Living in a sultry southern climate isn't easy for a chick who LOVES to bake! Coming up with fresh, delicious desserts without heating the entire house isn't always easy. Check out these scrumptious toaster oven apple pies! An individual apple pie that bakes within an apple in a small counter-top toasterYou'll need
4 Whole Apples
1 heaping tsp Cinnamon
Pinch of Nutmeg (about 1/8th tsp)
1/4 c. Sugar
1 T. Brown Sugar
4 small pats butter
1 Pie Crust (Homemade or Pre-made roll-ups if you want)
Preheat the Toaster Oven to 375F
Carefully cut the tops off each of 4 of your apples, then, using a melon-baller or spoon carefully remove the insides like you would a pumpkin, leaving about 1/2" edge. To make this easier, scoop out the core first.
DO NOT Puncture the apple, or all of the yummy filling will run out during baking, leaving a sticky mess in its wake.
Don't toss out the apple middles, instead, remove the seeds and core setting them aside (throw them out the door for the birds!) then chop the apples finely and place them in a bowl.
In a small bowl combine the cinnamon, nutmeg and sugars. Pour this mixture over the diced/chopped apples, mixing well. Let it set while you prepare the crust. If you plan on making these ahead of time and not baking them immediately add a slightly rounded teaspoon of flour to the mixture to help thicken the juices while they're setting.
Fill each hollowed apple with the spiced apple mixture and top with a small pat of butter.
Cover the top of each apple with a lattice pattern top, like
To make this a little easier, I recommend cutting the pie crust into even strips. Lay 4 strips out on a small piece of wax paper. Then add the remaining 4 strips, forming a lattice pattern. When you top the filled apple you can pick up the lattice top easy without making a mess or accidentally stretching the dough.
At this point you can either bake your apples, or place them in the fridge to bake later.
To Bake: Place the apples in a small 8"x8" pan or in the toaster tray pan that came with your toaster oven. Add a small amount of water to the bottom of the pan (About 1/2 c. or so) Cover the tops with foil and bake 30 minutes, Remove foil and bake 10-12 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Top with a Small Scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve!
The GroceryBudget101 Breakdown:
4 apples = .60
1 Pie Crust (flour, shortening, water, salt) .18
Spices .06
Sugar .07
Butter (optional) .05
Total cost for 4 complete desserts: $0.96 or $0.24 cents each
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