Who decided that sugar coated sugar dobbers and frosted sprinked poptarts were the best way to start the day? I also want to know why the aforementioned choices…or a pancake drenched in syrup is considered a great breakfast food…yet an apple pie is considered to be a dessert.
Remember, I like to think outside the box when it comes to breakfast. I’m all about Giant Breakfast Cookies, Breakfast Cake, Funnel Cake, Whole Wheat Donuts…and if you recall…even Homemade Ice Cream for breakfast. And what about our Valentine’s day Peach Cobbler? Yes, I think breakfast should be enticing, delicious, nutritious and sometimes even fun. And I think Apple Pie should be okay to eat for breakfast.
This Mini Apple Pie recipe is a new one I’ve come up with as I work on creating more Healthy Make-Ahead Meals. These freeze well (unbaked) – then you can just pull out a little pie (or 3) per person and bake.
Make them for breakfast…and your family will smell them baking, jump out of bed and come running into the kitchen and plow you over onto the kitchen floor (out of joy and love of course).
You can make these a couple of different ways: Mini Apple Pies, or Apple Pie Pockets…depending on what works best for you. I use the same crust recipe I use for my Homemade Pizza Pockets. Follow the same instructions for the pizza pockets to create an Apple Pie Pocket…
The following directions are for Mini Apple Pies:
Crust:
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 t. sea salt
1 cup melted butter
1 cup plain yogurt
Stir ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. Use the dough right away to create pockets or pies…or let the dough sit overnight on the countertop to break down the phytates and make the grains more digestable. This dough is MUCH easier to work with if you work it like playdough in your hands a while before you try to roll it out.
Filling:
3 pounds of apples – about 11-12 smallish apples (any kind you like)
1/4 – 3/4 cup sucanat (your preference)
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Topping:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2-4 Tablespoons sucanat
3 Tablespoons melted butter
To make Mini Apple Pies:
Peel apples and cut them into bite sized chunks.
Add sucanat and cinnamon.
Stir well and cook over medium heat until apples are
tender and a syrup has formed (about 10 minutes).
In the meantime, separate dough into 21-24 pieces.
Roll each piece into a little circle with a rolling pen.
As you can see, I am NOT a perfectionist. If I was making these for a
ladies’ brunch or something…I might take the time to make them pretty.
But for my family of boys?
Do you think they really care if their pies are pretty?
They eat them in three minutes flat. Thus my sloppy dough squishing.
Squish (or place nicely) your dough circles into well buttered MUFFIN PANS. Using a muffin pan for these Mini Apple Pies eliminates the need to go buy 24 little mini pie pans.
Fill each (unbaked) crust with apple pie filling.
In a bowl, stir together topping ingredients until the dry ingredients are moistened.
I find that melting the butter and stirring it into the flour, oats and sucanat makes a great crumb topping…much less effort than “cutting in the butter”.
Sprinkle topping all over the top of your little pies.
Try if you can to be as messy about this process as I am. Sheesh.
Freeze your pies in your buttered muffin pans for a couple of hours.
Remove your muffin pans from the freezer and allow them to sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes. Use a fork to gently pry the pies out of the pan. Place them carefully into freezer bags and put them bag into the freezer.
To bake your Mini Apple Pies:
Take desired number of pies out of the freezer and place them on a baking pan. Bake in a 375° oven for 35-45 minutes. You can let them thaw first if you want…but I find that the frozen pies bake just fine!
And now I’d like to point out that (depending on how much you use) there is about 1/2 cup of sucanat divided by 24 little pies…making this a very healthy, very low in sugar breakfast. Much less even than my Applesauce Bread or something otherwise considered a breakfast food.
Bring on the Breakfast Pie! Shucks…maybe we should even serve it with Ice Cream!
What’s your opinion about serving cobbler or pie for breakfast? Do I sound like a weirdo? (Wait, don’t answer that.)
——————————————-
Need more healthy and family friendly breakfast recipes? I’ve got a whole page of ’em here! And yes, would you believe…you can easily make Homemade Poptarts!!
Julie H says
Two words: Oh Yum!
Kim J. says
I remember my mom being chastised 40 years ago from my 2nd grade teacher for serving me homemade that she was feeding me apple pie for breakfast before school. My teacher had no rebuttal when my mom debated that her homemade apple pie and glass of milk was more nutritious than the glazed
donut and coffee with cream and sugar that the teacher had for her breakfast. Mom always felt is was more important that we ate something, whether it was the conventional
breakfast fare or not, than to go to school on an empty stomach like
many of my classmates did.
You go ahead and serve apple pie for breakfast… btw… what time is breakfast? LOL.
becca banana says
Those are adorable and a great breakfast idea! Remember, some people like pizza for breakfast, and I’m always up for apple pie!
jen says
these look very yummy! thanks for giving the ok on not feeling guilty about eating these for breakfast. i was wondering, do you ever order your sucanat from azure standard? or amazon only? which way is cheaper? i want to buy in bulk (even a 2 lb bag would be ok) verses the tiny sugar packets.
