Brandy-Apple Mini Pies With Cornmeal Crust Recipe

Combine the flour, cornmeal, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor, then pulse a couple of times to mix. Cut the vegetable shortening into cubes and add it to the dry ingredients, pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

If the dough seems too dry, add a tiny bit more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time, pulsing until it forms a cohesive ball.

Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and divide it into two pieces: one about 80% of the total, and the other 20%.

While the dough chills, peel and dice the apples. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine the 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons brandy, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon sugar, and a pinch of salt over medium heat. Stir everything together and bring it to a gentle simmer, just until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly into a syrup.

On a well-floured work surface, roll out the larger dough disk to about 1/8 inch thick. Use a drinking glass with a 3- to 4-inch wide rim to cut out dough circles. Press each circle into the wells of a muffin tin. You should be able to get 14 to 16 crusts if you gather and re-roll the scraps.

Fill each crust with an equal portion of the brandy-apple mixture.

Bake the mini pies for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking for another 15 minutes. If the tops start to look too golden after the first 15 minutes, loosely lay a sheet of foil over them to prevent over-browning.

Allow the pies to cool completely in the muffin tins before attempting to remove them. This is crucial for them to hold their shape; for metal tins, a small, sharp knife run around the edge of each pie can help with extraction.