Muffin Tin Apple Pies

Muffin Tin cooking is so easy and is an up and coming method of cooking just about anything from mini quiches to desserts. I also love the fact that it's an easy way to control portion control and also a good way to make things if you have picky eaters in your family.

I had a bunch of apples and had a craving for pie. But, I did not want to make a large pie and also wanted to make something that I could take on-the-go.

This recipe is fairly easy too and does not contain too many ingredients either. Rather then make my own crust, I purchased a tube of Great Value 9" pie crust. It comes with two crusts that I just rolled out to make my crust a bit thinner. 

Apple Pie Filling Ingredients. Yield 8

3 medium apples, peeled and cut into 1/2 cubes

3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 Tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of nutmeg

juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix the filling ingredients together in a large bowl being sure to coat all the apple cubes.

Roll out the pie crust and cut in 16 circles to fit a medium muffin pan. Press 8 of the crusts into the pan leaving a lip. Place the mixture into the cups then cover with the remaining 8 circles. 

Press the edges together to seal the crust. I personally have a hard time with this as I have french tips and sometimes leave little dents in the crust. Not very pretty but it does not affect the taste at all.  Be sure to cut a little slit on the top of each pie. 

Bake in the oven according to the pie crust package directions, in this case my little pies baked for 35 minutes at 425 degrees. When I had about 10 minutes left. I gave the top a coating of brown sugar and butter mix to add just a bit more sweetness to it. That was my little addition for hubby who has a major sweet tooth. 

These came out delicious and not overly sweet. They also had a fresh taste and they were not heavy as some apple pies can be. I used my melon baller to put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, dusted them with cinnamon and it was fantastic! Perfect portion with just the right amount of sweet and tart. 

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Muffin Tin Egg Cups

Mini Egg Cups

I just love recipes that can get the whole family involved. Plus, having the hubby, kids etc helping out in the kitchen can not only make cooking fun, but when the kids/grandkids participate, they're much more likely to eat it without complaint. Now doesn't that sound awesome?

This recipe I like to call "egg cups with all the leftovers that need to be eaten" but that's  a long title so we just call them "Egg Cups." The great thing about this is that you use a muffin time to bake them. Not only does that help keep portion sizes in check, but it also means that you can make a variety of cups sure to please everyone.  This means the ingredient list is fairly short; 6 eggs, a variety of cheese, veggies, meats, your imagination and creativity is all that is needed.

Here is what I started with; 6 eggs, chopped mushrooms, bay shrimp, red onion, green chile's, cheddar cheese, a white tea infused cheese, goat cheese and chopped roma tomatoes.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs and set aside. Spray a 12-muffin tin with cooking spray. Since I also had leftover couscous, I pressed some into the bottom of each muffin cup to give it a "floor" so to speak. I also cooked up some bacon and used it to wrap around a few of the cups.

After that, I started dropping the meat, shrimp, cheese etc into the cups. Some were a Spanish Cups, some vegetarian, some for the serious carnivore. They are so versatile!

Next, pour in the egg evenly. When I beat the eggs, I also added ground black pepper and some Mrs. Dash table blend seasoning. I also added  a bit of water which "fluffs" up the eggs a bit. My mom did that when I was growing up and I like the addition. I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to make pouring less messy. When done, each cup contains 1/2 an egg.

Since some of mine had goat cheese and my hubby HATES goat cheese, I marked those with an olive on top so he wouldn't make the mistake of eating one. Gives it a nice decorative touch too. Bake the cups for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Check out these yummy and colorful cups! Baked to perfection and ready to eat. I served them with sliced bananas with a cinnamon sprinkling on top. With all the veggies, protein and the fruit, this is a healthy and delicious breakfast.

Cut in half to show the couscous "floor"