As the cold weather announces the beginning of winter it also has us dreaming of hot chocolates and warm apple pies! Which also means it’s the perfect time to share this super simple recipe for these delicious pies which could be recreated as part of a dessert buffet, an addition to a bridal shower, a high tea – or if you’re feeling up to the challenge – as wedding favours for your guests.

The recipe itself has only four main ingredients and creates beautifully light and fluffy apple pies, heady with cinnamon and ideal for an autumn or winter wedding. If you don’t have individual pie pans handy, you can create a similar ones by using muffin tins for the bases and a scone cutter for the lids. By making each of them the size of a muffin, it would be easier to create the pies in large amounts. Enjoy! x

Makes 8 individual pies (multiply as necessary) 

You Will Need: 
1kg green apples
80g caster sugar
2 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
4 sheets of ready-made frozen short crust pastry

1 egg, lightly beaten
Raw sugar for sprinkling
Butter for greasing
8 individual tart tins with removable bases
Small cookie cutter or stencil
Greaseproof paper
Brown paper
Sticky tape
Twine

What To Do:
Step One. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Peel and core apples. Cut into 2cm cubes.

Step Two. Remove pastry sheets from freezer. Place sugar, water, apple and cinnamon into a medium sized saucepan. Stir over a low heat until sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, bring heat to medium and stir apple mixture until pieces of apple are just tender. Remove from heat and transfer into a heat proof bowl and put in the fridge to cool.

Step Three. Use butter to grease individual tins. Pastry should be at least half thawed by now. Use one of the pastry tins to press the top edge into one of the sheets. Repeat x 8. These are the lids of the pies. Using a small cookie cutter or a stencil (I used a love heart-shaped teaspoon), cut out a shape from the middle of the pie lids. Place into the fridge to cool.

Step Four. Use the remaining pastry to cut 8 x rough circles slightly larger than the pie tins. Slowly and carefully press each circle into its tin and cut away the excess with a sharp knife. Place prepared pastry tins into the fridge and rest for 30 minutes.

Step Five. Brush pie cases and lids with the egg wash. Fill the pies with apple mixture so they are just full. Place the pre-made lids on top and press gently to seal. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar. Place on a tray into the oven for 20 minutes or until crisp and browned.

Step Six. Once ready, remove pies from oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. Once completely cool, wrap in greaseproof paper followed by brown paper. Use the twine to wrap the package and attach a tag if necessary.

Ms Chinoiserie Says: Ohhhh, I can imagine the yummy smell of these gorgeous pies cooking already; a beautifully heartfelt way to say thank you to your guests!

About Jessica: I’m a writer and a lover of words and stories, pretty papers and flowers. I find great satisfaction in creating something beautiful from the simplest of materials. I’m happiest in a home bustling with conversation and music, sitting at a beautifully decorated table surrounded by good friends and delicious food – with a glass of champagne in hand, of course!