Laura says
I usually do order a big bag of sucanat from Azure Standard because it is cheaper than Amazon. BUT, since I have been able to get it for free from Amazon with swagbucks…that of course is cheaper. :) If I had to pay money though…I’d be getting it from Azure again. Be careful though because last I checked Azure had two kinds: an organic and a non organic. The non organic was NOT the good stuff…NOT the dehydrated cane sugar juice. It was like white sugar with molasses added back in or something like that.
Erin H. says
My mom and I are all about eating leftover apple pie for breakfast. It is in fact, my favorite but I often am very shy to admit it. So needless to say, I’m over the moon over this recipe. Thank you.
Catherine says
Bring on the ice cream – sounds good to me. We have a ‘special breakfast’ every Saturday morning and often eat something that might be considered a ‘dessert’.
Donna says
Yummy!
I think its great for breakfast!!!
Fruit – grains- a little sweetener-
Beats the box anyday!!!!
-BTW, enjoying my greens drink! Thanks again for the giveaway!
Megan says
Oh, my goodness! Yay! I look forward to making these. I was recently eating a pizza pockets and someone thought I as eating an apple turnover.
Sarah N. says
These look great. I’ve never understood why donuts and danishes were breakfast food and pie and cake were not. We often eat leftover pie for breakfast and the day after anyone’s birthday, we have birthday cake. If you let the dough sit overnight, do you leave it covered on the counter or put it in the fridge?
Laura says
Yes, I’m sorry I forgot those details…covered on the counter all night for soaking.
Jennifer says
IF… we have any pie leftovers, we eat it for breakfast! And the only time I eat a fried egg is IF the leftover pie is apple. There is just something wonderful about a fried egg and apple pie!
Jennifer says
mmmm those look so good! It was tradition in my family when I was growing up to eat the cake for breakfast the morning after a birthday, or to eat the pie for breakfast after thanksgiving, etc.
I agree, there is no worthwhile nutrition in most commercial breakfast cereals…just sugar, sugar, and more sugar!
Sarah @ Mum In Bloom says
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe & for including complete instructions on how to freeze, reheat, and cook them. Most recipes skip this important step… I’ll have to remember it for my future recipe posts too. You have a great site here :)
Shelly says
I love this idea, but coming from a long line of diabetics (I am not)…where’s the protein? After fasting all night, I am very careful about making sure we all have a lot of protein at breakfast to avoid an insulin dump. We will occasionaly do donuts or something like that, but I worry about it then too.
Maybe I could pair a yummy pie or cobbler with scrambled eggs??? LOL
Laura says
Very good point. Eggs are definitely in order here!
KimL says
I know what I’m making this weekend! These look so good and I know the kids would be crazy about having pie for breakfast – bacon would be good with these too! :-)
Thanks!
Danielle says
Yeah I don’t serve sugary foods in the morning. Just because of the sugar high then the hard FALL off the sugar. I already need a nap by 1.. I don’t need to make it at 8 am lol.
Now, I never used/had succanut… do you have the same side effects?
Laura says
Well, sucanat IS still sugar, so if I eat too much, I do feel yucky. But, unlike white sugar, sucanat still has nutrients in it…so the effect is very different, especially if eaten in small amounts like these little pies!
Danielle says
Gotcha… I might have to buy some.
Now I’m used to the awful white sugar (lol) how does the sucanat compare in taste, or doesn’t it?
Laura says
Sucanat tastes SO good…a bit molassesy, but not too strong. I think it has a rich flavor…instead of just tasting empty and sweet.
elaine says
These look fabulous and I can’t wait to try them. We also love Pumpkin Pie for breakfast … mmmmmmmm
Rach says
Sounds good. Succanut sounds great, but looks expensive. Do think it’d work to substitute honey?
Btw, I love your website. I’ve been checking it for about half a year now–ever since my husband and I returned from China, where we lived and worked for two years, and I had to try and remember how to cook American food in an American kitchen. Thanks! =)
Laura says
Yes, you can definitely substitute honey for sucanat. Sucanat is pricey…but I don’t always have a great source for honey…which makes HONEY pricey for me!!
Angie says
Laura,
This is my first post. I have been pouring over your site the last week or two & am loving it. So many recipes to try so little time lol! The apple pies look awesome. Definitely will try them soon. This house loves this kind of thing for breakfast. We usually have a coffee cake type of thing once a week, soaked overnight for extra nutrition. We use organic, raw milk & the kids like to put it ON the coffee cake, like a bowl of cereal. So I figure that helps with protein. Thanks for another yummy recipe.
Kris Mays says
Thank you for this recipe.
@Rach I have used honey successfully in all things apple.
Bacon sounds wonderful with apple pie to me. I am thinking a buttermilk pie I make would be good for breakfast. It does have a lot of sugar in it, so I will have to see how I can change that recipe a bit.
