Jelly Toast

apple raisin pies in jars

mini apple raisin pies in jars_Emily Caruso_Jelly Toast (2 of 7)

I have a thing for mini desserts. They’re tiny, adorable and have a built in serving size that attempts to save me from myself. Myself and my love of desserts, that is. There is something rebellious about eating an entire dessert all by yourself and not having to cut it up and share pieces with your friends. And in this case rebellious = fantastic.

mini apple raisin pies in jars_Emily Caruso_Jelly Toast (1 of 7)

Let’s talk about these Apple Raisin Pies in Jars. The idea for them came about in an unusual way. I was inspired to bake an apple raisin dessert because I ate this apple cinnamon raisins yogurt that rocked my world. Seriously, I’m not one to get all that jazzed about yogurt, but this was really tasty.

It got me thinking that raisins need to be put into more desserts. I’m not sure why I don’t use raisins more, but they are the unsung heroes of dried fruit. Not as glamorous as dried figs, although infinitely more attractive than a prune. Poor prunes always get a bad wrap.

Anyway, I’m on a tangent about dried fruit when what I really should be talking about are these completely easy, sweetly spiced apple raisin pies. They were perfectly golden, with a sweet and tender filling.

mini apple raisin pies in jars_Emily Caruso_Jelly Toast (5 of 7)I had a leftover pie crust in the fridge after making my comfort-in-a-casserole-dish Autumn Chicken Pot Pie, so I figured I had the perfect excuse to whip up some pie. On a Wednesday, no less. That’s how easy these were. I actually assembled them in the morning, popped them in the fridge, and then baked them off while we ate dinner.

Then BOOM: fresh apple raisin pie for dessert. Not too shabby for a weekday. Especially when we eat scrambled eggs twice a week for dinner. See? Life of a food blogger isn’t always so glamorous. But then, there is pie to make up for it.

I just hope the kiddos grow up remembering the pie nights. I should make pie more often, and so should you. Seriously. I’m officially calling this ‘Pie Wednesday’.

It’s a thing.

mini apple raisin pies in jars_Emily Caruso_Jelly Toast (7 of 7)

Happy {Pie} Wednesday!

Apple Raisin Pies in Jars Recipe

Yield: 4 mini pies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

2 medium apples, peeled and diced (2 cups)
1/4 cup raisins
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 box pie dough, allowed to sit at room temp according to package directions
1 egg
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together apples, raisins, lemon juice, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, 2 tablespoons of sugar and flour. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie dough until almost doubled in size. Using a 4 inch plate as a guide, cut 4 circles out of the dough. Place 1 circle of dough into one 4 oz mason jar (I used 4 oz Ball canning jars). Use fingers to press dough into the sides of the jar. Dough should hang over the lip of the jar by about 1/3 inch. If it doesn't, cut small strips of dough from the scrap and pinch it to the dough lining to create a small overhang around the mouth of the jar. Repeat with the remaining 3 pies. Cut extra dough strips into 1/3 inch strips for the lattice pieces.

Divide apple filling amongst the 4 pie jars. The mixture will be heaping a bit. Place the reserved strips of dough over the filling (creating a lattice if desired) and crimp up the edges of the dough, sealing together ends of lattice pieces and the overhang of the bottom crust. Place pie jars onto a rimmed baking sheet.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush tops of pie crust with egg wash and sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar. Bake pies for 35 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

Allow to cool before serving.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Lining the jars with dough is a very forgiving process. If your dough tears, or you need to patch a hole, simply take a small piece of dough and press it into the area that needs patched.

If you don't want to do lattice topped pies, experiment with other decorative configurations of dough! The possibilities are endless!

October 16th, 2013

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13 comments on “apple raisin pies in jars”

  1. These pies are just lovely….. my husbands favorite pie is raisin, so I think the addition of apples will lighten the sugar.. Thanks for the recipe

    • You’re so welcome, Barbara! I’ve never tried an all raisin pie, but now that you mention it, I don’t know why I’ve not. I love raisins so much, I sounds delicious! I think I need to try it out 🙂 Thank you for the recipe idea and I’m so glad you stopped by!
      ~Emily

  2. Emily, I couldn’t agree more with you that there is something special about having your very own dessert you don’t have to share. I too love raisins. For some reason, I always forget that I keep organic red flame raisins in my pantry and what a great snack they make. These are the cutest little pies.

    • Mary, I’m glad I’m not the only one! I know I should be promoting sharing more with the kids and all, but I love having an entire little dessert all to myself 🙂 I’ve never tried red flame raisins! I need to seek them out and give them a try. We love dried fruit around my house, especially in the winter time!

  3. they’re adorable and look yummy too!

  4. I could totally get into pie Wednesdays! Anything mini, in my opinion is so much more fun to eat plus they are adorable. For one reason or another I have been hesitant to bake in mason jars, for fear they would explode on me, but obviously it can be done, your are perfect!

  5. I just made these last night & they turned out so nicely. My whole house smelled incredible while they were baking & goodness are they cute!
    Plus I can send them to work with my husband very easily.
    I had a pear that needed to be used up, so I tossed it in with the apples & I omitted the raisins, because I didn’t have any. But I will be making this again & I’ll be sure to stock up on raisins!
    Thanks for sharing this recipe! 🙂

  6. These are too freakin cute!! I just found your blog and I want to reach into the screen and grab everything. Can’t wait to try some of your recipes!

  7. I stumbled upon your blog from Foodie Crush and these IMMEDIATELY caught my eye. These look amazing and so cute! I’m not even into raisins but I’d be down to try baking with these!

  8. Pingback: A Subtle Revelry | 25 ways to make a pie

  9. could i somehow make these to be able to get the cover back on it?

    • If you didn’t fill the pies quite as full and nestled the crusts down further into the jars, I think you’d then be able to get the lids on after baking. It might take a little adjusting, but I think it would work!