So adorable, and so easy!
ingredients
APPLE PIE CUPS
2 granny smith apples (tops removed)
1 lemon (cut in half, one half juiced)
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
leftover pie dough (http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/carla-hall-pie-crust or storebought)
all-purpose flour (for dusting)
1 egg
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
directions
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Using a melon baller, scoop out the insides of each apple, leaving 1/4-inch border. Reserve the seedless rounds of flesh and discard any pieces with seeds. Rub the insides of the apple cups with the cut side of the unjuiced lemon half.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the reserved apple rounds, golden raisins, sugar, and cinnamon, stirring to coat. Cover and reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally. Cook apples until they have caramelized and released all of their juices, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in reserved lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Meanwhile, gather leftover pie dough scraps, form into a disk shape and, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into 20, 1/4-inch wide strips. Cover with a damp kitchen towel until ready to use or use store-bought pie crust.
Divide the apple filling evenly between the 2 apple cups. Lay 5 strips of dough, vertically, on top of a filled apple cup. Starting from the bottom, fold up every other strip of dough. Lay one strip of dough, horizontally, on top of the unfolded strips of dough. Unfold the folded pieces of dough and repeat this process by folding up the pieces that were not previously folded. Place a strip of dough, horizontally, on top of the folded pieces, leaving a little bit of space between this piece and the previous horizontal piece, then unfold the folded dough. Continue this process until you have a woven piece of dough, forming the lattice crust. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and apple cup. Trim the edges of the lattice to fit the top of the apple cup.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the tops of the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Place apple cups inside of a muffin tin and bake in the oven until the tops are golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, and enjoy!
Tip: If you don’t have any leftover pie crust to use, make this recipe with store-bought pie crust!
