Dutch Apple Pie Cookies (Three-Bite Dutch Apple Pies)

Dutch Apple Pie Cookies

I think I've discovered my favorite way to enjoy these cookies:
atop a bowl of Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.

I first made these little things about two years ago.  I'm not quite sure why or how I thought this up.  Maybe I saw somebody else do it and I stole their idea.  I don't think I did that, but if you recognize your work here, let me know.  I want to give you credit.

These cookies really are just a couple of bites of Dutch apple pie, complete with real pie crust on the bottom.  So cute too.  Imagine eating a piece of Dutch apple pie.  If you think about the last inch or so of pie, where the ratio of filling to crust shifts so that you're eating slightly more crust than filling, that's what these cookies taste like.  To me, that's the sweet spot of the pie, and that must be why I like these.

I entered these "cookies" into a Tone's Spices competition at the Iowa State Fair.  They made it behind the secret curtain, but they didn't win anything.  I think they're awesome, though. My friends and coworkers loved them. I thought so much of these that I even entered them in the Pillsbury Bake Off.  Well, Pillsbury wasn't very impressed either, apparently.  If you think they look good, give them a try and let me know what you think.  I know I've made them sound like losers, but they're really just under appreciated.
The cookies taste best when they're fresh, when the topping and crust are crisp, but just like an apple pie, they still taste great later too.

Dutch Apple Pie Cookies (Three-Bite Dutch Apple Pies)

Ingredients

Crust (You can also use store-bought refrigerated pie crust):

• 1 ¼ cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoon Crisco (vegetable shortening)
• 3 tablespoon ice cold water
• flour for dusting 

Topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• ¾ cup oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup butter, cut into chunks
• 1 1/2 cups canned apple pie filling* roughly chopped (I took a knife and cut the apples while still in the can.)
• powdered sugar for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Prepare pie crust: In a medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut 4 T butter into flour until it looks like coarse meal, and then cut in Crisco until well blended. Add ice cold water and stir with fork. Then use your hands to gently work the dough into a ball.

3. Flour a square sheet of wax paper, place dough ball in the middle, flour the ball, and cover with another square sheet of wax paper. Roll dough out to a thickness of about 1/8”. Using a 2” round circle cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Carefully place circles on a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer until needed. Collect dough scraps and roll and cut more circles that you will add to the pan in the freezer.

4. Prepare topping: In a large bowl, mix all of the dry topping ingredients with a fork. Add butter chunks and mix with your fingers until all the butter is incorporated and it begins to form crumbles. Set aside ½ cup of this crumb mixture.

5. Stir chopped apple pie filling into remaining crumble mixture, just until mixed.

6. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, evenly place 12 of the frozen dough circles. Place a scant tablespoon of apple mixture onto the middle of each circle. With your finger, flatten the top of the apple mixture a little bit. Using a fork, place about ½ teaspoon of the reserved crumble mixture on top of each cookie. 

7. Bake at 375°F for 14-15 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from oven and then transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Shake a little powdered sugar over cookies to make them look pretty.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies. Recipe is easily doubled. 

I might have put too much filling on these.

*If you want to go completely homemade, here's the recipe for apple pie filling, which I think tastes the best, and most like the dutch apple pie taste I was trying to replicate in a cookie. This makes twice what you need for the cookie recipe, so you can either halve this, or you can freeze half of it for another time. Or you can try making some Apple Turnovers.

 Apple Pie "Filling" 

Ingredients:

• 4 medium granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup white sugar 
• 3 T cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup apple juice (fresh apple cider is better)
• 1 cup water (you can use just 2 cups water, but the apple juice/cider is better)

Directions:

-In a large bowl, toss diced apple with lemon juice and set aside.  Pour apple juice and water into a high-rimmed saute pan over medium heat.  Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, & nutmeg.  Add to liquid in pan, stir well, and bring to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

-Add apples and return to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 5-6 minutes.  Cool for 30 minutes.

-Ladle into plastic containers to refrigerate or freeze.  Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hours.
Makes about 3 1/4 cups apple pie filling.

Canned apple pie filling
makes it easier. Remove some of 
the goo if there's a ton.