Vegan Mini Apple Pies

In our garden, we have a mini apple orchard, twelve apple trees that produce bushels full of apples.  We grow Macintosh, Red Delicious, and Golden Delicious.  We are not the only ones who enjoy the bountiful apples.  Many apples fall from the trees everyday and our resident rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and birds take full advantage of the fallen fruit.

I love walking out to my orchard to pick apples, and then shortly turning them into scrumptious pies.  Now what should I do with the hundreds more that will soon be ready to pick?



Ingredients for dough:

Yields enough dough for 4 ramekins


2 cups organic unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup organic pure cane sugar
1 t sea salt
1/2 cup vegan shortening
3-4 T ice cold water

Method:

In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, and sea salt.  Using a large fork, cut in the shortening, making sure to leave pea size bits of shortening.  Add 3 T of ice water and knead until a dough forms; add the additional 1 T or cold ice water if needed.

Shape dough into a large disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While dough is chilling start making the filling.


Ingredients for filling:

6 organic apples, seeded and diced.
1/2 cup plus 1 T organic pure cane sugar
2 t organic pumpkin pie spice
1 t organic cinnamon
Juice of 1 organic lemon
1/4 t sea salt
1 T vegan butter, melted

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the apples, sugar, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, sea salt, and lemon juice.

Evenly distribute the apple mixture into each ramekin. It may look like a lot of filling but the apples will bake down.

Method for assembly:

Roll out chilled dough on a slightly floured cutting board.  Cut out 4 circles that are slightly larger than your ramekins.  I did this free hand with a sharp knife.

Place dough rounds on top of each apple filled ramekin, using a fork crimp the edges all the way around.  Use a sharp knife to cut 3 lines into the top of the dough.

Brush the crust with the melted butter, and sprinkle with sugar.

Place ramekins onto a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the the crust turns a golden brown.

Serve warm, or let cool slightly and top with vegan ice cream.