Recipe: Apple pie pops usher in flavors of fall

by Amy Giroux

The cake pop craze is dying down just in time for its hipper cousin, the pie pop, to steal the scene.

Introducing the apple pie pop, in all of its fall flavor glory. The start of a new school year brings new adventures, cozy clothes, pumpkin spice lattes and a revisiting of all of fall season’s favorite recipes.

Relatively simple to make, this “pinteresting” recipe is a winning addition to any dinner party, afternoon picnic, Sunday afternoon baking session, study snack, late-night splurge or even breakfast treat.

Ingredients:

4 Fuji apples, peeled and medium-small diced
¼ cup white sugar, plus 1/8 teaspoon white sugar for egg wash
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons apricot jam (can be substituted with strawberry or peach for different flavors)
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons water
1 egg yolk
¼ cup milk
Kosher salt
2 refrigerated pie crusts

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400° F. In a medium saucepan, bring apples, sugar, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, jam and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt to a light simmer on medium-low heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat with the saucepan uncovered.

Combine water and corn starch with a fork to create a slurry, and slowly pour into the apple mixture while stirring. Let cook for 2 minutes. Take off the heat and let cool.

Prepare egg wash by mixing an egg yolk, milk, 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon sugar. (not pictured)

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take out one refrigerated pie crust and cut out as many circles as possible (around 12). Place them on the parchment paper. Place the lollipop sticks at the top of each pie circle and push them in, but not so they go all the way through the circle.

Place around 1 to 2 teaspoons of apple filling in the middle of each pie circle. Roll out the second pie crust and cut out the same number of circles as from the first pie crust.

Brush egg wash using the back of a spoon or a pastry brush on the rim around the filling for the pie pops. Cover the filling and seal with the remaining pie circles. Press the edges together with a fork and poke holes into the tops of each pie, just puncturing the crust.

Brush the tops with more egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400° F for 15-20 minutes, or just until the crust is golden brown.

Tips from our kitchen to yours:

Don’t skip the apricot jam or corn starch in this recipe – these are the secrets to perfect consistency in the pie filling.
Mix and match the apples to your taste for a full realm of flavors – we used a combination of Pink Lady, Fuji and Gala.
Healthier substitutions can also be made with agave in lieu of honey, and coconut milk in lieu of whole milk.
No lollipop sticks? No problem. Chopsticks make the perfect substitute (and dare we say they’re even more effective because they are substantial enough to hold the surprisingly weighty little pie).
If you can, try to resist the temptation to eat the pops right away. Allowing them to cool will prevent the pies from sliding down the sticks.

Assistance from Emily Chan