Kris in Oregon
Laura says
Okay…BUTTERMILK PIE sounds SO GOOD! Please can I take a peek at the recipe?! If not, that’s okay, but WOW it sounds so good!
Kris Mays says
I got it from the September 2008 Better Homes and Gardens issue. Here is a copy of it here:http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/food/recipes/articles/2008/08/27/20080827pies0827rec9.html
My family loves it and I’m sure it can be made with alternative sweetener, i just ahveb’t tried it, yet. I can see it converting over to the NT way very easily using your crust recipe.
Enjoy! Kris
Kris Mays says
Sorry for typos!
Laura says
Thank you!!!
Amanda says
Thank you!
I am reading through the Little House books with my children (2 1/2 & just 5) and we are now on “Farmer Boy” and they always have pies for breakfast! Sounds good to me!
What a good way to get whole wheat and fruit into our family. ;-)
katherine says
oh, yum! i LOVE apple pie!
we’re a dairy-free house. is there anything i can substitute in the pie crust instead of using yogurt? (i bake with a dairy-free butter substitute, so i just need something for the yogurt…)
thanks!
Laura says
I’m not coming up with any ideas right now…maybe some of my readers will have experience with this one. However, you could just use another pie crust recipe, which would be flour, butter, salt and water. Don’t know why this freezing concept wouldn’t work with a regular pie crust!
melanie says
I’ve seen it recommended to use coconut oil in place of butter for pie crust… which would make it non-dairy. Sounds worth a try!
melanie says
Oh I’m a ditz, sorry — don’t know what to sub for the yogurt b/c I’m
not familiar with dairy-free options on that. :-(
Elizabeth says
Coconut milk yogurt might be a good sub. In my area there is a
company called So Delicious that makes coconut milk yogurt and ice
cream, or you can make your own.
Jaime Kiser says
We’re dairy-free here too! You should be able to use soy yogurt and soy butter in the recipe just
fine. You just may have to use more flour to thicken it up.
Rachel says
Jaime,
We are vegans here and I agree with you on the soy yogurt- Stoneybrook Fields makes one call O’Soy.
It’s yum. And for butter? EARTH BALANCE!!!! It will knock your socks off! I love it more than we did butter!!! Instead of Sucanat- Go with Agave or Brown Rice Syrup… and I think tapioca, potato starch or arrowroot flour would help thicken (if needed?) Good Luck!
Shonda says
I have to make these soon! Just need to get some apples.
Stephanie Broersma says
Hi Laura, Maybe I missed something, but when are you going to finish you story about your food journey? I really enjoyed reading that.
Laura says
Ugh, so sorry. I REALLY am going to finish writing that. In fact I have my next post almost finished. I’m just having a hard time fitting everything in!! Look for the next “installment” sometime next week! Glad to know you’re enjoying it!
Gretchen says
Thank you Laura! I love that the crust is soaked, and I’m dying to try this, so I think I’m going to have to buy some apples so I can soak the crust tonight and make them for breakfast tomorrow! I love eating leftover apple pie for breakfast, so warm fresh healthier apple pie for breakfast is going to be even better. I’m trying to incorporate more coconut oil into our diets, so I might try using that for the crust instead of butter, we’ll see how it goes!
Kris Mays says
Oh, and Laura, I noticed recently that Azure is now carrying buckets of honey. You might want to check it out if you are looking for some.
Kris
karen says
Costco had HUGE buckets of honey recently–I have nightmares of honey
buckets dropped and shattered all over my house. Honey on the ceiling
anyone?
Jenna says
These look SO good! I just made your homemade pizza pockets a few weeks ago, and we absolutely loved them.Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. I was already planning on making another batch of pizza pockets today since I have to pull all of the pizza “stuff” out of the fridge for supper tonight anyway. But now I think I’m making a double batch of the dough…one for pizza pockets and one for a batch of these delicious-looking mini apple pies. I already have chopped up apples in the freezer, so no excuses!
Antoinette says
Are you kidding? I always say that apple pie is nothing more than toast and jam. Is it not? Lately our breakfasts have consisted of apple crisp and breakfast cookies. I too make pancakes, but then use the leftovers to make pancake sandwiches. However, I really like the mini apple pies idea. In fact, I think my daughter would love to help with those. Thanks for posting this!!!
The Saved Quarter says
These look awesome! I’ve been looking for a healthy, fast and easy breakfast – in fact, I posted a “recipes wanted” post earlier this week! I’ll try these out. Thanks!
http://thesavedquarter.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/wanted-your-best-recipe-for-a-portable-healthy-breakfast/
lisa says
Hi,
I have heard that salt inhibits the phytate breakdown, which is why it’s suggested you add it after the soaking. So, I’m thinking of trying this & waiting to add the salt – kneading it into the dough at that point (since you said it “kneads” to be worked like playdough anyways- ha!) :) Hopefully that will work!
