Barefoot and Pregnant: Little Apple Pies!

I am a rules person. To an embarassing extreme. I read the directions like five times before I even attempt to do anything, and even then I'm constantly checking and re-checking to make sure I'm doing it right. I have a getting-it-right thing.

Cooking, especially. I rarely dare to put anything new together in the kitchen without at least scanning a recipe, if not having a copy in front of me for meticulous inspection. Pitiful, I know. I'm a dependant personality.

But not this time!

I think pregnancy cravings are all what you make them in your own head. We all have cravings for food, pregnant or not, and I think being pregnant just gives women an excuse to eat whatever they want -- and it makes husbands feel like they have to buy whatever the lady says she wants. Andrew refuses to buy me things (because I told him that his job was to keep me from getting fat). But sometimes, I have indulged.

And this time, the pregnant voices said Apple Pie!

I can make an excellent apple pie, but Andrew and I cannot eat a whole pie. Well ... we probably can. Just shouldn't. Plus, I really wanted to make leetle cute pies instead of one big pie.

I decided to make biscuit dough instead of pie crust, because it's sturdier and easier (and yummier!) . So I put on my biscuit-making apron.

 I threw together my mom's recipe, which we both just make by feel, but you can use your favorite biscuit mix/frozen whatever/recipe. I patted the dough out all nice and flat and thin.

Andrew chopped up my apples, and I mixed them up with cinnamon, sugar, and cornstarch. Yum!

I didn't know how big I wanted to make my pies, so I decided to try a couple different sizes. First, I cut out a 5 or 6-inch square of dough (to make a triangle pie), transferred it to my cookie sheet, filled that sucker full of delicious apple goodness, and folded it over.

After making only two of those, I realized they were way too big. Time to downsize.

I decided to try the regular biscuit-size, cutting out circles and then patting the dough out even more. I usually make my biscuits really thick and fluffy, but too fluffy would drown the apples, so I patted them out nice and thin.

More apple filling and folding!

 I didn't bother sealing them perfectly, because the juice was leaking (make sure you Pam your pan!), and the dough was exhausted and not-so-sticky from being messed with so much by this point. And this meant I didn't have to slit breathing holes in the tops, so I let them be. Like little apple tacos.

In the oven at 350 for 25 minutes, and the house smelled amazing. I washed the dishes to pass the time because I'm such a good home-maker.

The huge pies turned out enormous. I'm glad I only made two, though they're very good.

(I had to slice it in half to fit in on my dessert plate...)

The little ones were much cuter.

We didn't have any ice cream, but a glass of milk was certainly good enough for me.

Easy peasy.

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Little Apple Pies

Preheat oven to 350 Farenheit. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.

Prepare your favorite biscuit dough - enough for a dozen or so biscuits.

(my biscuits are simply made of self-rising flour, Crisco, and milk)

3 or 4 Granny Smith apples

1/2 cup brown or white sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

cinnamon to taste (I used about a teaspoon, I think)

nutmeg to taste (optional)

Peel and chop the apples. The smaller your pies, the smaller the chunks. Mix with sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

On a floured surface, pat out dough to 1/2 to 1/4 -inch thick. Cut out biscuits; if dough is 1/2-inch thick, pat out cut biscuit to thin it. Place on cookie sheet.

Fill half of biscuit with apple mixture, leaving room to seal sides. Fold empty half over apple mixture and pinch sides to get a loose seal. (Or make a tight seal and cut a slit in the top for steam to escape.)

Repeat with remaining dough, placing each pie about an inch or so apart on the cookie sheet, depending on how much your biscuits will rise.

Pop in the oven! Bake according to the time for your biscuit recipe. The apples will cook, don't worry -- just don't burn the biscuits! Get them nice and golden brown.

 If desired, brush the tops with the sugary apple juice left over from your apple mixture for a nice glaze.

 Enjoy! (They're just as good the next day, I promise. I had some for breakfast.)

Tell me how they work for you!