Apple Pie and Apple Tarts!

Here is another "From Mom" recipe. I make Apple Pie every Thanksgiving, and always get rave reviews. The crust is so easy to make!

Now, truth time. I really battled myself over whether to make this recipe public. I mean, it's family tradition! But, the recipe is too good to NOT share!

I do usually make a full pie with this. This time, however, I thought that little pies, or tarts, would be fun to make! As you can see, they are far from perfect! But, they had just the right ratio of crust to apples. Add some ice cream... yum!

Apple Pie and Apple Tarts!

Pie Crust (Makes 2 crusts-one bottom, one top)
2 cups flour
1 teas salt
1 teas sugar

Mix ingredients together.

Add 1/3 c. Shortening.

Cut with fork or pastry cutter until it looks like cornmeal. Add another 1/3 cup of shortening and cut with fork until it looks like giant peas.
Add 4-5 TB COLD water.

**The cold water is important. The colder the water, the flakier the crust will be. So, before starting, put a cup of ice water in the freezer. By the time you get to this step, it will be cold enough to use! I also seem to need more than 5 TB of water- just use 1TB at a time until the dough forms a ball.

Mix until dough forms a ball.

Divide dough in half, and roll out on wax paper or flour covered surface.

For Pie: Flip dough in pie pan and press in.
Roll out second crust.

For Tarts: Use a round cookie cutter or glass and cut out circles about 1/2 inch bigger than your muffin tins. Try to get them as close as possible, as the dough gets tougher every time you have to re-roll it.

Tarts: Place dough circles in muffin tin, pressing against the sides. There should be some dough that overflows the tins.

Now for the Apples!

Now, here is my secret. I use 3-4 different brands of apples.
Why?
This adds texture, color, and different taste to the pies! Try it! You may get an odd look from the cashier when you hand her 3 bags full of 2 apples each, but hey, what do you care? You are making fabulous pie!

5-6 Apples - peeled or not, your choice. I leave the peels on cause I'm lazy.
Chop apples. I chop them very finely as you can see in the picture.
You need enough to heap in the pan; but don't put them in the pan yet!

Apple Topping:
1 cup sugar
3 TB dry Tapioca Pudding (Absorbs moisture, keeping your crust dry)
1 1/2 teas. cinnamon
1/4 teas. nutmeg
Mix all ingredients and pour over apples. Mix thoroughly.

Fill your pie crust(s) with apples- heaping it in the crust.

Place dabs of butter (pea sized) over apples.

Place second crust over the top, and seal edges.

Poke some holes in the top- or get creative and make a fun design.

For Pie: Cover edges with foil until the last 5-10 min. of baking.
(This insures that your edges won't burn!)
Bake at 425 for 60 min. or so. Check at 40 min.

For Tarts: Bake at 425 for 20-30 min. or until top is slightly browned.
Let cool in pan, then remove to serving plate.
Serve warm with Ice Cream or whipped cream!

Enjoy!