Teresa says
Hi Laura,
I have been enjoying your blog so much and have made quite a few of your yummy recipes over the past few months. I was very excited to see this breakfast post as I am really trying to feed my precious kiddos less out of the box and more wholesome breakfast foods. So, I have my first question for you. What is the difference between sucanat and rapadura and can I use rapadura to make the crust for the mini apple pies? I just bought my first bag of rapadura about a month ago and have yet to open it, I think it is about time I give it a try.
Teresa says
I got so excited about my first question that I asked if I could use the rapadura in the crust and I meant the filling. lol:)
Laura@HeavenlyHomemakers says
Rapadura is the SAME thing as sucanat: dehydrated cane sugar juice. I recommend both…I’ve just been able to buy sucanat for a lesser price lately. Rapadura is basically a “brand name” for sucanat…kinda like Kleenex is a brand name for tissues.
Anna says
I have very much enjoyed reading your blog. You are very inspiring to keep on using whole grains and making my kefir and so on.
I was raised eating my mom’s homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, and many other things of that sort that are certainly better than boxed foods, just not the norm. The main time I make chocolate chip cookies is for breakfast. I mix them up the night ahead of time and we have cookies and milk for breakfast!
Carmen says
I can’t wait to try these. I was recently thinking about making apple crisp for breakfast. This morning we had homemade fruit pizza (with just a small amount of sugar).
I think I will make a double batch of dough to make these and pizza pockets for the freezer this weekend. Thanks again for sharing all your great recipes!
Becky C says
You know, The more I read your blog, the more I like you!!!!! My kind of momma!!! I agree with the “it has less sugar, it must be more healthy montra. :) I shall have to try this!….. maybe with whipped cream? Then you have your dairy too. Of course, it’s the same with icecream….. but wait, does whipped cream have less sugar than icecream??? Now there’s the question. At any rate, I shall have to try these soon. Got some free apples and need to make something good.
Christi says
Laura-
If I am going to make these into Apple Pie Pockets, do I sprinkle the topping on top of the apples before folding the crust, or just leave off the topping entirely?
Can’t wait to try-looks so yummy!
Laura says
Oh sorry, forgot about that detail. You can just leave the crub topping off when you make these into pockets.
Jaime Kiser says
What’s the conversion for using reguar sugar and white flour? (Hubby hates whole wheat anything and sugar alternatives.
Can you use peaches or blueberries?
Laura says
You can substitute sugar for sucanat, white flour for whole wheat…one to one.
Definitely you can use peaches or blueberries!! YUMMY!
Hannah says
We made a half batch of these for *dessert* last night and they were SO good! My family thanks you immensely! I’m so glad someone else figured out that melted butter makes just as good a crust as the “cut in” kind because I can’t stand cutting in butter! Thanks!
Mark says
How much Splenda could I use as a substitute?
Laura says
I’m sorry I’m not familiar with splenda as a substitute to know how much would be the correct amount.
Annie says
Generally, you’d use Splenda in place of white sugar using a one to one ratio. So if you’d substitute the sucanat with sugar also using a one to one ratio, I’m sure you could substitute the Splenda for the sucanat one to one.
teresa says
These sound really good! I like to make monster cookies and have them for breakfast.
jane says
we always have very sharp cheese with apple pie
Sara says
Thanks for sharing the recipe!! I was looking for a healthier dessert to serve when I have some friends for lunch next week. Looks like I found it!! :)
Amy says
So, if I don’t have any sucant, what else could I use? Would sugar in the raw work the same? Or honey? And would they be the same ratio???
I CANNOT wait to make these!!!!!!!!!
Laura says
Yep, you can exchange sugar in the raw one to one for the sucanat. Hope you like them!
Katrina says
These look great and best of all (for my family at least)- no eggs… my 2 year old is allergic and I am having a very hard time finding good food that doesn’t have eggs (especially baked goods and breakfast!)
Jen says
so apperantely my sweet tooth is itching to have a cavity in it… if i wanted to make the crust a little sweeter, could i add just a bit of sugar in the recipe? would i add it before or after the soaking? thanks
Laura says
Hehe…add it after soaking! Sugar prevents the phytates from breaking down in the wheat like they should!
Jen says
We make/eat breakfast cookies here, so I see nothing wrong with apple pie for breakfast!! Growing up we, also, ate pie for breakfast, pumpkin pie was the favorite!
Ruth Ensley says
These turned out really good.
amanda says
here in new england, we always eat yesterdays apple pie for breakfast! us yankees have it with a wedge of extra sharp cheddar on the side, and a TRUE yankee eats it with a knife.
Kristen says
I was wondering if you could bake some directly in the muffin tin instead of freezing them first, and if so, is it the same baking time and temp? I have my dough soaking tonight and can’t wait to try these!
Laura says
Sure, you can bake them directly in the pan, just make sure they are buttered well! Same time and temp!
