Mini Pear Apple Pies

To make the dough, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, stir together the flour, granulated sugar and salt. Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Beat on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and beat on low speed just until the dough pulls together.

Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. (Although many dough recipes call for chilling the dough at this point, this dough should be rolled out immediately for the best results.) Flatten the disk with 6 to 8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch (3 to 6 mm).

Have ready a standard 12-well muffin pan. Using a 4-inch (10-cm) round biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, cut out 12 rounds; if needed, gather up the scraps and reroll the dough. Place a dough round in each muffin well, pressing it down and up the sides to line the well. Reserve the remaining dough scraps to create cutout decorations or lattice strips as desired. Refrigerate the piecrusts and cutouts or lattice strips while you prepare the filling.

Preheat an oven to 425°F (220°C).

To make the filling, in a large bowl, combine the apples and pear apple butter and stir to coat. Sprinkle with the flour and stir until the apples are coated with a slightly thick paste. Divide the filling among the piecrusts, overfilling them slightly above the dough as they will shrink while baking. Top with the cutouts or lattice strips. Brush any exposed dough with the egg wash, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake until the crusts are golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 17 to 19 minutes.

Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack and let cool for 25 minutes, then use an offset spatula or a sharp knife to remove the pies from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream. Makes 12 mini pies.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen