Mini Dutch Apple Pies

Name: Mini Dutch Apple Pies
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 3 medium apples (diced into ¼" (6 mm) cubes); ½ cup brown sugar (packed); 1 Tablespoon lemon juice; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; ½ teaspoon nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon cardamom (optional); ¼ teaspoon allspice; 1 pinch ground cloves; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour (plus more for dusting); ½ cup rolled oats; ½ cup all purpose flour; ¼ cup brown sugar (packed); ½ teaspoon cinnamon; 4 Tablespoons salted butter; 1 pie crust (store-bought or homemade)

Mini Dutch apple pies are made in a muffin pan for perfectly sized, individual apple pies. Each one is filled with a homemade apple pie filling and topped with a buttery oat crumble, then baked to golden brown perfection. As a bonus, these mini apple pies freeze beautifully and reheat quickly, just like my mini caramel apple pies. And no, you don’t have to peel the apples before baking with them!

I normally don’t cook the fruit in my mini pies before baking, but I tested both pre-cooked and raw apples for this recipe. Both worked, though I much preferred the texture of the apples and the flavor of the pre-cooked filling. It does add a little prep time and a medium pot to wash, but I think it’s worth it. (And hey, this recipe still has fewer dishes than my apple cinnamon cake.) If you’d like to decide for yourself, I’ve included details on how to make both versions of these mini apple crumble pies in the recipe card.

A hand holds up half of a mini Dutch apple pie. — The buttery oat topping on these mini apple pies pairs perfectly with the spiced apple filling.

Ingredients for Mini Apple Crumble Pies

These individual apple pies are made with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Read on for the purpose behind each ingredient and common substitutions.

Apples. I like to use a mix of apples for a greater depth of flavor. This time, I used two homegrown Fuji apples and one Cosmic Crisp apple. You could use any mixture of firm apples, like Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Granny Smith, etc.
Brown sugar. Use dark or light brown sugar for a molasses flavor that pairs perfectly with fall. The sugar both sweetens and thickens the pie filling, and it also helps the crumble brown.
Lemon juice. A little bit of acid helps to balance the sweetness.
Vanilla extract. Vanilla adds a warm note to the spices for more depth of flavor.
Spices. With cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, and cloves, there’s a bit of everything to give these pies a well-spiced, fall flavor profile!
Salt. Just a pinch enhances flavor and balances the sweetness of the pies.
Flour. I like using flour to thicken my apple pie filling, but you can use cornstarch if you’d like to make the filling gluten-free. Substitute a gluten-free flour for the flour in the crumble.
Rolled oats. Oats give the crumble a nice texture. I prefer rolled oats for the thicker texture, but quick oats are fine, too.
Salted butter. Butter holds the crumble together and imparts the best, buttery flavor. You can use unsalted if you are watching your sodium intake.
Pie crust. I like to use my vanilla all-butter pie crust recipe, but any pie crust will work—even store-bought!

An important note on supplies: This recipe works best with dark-colored pans! Light-colored pans, like aluminum, will still work, but plan to increase the bake time by about five minutes for the same rich color and flaky crust.

Ingredients for mini Dutch apple pies on a counter. — These mini apple pies are made with classic apple pie ingredients, like apples, pie crust, and spices.

How to Make Mini Dutch Apple Pies

These homemade mini apple crumble pies are a fall favorite with cinnamon and spices. The smaller size bakes up much more quickly than a full-sized pie, and they’re conveniently already individually portioned. I like the buttery oat topping on these apple pies more than traditional apple pies, too!

Making the Homemade Apple Pie Filling

Dice three apples into ¼” (6 mm) or smaller cubes. You want the apple pieces to be smaller than bite-sized, since they’re going to fit inside a very small pie crust. Large apple chunks will take much longer to cook over the stove, and they won’t fit as nicely into the pie crust, making the final result look a little messy.

A knife cuts apples into large chunks for dicing. — I like to cut off opposite sides from the apple at a time so I get two similarly-sized apple pieces each. Then cut strips into those apple pieces and dice the apples into very small pieces.

A knife cuts slices of apple into ¼" pieces. — I like to cut off opposite sides from the apple at a time so I get two similarly-sized apple pieces each. Then cut strips into those apple pieces and dice the apples into very small pieces.

Add the apple pieces in a large pot, along with the brown sugar, spices, lemon juice, flour, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine, then place over medium heat to cook down for about 10 minutes.

Optional: You don’t have to cook the apples. I prefer the texture of the cooked apples once baked, but this recipe works with raw apples, too. Just let the apple mixture sit in a bowl for at least 15 minutes to allow the apples to macerate (the sugar to draw the juices out). Then proceed with the recipe as written.

A hand pours vanilla extract into a pot of diced apples, brown sugar, and spices. — Add the brown sugar, spices, and flour to the apples, then stir together and cook over medium heat.

A spatula stirs diced apples in a pot with brown sugar and spices. — Add the brown sugar, spices, and flour to the apples, then stir together and cook over medium heat.

Cook the apples until it looks like there is a really thick, dark brown syrup in the bottom of the pot when you stir the apples. It usually takes around 10 minutes for the apples to soften and release their juices, making that thick syrup. The corners of the apple pieces will have softened significantly compared to a raw apple, too, so you can use that to test how done the apples are.

A spatula shows a raw apple piece on the left and a cooked apple piece on the right. — The apples are done when the edges of the apples have softened significantly and each piece looks like it’s coated in a thick brown syrup.