Katie says
I made these last night and stuck them in the freezer, we are now enjoying an apple pie breakfast! The crust was easy to work with, but still turned out tender and yummy. When I rolled out the small pieces of crust for the pies I stacked them up with a square of parchment paper separating each piece. I then pushed the crust with parchment paper still on the back of it into the muffin tins. That way I didn’t have to butter 24 little cups. It worked great and the pies popped right out of the tin this morning. I left the paper on to bake the pies. Thanks for the great recipe!
Megan says
Katie, that’s a great idea. I just may do that. I also plan to make these for breakfast on mother’s day.
Julia says
We made these last week and have had them several times already! Delicious! Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Colleen/And Baby Makes Five says
I can’t wait to make these this week! What’s not to like? And we enjoy this sort of “unconventional” breakfast too. Variety is key and it’s fun to mix it up, especially with a recipe like this one. Thanks for sharing…
Traci says
I just want to share with you that I have completely enjoyed your site. You’re making “whole food” recipes that our families will actually eat and that taste good…What a change from most sites (Which are still really informative but not really in tune with everyday foods our picky, not so health minded, kids will eat).
Also, have enjoyed your humor and insite…keep up the good work and keep throwin’ out those recipes to us Moms who need a little inspiration now and then!!!:)
Blessings, Traci R
Iowa
Diema says
I agree!
Brianna says
Im seriously LOVING your blog and all your recipes
Its FANTASTIC
xoxo
bB
Lori says
Do you think you could make the dough with coconut oil? I’m all out of butter at the moment.
Laura says
Yes, I think that should work fine. :)
Elizabeth says
how did coconut oil work??
Laundry Bags says
I want to eat breakfast at your house if this is what you’re serving!
Noreen says
We have often eaten a fruit pie or cobbler for breakfast (our favorite!). Others that work well as breakfast are pumpkin pie and oatmeal cookies that have wheat germ added. Very nutritious and the kids think they are getting dessert for breakfast!
Lanise says
Do you think this would work with peaches? I have some extra peaches that need to be used.
Laura says
Yes for sure!!
Marianne says
No I dont think you are a weirdo lol.. I love all these kid friendly recipes! I have a question. I made these and froze in the muffin pan. When I baked them from frozen right to oven the sides fell down as they baked? Do you have this issue? Next time I will try the other option making a fold over type.
Thanks again for all your yummy and healthy recipes.
last night we made your sloppy cornbread, but I used taco meat as that is my kids favorite, it was a hit!!
Laura says
Yes, mine do that sometimes too. Then last time I made them, I baked them right in the muffin tin and they turned out SO cute!
Crystal says
If your sides are collapsing when baking your frozen pies on a baking sheet, you could try using the original muffin pan used to freeze them in. That would help maintain the integrity of your pies (the shape). HTH
Lisa says
Thanks for all your great ideas. You’ve inspired me to cook more in bulk and think ahead instead of flying by the seat of my pants!! I just finished making Carrot Cake Pancakes and they are delicious! Ciao!
Virginia Brown says
Carrot Cake Pancakes!?!?!? I must find that recipe! I LOVE this site!
Nell says
Could I use brown sugar and regular flour as I don’t have any whole wheat or sucanat? Or would you have another suggestion? I just didn’t know if it would mess with the integrity of the dough?? Thanks for whatever info you might have! :)
Laura says
Sure, brown sugar and regular flour will work. I’m not sure if the dough will turn out EXACTLY the same…I’m guessing you’ll need more flour to make the dough work correctly.
Cassie says
I made these this afternoon and I have soo many good things to say about them!
~There were many things that my 4 year old son was able to help with. I like this b/c it gets us spending time together while accomplishing something for the family
~I added ground walnuts to the crumb topping and it was wonderful. I hate nuts. I mean ugh, I hate them! so I am always trying to find ways to sneak them in! I just ground them in a coffee grinder and then added it to the topping. you could also had things like wheat germ and flax seeds too, im sure.
Just wanted to say thanks! I agree with the other ladies. Your site is amazing! fits into our lives so well and I love your personality. hugs to you!! =)
Sheila says
Love these for breakfast. Have started using honey almond Greek yogurt rather than plain and it adds a great flavor to the crust. Thanks for simple and nutritious recipes.
Samantha says
Okay I made theses and now E. is requesting them EVERY MORNING (on top of his bagle sandwiches)!!!! =] I only made 12 with this recipie because he kept eating the apple mixture! Thank you so much for this! Super easy!
chelsea says
I try to stay away from dairy so I’ll use coconut oil instead of butter, but what could I use instead of yogurt? Coconut Cream Concentrate?
Laura says
Sure, try the coconut cream concentrate. Or, just use a different, dairy free pie crust. I think any pie crust would do for this mini apple pie idea!
Mary says
We’re new to grinding our own grains. Would we use a soft white (pastry), or a hard white (more bread like) for the crust? Also, if we’re looking to fix one gluten free, could we use oat flour? If so, would we use the same amount?
