Wild Magic Mini Apple Crumble-Pies

“She watched the girl move among the ponies, running her hands over each one. She was giving them bits of apple and sugar from her pockets.”
— Wild Magic, Tamora Pierce

Apples are the traditional treat to win a horse’s friendship. And what do we do with apples? We make pie, that’s what we do.

Or, in this case, we struggle to decide between a pie and a crumble so we make both! And we make them hand-sized because so much of Wild Magic takes place on the road.

 
several mini apple pies, dusted with icing sugar, viewed from above on a gold plate
 

My only tip this time is to use mince pie cases. I made them without once and it was… messy.

 
unbaked mini apple pies in a cupcake tray ready to go in the oven
 

Apple Filling

Ingredients:

  • 4 dessert apples (pick your favourites; I prefer Pink Lady and a bit of Braeburn. I tried something called an Envy apple this time and they were GORGEOUS. Hence the name I guess.)

  • 3/4tsp ground cinammon

  • 1/4tsp ground cloves

  • 1/4tsp ground star anise

  • 55g butter

  • 1 and 1/2tbsp flour

  • 60ml water

  • 100g granulated sugar

N.B: as with the apples, the spices are pick your own. I can’t have apple without clove, but that’s me. You might be a ginger girl, or an allspice boy. You do you.

Method:

  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour, then simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Whisk in the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and summer for 3 minutes, whisking frequently, then remove from the heat.

  • Peel and chop the apples into a large bowl (squeeze a bit of lemon juice over them if they start to brown while you work). Toss with the spices, then pour the sauce over and stir to coat.

  • Leave to one side.

“Daine looked over her shoulder.
”Come out and meet Miri. If you ask nice, she might give you an apple.”
The roan’s ears pricked forward at the word apple.”
— Wild Magic, Tamora Pierce
 
several mini apple pies, dusted with icing sugar and sitting on a gold plate. In the background, a copy of Tamora Pierce's novel Wild Magic
 

Crumble Topping & Assembly

Ingredients:

  • 1 x 320g package Jus-Rol Shortcrust Pastry (the ready-rolled sheet, we are NOT about hard work here)

  • 65g plain flour

  • 15g icing sugar

  • 25g butter, cubed

  • 25g toasted almonds, chopped

Method: 

  • Using an 8cm cookie cutter, stamp 12 rounds out of the pastry sheet and press into mince pie cases. Place these in 1x 12-hole cupcake tin. (If you can be bothered to re-roll the off-cut pastry, you can make 18 - and you will need 1x 6-hole cupcake tin as well.)

  • Divide the apple filling evenly among the pies and bake for 10 minutes while you make the crumble. (I usually have to turn the trays around after 5 minutes to stop uneven baking.)

  • To make the crumble, place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingers until you get a crumbly consistency.

  • Top each pie with crumble and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, until pastry and crumble are golden. (As before you might have to turn them if the edges look like they’re burning.)

  • Eat warm or cold. Dust them with icing sugar if that’s your vibe.

  • Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for a few days. While the flavours can deepen the next day, longer than that and you start to risk the bottoms getting soggy. And we all know what Mary Berry thinks of that.

 
An empty silver mince-pie case, dusted with crumbs and icing sugar. The pie has been eaten.
 

So, there it is lovely reading bakers. May you never fall from your horse, and may your bottoms always be crisp.

xxx