can of condensed milk for hours and hours. But with boiling an unopened can comes a risk of explosion. Having hot caramel covered shrapnel flying around did not sound like a good idea to me; also there is this handy warning label on the can like this.
1 14oz can of condensed milk (not evaporated)
5 granny smith apples
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Juice of one lemon
2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
½ cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup ice water
To make dulce de leche:
Some recipes advise boiling an unopened can of condensed milk for hours and hours. But with boiling an unopened can comes a risk of explosion. Having hot caramel covered shrapnel flying around did not sound like a good idea to me; also there is this handy warning label on the can like this.
Yeah I’m not boiling this thing.
Fortunately there is another way. Pour the condensed milk into a shallow pie pan and cover tightly with foil. Place the pie pan in a larger baking dish and fill halfway with hot water. Carefully place this set up in a 450 oven and leave it there for an hour and a half. Make sure to check it periodically to make sure all the water has not evaporated. The dulce de leche may look a bit lumpy at first but whipping it with an electric mixer once it has cooled will make it smooth, creamy, and delicious!
For the pie filling:
Peel and core the apples then slice them very thin. Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice and toss to coat. Place this mixture in a large skillet and cook until the juices are reduced.
For the pie crust:
Mix the salt and the flour together in a large bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into the flour until it looks like coarse cornmeal. You can use a fork, 2 knives, a pastry cutter, or ideally a food processor to do this. Once the fat is cut in, drizzle in just enough of the water to form dough that will hold together. Press this dough into a flat circle and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Assembly:
Preheat your oven to 400. Roll out the pie dough on a floured surface or between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Cut out rounds appropriate to your pie pan(s) and press into the bottom of the pan. Poke the surface with a fork to make many little holes. Bake these for about 15 minutes. Place a large spoonful of the dulce de leche in the bottom of each pie pan and spread to cover the bottom. Fill the rest of the pie with the apples. To make the top crust you can cover the entire top of the pie and cut a few vents in the dough, or you can cut the dough into strips and lay or weave them together to create a lattice top. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes.
Fortunately there is another way. Pour the condensed milk into a shallow pie pan and cover tightly with foil. Place the pie pan in a larger baking dish and fill halfway with hot water. Carefully place this set up in a 450 oven and leave it there for an hour and a half. Make sure to check it periodically to make sure all the water has not evaporated. The dulce de leche may look a bit lumpy at first but whipping it with an electric mixer once it has cooled will make it smooth, creamy, and delicious!
For the pie filling:
Peel and core the apples then slice them very thin. Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice and toss to coat. Place this mixture in a large skillet and cook until the juices are reduced.
For the pie crust:
Mix the salt and the flour together in a large bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into the flour until it looks like coarse cornmeal. You can use a fork, 2 knives, a pastry cutter, or ideally a food processor to do this. Once the fat is cut in, drizzle in just enough of the water to form dough that will hold together. Press this dough into a flat circle and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Assembly:
Preheat your oven to 400. Roll out the pie dough on a floured surface or between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Cut out rounds appropriate to your pie pan(s) and press into the bottom of the pan. Poke the surface with a fork to make many little holes. Bake these for about 15 minutes. Place a large spoonful of the dulce de leche in the bottom of each pie pan and spread to cover the bottom. Fill the rest of the pie with the apples. To make the top crust you can cover the entire top of the pie and cut a few vents in the dough, or you can cut the dough into strips and lay or weave them together to create a lattice top. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes.
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