Laura says
I use hard white wheat for the crust but I THINK soft white should work since this isn’t a yeast recipe. I’m not familiar with cooking with oat flour so I’m not sure if it would work for this recipe or not?
Crystal says
Mine are in the oven right now and I can *NOT* wait! :O) I’ve been trying to find a w.w. pie crust that doesn’t fall apart and tastes good too. I’m so super excited to try these. The crust felt perfect while I was handling it… YEAH!!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I ran out of sucanat, so I used honey for the topping mixture. It’s not nearly so crumbly that way, a bit sticky in fact. It sure tasted great on the spoon though! :O) I’m guessing I could have upped the flour or oats to accommodate the added moisture from the honey, but I just used it as it was and used my fingers to break it up on the tops a bit.
Stephanie says
These sound like a great idea! I am trying to sneak more whole grains and fewer processed foods into my family and these may just do the trick at breakfast time (or snack time, etc). I’m thinking I may do a batch with some cranberries in there too so that they are festive with the upcoming holidays. Delish! Thanks so much!
Ginny says
Hi, I have a new recipe that I created this year (last week) and I thought you may like it and if so maybe I could message it to ya and you could try it out. Its gingerbread crusted min pumpkin pies with cinnamon whipped cream. So Good and they arent too sweet so I think they would make a great quick breakfast idea. Im only concerned about freezing, I havent tried that yet. they didnt last that long. :)I think the girls and I will try this recipe tomorrow morning!
stephanie says
My stomach is growling as I write…I am going to make these for breakfee in the morning if not sooner! It’s sort of dumbfounding to me as to why I wouldn’t have pie for breakfast…duh, it’s fruit! Thanks for making my brain think outside the box too!
TeriLynne says
I am a quick-home made type of cook. I make the pocket type apple pies with canned biscuits… just roll them out a little bit and fill them up. Is easy, quick and tastes awesome!
Robin says
ooooh this looks so yummy! Thank you for sharing another tasty recipe. I will definitely be trying these out! :)
Won’t my family be surprised when I make pie for breakfast someday soon! :D
sona says
I wanted to love these…..I still want to love them. What went wrong? The filling is good. But the crust, after refrigeration overnight was hard and difficult to work. I am sure over worked hence tough, hard, not appetizing. It just tasted like stale crust with a bit of apple…yet I put as much in as I could without it oozing out the seam. What went wrong?
Laura says
Ah, I should have specified that you leave the dough sitting out on the COUNTER overnight to soak. Putting it in the fridge is fine except that it makes the dough terribly hard to work with. So sorry about that. I’ll go edit the post to be more specific.
Deb Ostenson says
How long and at what temperature do you bake the apple pie pockets?
Laura says
You can bake them the same as the mini apple pies: 375 degrees fro 35-45 minutes. :)
Leigh says
This is fabulous! When you made the apple pockets, did you cook the apples with the sweetener for 10 minutes too?
Laura says
Yes, that helps soften them just a bit.
jessica says
I was short on apples…so we cut the recipe in half, but I still had some crusts we couldn’t fill(baked them empty). Do you think they would be ok to freeze without anything in them? And any suggestions to put into the empty shells??
Laura says
I know you probably already figured out what to do since I’m so behind in answering questions, but I would think they would freeze just fine, ready to be filled later with pudding to make little cream pies: https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/healthy-treat-for-today-creamy-pudding
Bre says
3 things about the crust…
1st, I would like to substitute about 1 cup of wheat for flex seed meal and use coconut milk for the butter. Is it ok to allow these to soak on the counter too? (or do you only soak the wheat over night and add the other ingredients later?)
2nd, What about Greek yogurt… well it change the recipe any?
3rd, I am actually looking for a crust to use for a mini spinach quiche that I am requested to make all the time. I noticed you said it freezes well and I always make them in large batches and freeze them so I am thinking this would be a good fit. However,since I would like to use coconut milk instead of butter I am wondering if this would taste ok with quiche… what do you think? I really don’t consider myself much of a cook so I am not good at guessing the outcomes of recipes! Thanks in advance for the advice!
Kris Mays says
I know Laura will comment. But I would like to suggest coconut oil instead of coconut milk for the butter. I think the milk would taste too coconutty for a quiche crust.
Laura says
The flax seed meal should be fine, but I agree with Kris, coconut oil would work as a better substitute for the butter.
I THINK Greek yogurt should be fine, but I’ve never used it. And yes, soaking these ingredients on the counter is just fine!
I think the quiches should freeze just fine (great idea by the way!) but since I’ve not made these with coconut milk, I’m really not sure on the taste.
Christa says
I was wondering why you chose to precook the apples and then freeze everything twice. I understand the precook will soften the apples and shorten the total cooking time but was the freezing thing so you’d have them for whenever you wanted?? It’s not a necessary step right? They can just be cooked right away?
Laura says
Right, all of that freezing stuff can be skipped and you can just bake them right away! I was just giving instructions for how to freeze them if you’d like to make them ahead of time and bake them fresh later. :)
Kelly @ The Nourishing Home says
WOW! Those little apple pie tarts look so yummy!! Can’t wait to give them a try! :)
jenn foy says
I’m 9 months pregnant and have been on a baking/cooking and freezing binge, trying to get ready for the baby. My husband and I have traveled a similar path of eating not-so-healthy to as healthy as can be. I LOVE to cook and can’t tell you how excited I was to find your website. Finding (good) recipes that use whole wheat flour can be difficult sometimes.
I remember seeing that you have a VitaMix…have you ever used their “dry” blender to grind your flour? If not, I’m going to try it soon and I’ll let you know how it goes…
Also – what ever happened with the shaved ice business? I’m probably way late in asking…
Well, thanks again for all of your wonderful recipes and great insight. It’s a joy to read your posts!
Laura says
I actually don’t have a VitaMix (although I’ve talked about them before). My friend has one and used it to grind flour. It works okay, but produces a courser flour.
The shaved ice business was fun, but a killer on our time, especially for my husband who was trying to work too many jobs at once! We still have our equipment and pull it out from time to time for special events. We’ll probably let our kids do something with it for a small business somettime. We’re really not sure at this point! :)
Crystal says
I just made these little turnovers today (using the pizza pocket method). They smell great but I can already see in the over that they didn’t seal well. Hmm.. wonder what I could do to help that> Thankfully, I don’t see much of the filling spilling out. They will just be openfaced! :)
Lyndsay says
Just wondering if you could freeze the pocket pies after baking? Trying to do a lot of bake ahead snacks and meals for out week in a camper at the fair. We will have access to a microwave for reheating but no oven for actually baking. Hoping to bake them now, freeze them and reheat next week. Thanks!
Laura says
Yes, this will work just fine!
robin bowers says
i just wanted to say that i made these for my husband,(who is a picky eater) but loves pies. and I’m not one for pies. he now has me making them and baking them then freezing them, so he can take them to work. with him being in the military it made it simple for his lunches or Breakfast.
i was wondering if we could use other fruit? my daughter loves any kind of fruit. she also likes the pies.
Laura says
You can use any filling you want, including other fruit like peaches or cherries!
Heather says
If I am making the pockets, do I cook down the apples before filling them? Or just dice, add sugar & cinn & stuff the pockets to freeze?
Thanks! We loved the pizza pockets & I’m going to make up these apple ones and also some ham & cheese ones for the freezer. (Ezxpecting a baby soon so I’m trying to stock the freezer.)
LindseyforLaura@HHM says
Congrats on expecting a new little one! I think it would be good to
pre cook the apples before stuffing the pockets to freeze. Otherwise it
may take much longer to cook them through and the crust could burn in
that time.
Lilia says
Just went apple picking this weekend, can’t wait to try these delicoius looking mini pies. Thanks for the great idea!
Tracy says
Laura, Just love this idea and all of your others, too, for that matter! Thanks for the inspiration to continue cooking heathy, fun foods for our families! It truly is a ministry in and of itself to be a stay at home Mom who homeschools, cooks and cares for her family. I’m so blessed to have you walk this path along with me! I’m a little ahead of you (in years only), but love the path you are taking and sharing along with us faithful readers! It truly does inspire me in many ways! Can’t wait to serve these for our Sabbath morning breakfast this week! Many, many thanks and blesseing to you and yours! Tracy
Sarah says
I always have a hard time cutting the peel off apples as the peel contains the bulk of the nutrition in an apple. Have you ever made this leaving the peel on the apples?
BTW my ultra picky 7 year old loves your pretzels and cinnamon rolls! Thanks so much for sharing your recipes!
Laura says
Yes, you can leave the peels on the apples when making these!
Neel says
Wow!! the recipe looks good.
Sarah Mulholland says
These are seriously one of the best things I have ever tasted! Thank you! I am so excited for my husband to come home and try them. Corndog muffins are in the oven!
Tina says
If I cook the pies right away without freezing them, can they be cooked for a shorter time period? What if I use a pie crust dough instead of the dough recipe you use?
Laura says
Sure, a pie crust dough would work great instead of this recipe although I believe it would still need the same amount of cooking time.
Cassie says
I haven’t even read you whole post yet, or any of the comments but I wanted to say that I would 100% rather have some apple pie for breakfast than some poptarts… and easily one of my favorite things about your recipes is that they are healthy, people might say “but butter…” or whatever else but if they really paid attention to all the nasty stuff in the food we buy… well, butter and sugar (obviously in moderation) are by far better for us than all the insane amounts of, uh, crud that they put in foods.
