Apple Cookie Pies| chaserivers

Apple Cookie Pies

Ingredients

CRF Pie Crust

14 ounces all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons fine, sea salt

1 tablespoon sugar

6 ½ ounces unsalted, cold butter, cubed

1 ½ ounces lard, cold, cubed (Morrell brand-hog) "Vegetarians use all butter"

3 1/2 ounces ice cold water

Kitchen scale

Pastry brush

3 inch round cookie cutter

Parchment paper

Baking sheet with wired rack

Apple Filling

3 cups cubed, Honeycrisp apples (about 3-4 large)

1/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon sugar (5 tbsp's)

¼ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Small pinch of ground clove

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Vanilla Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 teaspoons water

Whisk together in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Royal Icing

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons Wilton meringue powder

2 tablespoons room temp water

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Whisk together in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Round 2-3 Wilton or Ateco piping tip

Pastry bag

Cookie glitter, sprinkles, etc

Buttery pastry filled with Honeycrisp apples, brown sugar, cinnamon & clove, baked and brushed with a vanilla glaze and decorated.

Lightly flour your work surface and roll out 1 one of the pastry discs to about 1/8 of an inch. Cut out rounds using the cookie cutter and arrange 1 layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add about 1 tablespoon of apple mixture to the center of each round and then add a second round on top and lightly press. Place in the refrigerator, set oven rack to the upper-center position and preheat oven to 375F. Once preheated, place in the oven and bake until edges are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let come to room temperature.

Note: Have all of your decorating sugars, glitters, ready to use.

Place some of the room temperature cookie pies on the baking sheet with wired rack. Brush a cookie pie with the glaze then, sprinkle with the sugar decorations. Repeat until all cookie pies are decorated (see video). Let dry then pipe on your snowflakes, etc using the royal icing. Let dry overnight.

Directions

CRF Pie Crust

Add the flour, salt and sugar to the food processor and pulse to blend. Add the butter & lard, pulse to coarsely chop, then drizzle in the ice water while pulsing. Continue pulsing until everything just starts to come together. Pour out onto your work surface, divide in half and shape into two flat discs. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill for 1 hour. Prepare apple filling.

Apple Filling

Add the cubed apples to a food processor and pulse 4-5 times until finely chopped but not pureed. Add to a sauce pan with remaining ingredients and stir. Turn heat on medium temperature, stirring continuously until mixture comes to a soft boil. Cook 2 minutes, remove from heat and let come to room temperature.