1egg yolk plus 1 teaspoon of water, for the egg wash
Turbinado or raw sugar, to sprinkle on top
Instructions
Filling:
Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add the cinnamon sticks and cover tightly with a lid. Remove from the heat and steep for 1 hour or until cool. Discard cinnamon sticks.
Bring cinnamon water to a boil and stir in sugar until it dissolves and then add apples and simmer on low for 45 minutes.
Remove about 1/3 cups of liquid from saucepan, reserve, and let cool.
In a bowl combine cornstarch with cooled cup of liquid and stir.
Pour back in mixture to thicken filling.
Stir and simmer for an additional 10 minutes to a thickened consistency of preserves. (If runny add an additional tablespoon of cornstarch combined with 1/8 cup of reserved juice and simmer mixture for an additional 5 minutes).
Pastry:
In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the shortening and combine until you have the consistency of small crumbs.
Place dough on a lightly floured parchment sheet, roll out the pastry to a 12 to 14-inch circle.
Use a 4-inch round cookie cutter and cut 5 to 6 circles.
Place each mini pie crust into a greased muffin tin. Fold over where necessary creating a creased effect.
Pour ¼ cup filling into each mini-pie.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Brush egg wash onto crust and sprinkle raw sugar over dough and filling.
Bake mini pies for 30 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is nicely browned and crisp. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
The apple pie filling makes quite a bit and you will have plenty of leftovers, so refrigerate or freeze the preserves to make Apple Empanadas just like my grandma used to make.