Ok, I promise I’m done babbling… and I really want to watch the “chocolate cake” bit from Bill Cosby now. hehe
CeCe says
Laura,
Sounds so good. My youngest is 4 and has suddenly become very wary of a lot of foods. This would please her (and me since they are sweetened with sucanat) . But I”m not that much of a cook– so the thought of peeling a bunch of apples makes me cringe. I know you try to stay away from processed stuff, but what about if I used canned apple pie filling? (though I’m concerned about the added sugar from that)
Anyone else out there done it this way?
ChantalMM says
You don`t need to peel the apples for this recipe. (If you scroll up, you`ll find someone else asking the same thing.) :)
CeCe says
Great to know. Thanks!
Tonya W. says
If I bake these fresh and then freeze them, will they reheat well? I don’t often have that much bake time for breakfast on school days, so I was hoping they would reheat well in the microwave or for a shorter period in the oven if they were prebaked. If they wont do as well, then I might just have to commit to getting up early those mornings :)
Laura says
Sure, that will work just fine if you bake them ahead and reheat them in the oven on a school morning.
eve says
hey didn’t have time to read all the comments.. but just wondered why do you use yogurt in this dough? is there a substitute? this website is a real blessing!! thanx so much!
Laura says
Yogurt makes the dough taste great, but you could also use milk if you prefer.
CeCe says
Laura,
do you use this pie crust for chicken pot pie? I think I saw Chicken Pot Pie on here before, but can’t find now. Please link if I’m remembering correctly.
Thanks.
LindseyforLaura@HHM says
Laura does not have a recipe for chicken pot pie, but you could use this
for a crust if you already have a recipe you like!
Becky says
I used this recipe but I did soak over night on the counter and it was a pretty sticky dough. It came out good for a calzone type of thing but is there a trick to make it more ” pie crusty” for a apple or pumpkin pie? More flour? Less liquid? The flavor was delicious!
Laura says
Yes, I’d go with more flour and see it that works. :)
crystal says
Hi there,
The recipe calls for plain yogurt…do you use regular or a Greek variety?
Thanks!!
Laura says
I use regular, but I think Greek would work too.
Amanda says
When you say to put “Cream” in a recipe, you are talking about real cows cream right?? What if you cant get real cows cream, what do you use?? Thanks
LindseyforLaura@HHM says
Laura uses store bought heavy whipping cream. :)
Marie says
Can I use honey or maple syrup instead of sucanat?
Laura says
Yes, either one should work just fine!
Renee says
Laura, I’m so glad my friend referred me to your website! I have one husband and 3 growing boys to feed, so seeing that you have a husband and 4 boys…I was very excited to glance around at these boy-approved recipes! :) I love to cook healthy foods but my boys have gotten a bad idea of what healthy food is – oops – my fault. Your blog has inspired me to try new recipes and get my boys EXCITED about healthy food again!!! And I laughed through much of the reading – your comments are just hilarious! Thanks for sharing – thanks for your humility too!
Diane says
for the apple pie pockets — do you still use the topping?
Laura says
No, I skip the topping for the pockets.
Crystal says
I think this is a wonderful idea! I can’t wait to try them, however, my husband does not care for the texture of whole wheat flour. He tends to not eat anything that I make with it. Can you suggest an alternative that is healthy but has the texture of all purpose flour? I have been on a journey to completely eliminate all processed foods from our diet but AP flour is one I haven’t been successful in eliminating. Thanks.
Laura says
I grind my own flour from hard white wheat, which is almost the same texture as all purpose. I’d suggest to at least do unbleached all purpose flour as a compromise.
Anitra says
Try “white whole wheat” (I buy King Arthur brand). My family can’t tell the difference between that and unbleached all-purpose flour. I use it for almost all of my baking now (sometimes I cut it with “regular” whole wheat because that’s cheaper).
Heather says
I made these last night & let them sit in the freezer all night, big mistake!!! They stuck to the pan & fell apart. Not sure how to get them out without breaking them? I oiled the pan well & let the pan sit on the counter for 15 mins….
Any suggestions, I’m just gonna bake them first, then freeze. Is there a reason you freeze them first & not bake & freeze, then reheat..
Laura says
Typically I find that after they sit in the pan a few minutes, they pop out. If it works better for you, you can certainly bake them first before freezing. I like to freeze them unbaked so that I can bake and serve them hot and fresh. :)
Nathana Clay says
So I feel bad now! I totally came up with the same idea (not having seen it here first and shared it on my blog around Thanksgiving) I promise I didn’t steal your idea! I just one day was thinking that personal pies sounded fun . . . my crust recipe was different, but the rest was pretty similar. It works well!
Laura says
Great minds think alike! :) Personal pies are a lot of fun. Glad to be reminded of this. I haven’t made these for a while. :)
Kathryn Grace says
I found this while hunting out something a little different, and kid-oriented, for the Recipe of the Day on a Facebook page I curate called Cooking with Whole Grains & Real, Whole Foods. Just what I needed for today!
Our grandkids love to bake with me, and this looks like a fun project to do with them. Thank you for the recipes and methodology.