A spatula holds up cooked apple pieces in a pot over the stove. — The apples are done when the edges of the apples have softened significantly and each piece looks like it’s coated in a thick brown syrup.

Making the Oat Crumble Topping

For the crumble topping on these apple pies, mix together your dry ingredients of brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and oats. Once mostly combined, pour in melted butter. Stir until there are no dry patches of flour and the mix is crumbly. Set aside while you start to assemble the pies.

Dry ingredients for the crumble topping in a white bowl. — Mix the dry ingredients until combined, then stir in the melted butter until combined. The mix will be crumbly.

The crumble topping in a white bowl. — Mix the dry ingredients until combined, then stir in the melted butter until combined. The mix will be crumbly.

Rolling Out the Pie Crust

The key to having good mini pie crusts is rolling out the pie dough well. (I cover how to do that in the blog post for my all-butter flaky pie crust.) The short version is to roll from the center of the dough out, in one direction, while making sure your workspace is lightly dusted with flour to prevent sticking.

Roll out the dough to about ⅒” (3 mm) thick—while the apple pie filling isn’t very wet, it is dense, and anything thicker has a hard time crisping up and browning properly. Then, use a 4″ (10 cm) round cutter to cut circles into the dough.

Two hands use a rolling pin to roll out pie dough. — Roll out the pie crust to ⅒” (3 mm) thick, then cut out 4″ rounds in the dough.

A round is cut out of a thinly rolled pie crust. — Roll out the pie crust to ⅒” (3 mm) thick, then cut out 4″ rounds in the dough.

Assembling the Mini Apple Pies

Then, gently place the pie dough rounds over a hole in the muffin pan. Use the pads of your fingers to gently press the dough into it, paying special attention to the edges. Note: If you have longer fingernails, they may poke holes in the dough!

If the dough sticks to your workspace, you may find it helpful to use a bench scraper to ease them off the counter. When pie crust starts to warm, it tends to get sticky—try to pop the remaining dough in the fridge for a few minutes to re-harden the butter.

The dough will stretch a little bit, then fit perfectly inside of the hole in the muffin pan. Clean up the edges if they look uneven, then add a couple Tablespoons of the cooled apple pie filling.

Two hands guide a round of pie dough into a hole in a muffin pan. — Tuck the dough rounds into the muffin pan holes, then fill them with the cooled apple pie filling.

Apple pie filling is spooned into pie crust cups in a muffin pan. — Tuck the dough rounds into the muffin pan holes, then fill them with the cooled apple pie filling.

Divide the apple pie filling evenly between the 12 mini pies, then pat the tops down lightly with a spoon to remove any large gaps. Then, add a heaping teaspoon of the crumble topping to each mini pie. Pat the crumble down flat, too, so it doesn’t burn in the oven.

The crumble topping is spooned on top of mini apple pies. — Add the crumble topping to the mini Dutch apple pies, then pat them down slightly for flat-topped mini pies.

Unbaked mini Dutch apple pies in a muffin pan. — Add the crumble topping to the mini Dutch apple pies, then pat them down slightly for flat-topped mini pies.

How to Bake Mini Apple Pies

Bake the mini Dutch apple pies at 425°F (220°C) for about 15 minutes, until the tops of the crumble and the sides of the pie crust are both golden brown. If the crumble starts to get too dark before the pie crust is done, you can lower the temperature to 400°F (205°C) for the last 5 minutes or so.

Once the pies are fully baked, remove them from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Once the pan is just barely cool enough to handle, remove the mini pies from the pan with a fork or offset spatula. Slip the tool between the side of the pan and the pie crust, then angle the pie up and pop it out of the pan. Place on a wire rack to prevent a soggy bottom.

Baked mini Dutch apple pies on a counter. — Once the mini apple pies are golden brown, remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Remove the pies from the pan with a fork or offset spatula while they are still warm to prevent sticking.

A fork is slipped between the side of a mini pie and a muffin pan to prop it out. — Once the mini apple pies are golden brown, remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Remove the pies from the pan with a fork or offset spatula while they are still warm to prevent sticking.

FAQs about Mini Dutch Apple Pies

These mini apple pies are best stored loosely covered in a container at room temperature and eaten within three days of baking. You can also store these in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

I prefer to, but you can also eat them cold or at room temp! Pop them in an oven preheated to 375°F/190°C for about 8 minutes until warm.

I topped one of my test bakes with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream, and that was heavenly. You could also use a dollop of vanilla whipped cream and a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.

Other Recipes You May Enjoy

If you liked this mini apple pie recipe, you’ll also probably love my mini caramel apple pies with salted caramel.

For a cake with pie vibes and a cookie crust, I recommend my apple snickerdoodle layer cake, with apple pie filling in the center and a cinnamon snickerdoodle buttercream.

More fall and Thanksgiving dessert ideas:

Dish Cleanup: Gonna Take a While

I rate my recipe cleanups on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is only a handful of dishes, and 5 is everything including the kitchen sink.

This mini apple pie recipe has a cleanup rating of a 4. It’s on the more intensive side for cleanup with a pot, a muffin pan, a cutting board, a rolling pin, and various measuring cups and bowls. You can cut down on one of the bowls by melting the butter for the crumble in the same bowl you plan to mix the dry ingredients together; just add the dry ingredients right on top. I also recommend rinsing the pot with warm water while the pies are in the oven to cut down on scrubbing time.

Mini Dutch Apple Pies

Ingredients for Mini Apple Crumble Pies