Apple Pie A La Mode Cupcakes

Apple Pie A La Mode Cupcakes

This is the perfect Thanksgiving Dessert. If you have never baked a pie before, if you have trouble baking in general, if you can't make things look pretty, you still have no reason to fear this recipe. I have never made pie crust before, it was easy. There are several steps to this cupcake, but I didn't find it any more labor intensive than a regular cupcake, because there was minimal mixing. It's a cupcake that requires a fork to be eaten, because it's not a real cupcake, and it's not ice cream either, so they can be kept in the fridge.

I would also recommend purchasing Nut and Party cups instead of cupcake forms. They are much sturdier and can be found at Micheal's or Joanne Fabrics. They are the cups I usually use for cupcakes, but I believe for this recipe they are essential.

Recipe Yields 18 cupcakes

Crust Ingredients

2 sticks of butter chopped up and frozen

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon & 2 teaspoons ice water

Flour for sprinkling

Filling Ingredients

9 peeled, cored and sliced apples

1 stick butter

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 table spoon of melted butter to brush over the crust

Frosting Ingredients

1 pint heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons +1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups sugar

I wrote out all your ingredients first so I could give the steps in baking as I did them. The first thing you need to do is chop up your butter and put it in the freezer. I only had mine in there for an hour, but you can put your in the night before if you would like. I hear the colder it is the better. 

Next slice your apples. Place apples in a baking dish and put them in the oven on broil, for 15 minutes

In a large bowl whisk together your flour. salt, and sugar for your crust. Add in your frozen butter and beat. Now you don't want the butter to be incorporated entirely. You want little chunks. Mix until it is the consistency of course meal. Add your vanilla and mix. Add you water a little at a time until you have added it all. You don't want to over mix this. Pick up a small clump and make sure in binds together when you press it.                                                                                                                                         

Work the dough together in to a large clump. Do not overwork it, just get it in to form. Separate 18 small balls and put them in to a ziploc. Think the size of a quarter.

Separate the rest in to 18 larger pieces. It's okay if they are not all exactly the same size, just guesstimate.

Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. (you can do this the night before if you would like you can also get the cupcakes ready for the oven and refrigerate for the night if you want to split the process)

 In a pot melt the butter for the filling. Whisk in flour until you get a thick consistency. Add brown sugar and regular sugar and continue to whisk. Add water and cinnamon whisk until well combined. Turn off your flame and add your cooked apples.

Set mixture aside

Preheat your oven to 425

Prepare the are to roll out your crusts, by putting down a little sprinkle of four. I left the bag of dough in the refrigerator open so I could pull out one piece at a time.

Pull out one of the larger balls and press it in to a disc shape. (if your dough was in over night you may have to let it sit out for a few minutes. This is why I recommend doing the whole cupcake and putting it in the frige if you want to split the task. 

Roll out your disc so that it is big enough to place in your cupcake cup with some hanging over the side. Don't roll it so thin that it rips. If you do have trouble with the crust ripping, instead of trying to re-roll it, put it back in the refrigerator. 

Place crust in to each party cup fold around the side. It doesn't have to be pretty. You will have one section that is heavy in crust..........don't worry about it.

Fold the top over the sides.

Once you have finished all the cups, fill each one with your filling. You can fill it nearly to the top, but be careful if there is a lot of liquid in it, it will boil over. If it does, it's okay.

Next, roll out your smaller balls. You will need to cut them to size. A shot glass or cookie cutter will work. I find baby bottle parts to be the right size. You want them to be about the diameter of the top of the party cup. You can also do strips of dough around the top, or just cut it with a pizza cutter.

Place each disc on the top of each cup and fold the sides over inward.

Brush each one with melted butter. Place them in the oven for 15 minutes at 425.

Turn oven down to 350 and bake for 35 more minutes.

let cupcakes cool completely before frosting. This will take a while.

In a large mixing bowl put in your heavy whipping cream and begin mixing. Drizzle in one cup of sugar while mixing. Add half the vanilla and continue to mix. Drizzle in remaining sugar, continue to mix, add remaining vanilla and mix. Continue to mix until whipped cream is stiff enough to put on the cupcakes, do not over whip. 

To assemble cupcakes, I used a ice cream scoop to scoop on the whip cream. *tip, rinse the scoop with very cold water between each cupcake to help for the scoop look.