Petit Apple Crumb Tarts

Petit Apple Crumb Tarts

I like mini foods. Sliders. Tiny tartlets. Mini sandwiches. Donut holes. Petit cream puffs. Bite-sized quiches. Cute little packages that mimic a larger version of my favorite snacks, entrees or desserts.

A constraint of making a mini is time. I can throw together a gigantic pan of brownies in less than 10 minutes of prep. 35 minutes in the oven and I am enjoying a sweet treat. Producing a mini requires attention to detail and patience. Sometimes I am lacking in those two areas.

Yesterday was one day I was overflowing with enthusiasm for the creation of a mini. Petit Apple Crumb Tarts are simple to prepare using a premade pie crust (even though I did not take that route this time), and the results were mini heaven. I used a piecrust recipe adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook Revised Edition: Featuring More Than 1,200 Kitchen-tested Recipes, 1,500 Photographs And No-nonsense Equipment And Ingredient Ratings. Cut out 4-inch pie crust rounds, formed them into muffin tins, filled each crust with diced apples, sugar and cinnamon, and topped with a crumby crumble.

Extra time was needed for this dessert mini. The results benefitted from my willingness to devote about an hour and a half creating Petit Apple Crumb Tarts. They were enjoyed by my family. No Thank You Boy recommends 30 seconds in the microwave before accompanying your tart with whipped cream. Next time I make this mini, I may add a layer of custard.

Petit Apple Crumb Tarts

Pie crust of 2 9-inch crusts
adapted from America's Test Kitchens Family Favorites cookbook

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons of butter, chilled and cut in chunks
6 to 8 tablespoons of cold water

Process flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add 7 tablespoons of the butter chunks and process for 10 - 15 seconds until the mixture resembles a coarse crumble. Add remaining butter chunks and process for an additional 10 - 20 seconds. Add the water 2 tablespoons at a time. Process about 10 - 15 pulses until the dough comes together in a ball. Divide the dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Apple Filling and Crumb Topping

5 MacIntosh apples, peeled and cut in small dice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a few grates of fresh nutmeg

1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut in small pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out 1 disk of dough to about a 12-inch circle. Cut out 4-inch disks and form into cups of a muffin pan. You will have to use about 3/4 of the second disk to fill a 12-muffin pan.

In a bowl, combine apples, sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss to coat. Divided evenly among pie crusts, mounding the apples and pushing down slightly.

In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and sugar. Add butter and use your fingers to form small crumbles. Top each filled pie crust with about a teaspoon of the crumbs.

Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is nicely browned.