Apple Lattice Mini Pies

Ingredients

• 1 mini pie crust recipe
• 1 3/4 pounds apples, washed, cored and chopped into pieces the size of dimes
• 1.5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. Prepare 1 recipe of mini pie crust, then stamp out 6 rounds and press them into the muffin tin. Check that the dough sits snugly against the bottom and sides without trapped air pockets. Refrigerate the shells for 30 minutes while you put together the filling.
2. Move the oven rack to the center and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. As soon as the apples are prepped, toss them with the lemon juice so they do not brown. Stir together the flour, sugar and spices, then combine that mixture with the apples. Add the lemon zest and butter, and stir again.
3. Transfer the apples to a baking dish and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake for about 10 minutes, just until the apples are barely tender when pierced with a fork. Take off the foil, stir the filling, and let it cool completely.
4. Fill the pastry shells with the cooled apple mixture, mounding it up to the top. Arrange 4 lattice strips across each mini pie in one direction, then add 4 more in the opposite direction. Cut away any extra dough hanging over the edges, then press the strip ends into the rims of the shells. Brush the visible pastry with cream or egg wash, and scatter coarse sugar generously over the top. If the dough has warmed up by now, set the pies straight into the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
5. Bake the pies for 20 minutes, rotate the pan, and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes. Take them out when the crust is deeply browned.
6. Once the mini pies come out of the oven, leave them in the pan for 10 minutes. Use an offset spatula to lift them out, then move them to a sheet pan to finish cooling completely.