Two apple recipes in a row! I hope it’s not too much for some of you, obviously anyone that isn’t a fan of apples will have been completely put off by these last two posts. I’m afraid you have my leftover apple pie filling from the Chausson aux Pommes and a bag of wholemeal flour that needed to be used up, to blame for these pecan streusel apple pies.
I absolutely hate food waste. I have bags of bananas in the freezer, leftover streusel from this recipe, egg whites, any leftover vegetables from meals get saved up and turned into soup, or even better bubble and squeak.
Since working from home, I now decide what to have for lunch based on what needs using up first. Sometimes that means I have delicious plates of cured meat, houmous, cheese, grapes etc. Other times it means using up the can of rice pudding I found in the back of the cupboard close to its use by date. Sorry Ambrosia, but it doesn’t taste as good now as it did when I was a child.
The other great thing about these pecan streusel apple pies is that they freeze really well once baked. You can then defrost them when you fancy a little treat and they are so delicious warm with a glug of double cream. The streusel topping is spiked with a little bit of salt to offset the sweetness and they come out looking very appetising with very little effort. There’s also no blind-baking required, just make sure you cook them until golden, giving them extra time if you’re not sure.
The wholemeal pastry and streusel can create the illusion of being more cooked than they really are. They won’t dry out because of the apple, but be sure to leave them to cool in the tin so the pastry cooks a little longer and isn’t soggy.
This recipe makes 12 generous pies, a fact you’ll be glad for and any leftover streusel, pastry or pie filling all freeze really well.
Pecan Streusel Apple Pies
Equipment
- 12 hole deep muffin tin
Ingredients
- 230 g Wholemeal Flour
- 125 g Unsalted Butter diced, chilled
- 50 g Icing Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Mixed Spice
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 2 tbsp Milk
- 250 g Bramley Apples
- 25 g Unsalted Butter
- 25 g Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Mixed Spice
- 60 g Unsalted Butter melted
- 80 g Wholemeal Flour
- 55 g Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Fine Salt
- 25 g Chopped Pecans
Instructions
- First make the pastry, place the flour and butter in a stand mixer with the beater attachment fitted. Gently mix until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the icing sugar and mixed spice and mix through, then add the egg yolk and the milk and mix until it starts to form a dough.
- Take the dough and shape it into a block about 1cm thick, this will make it easier to roll out later. Rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Next make the apple filling as you want this nice and cold for when you use it. Place the apples, butter, sugar and mixed spice in a saucepan and cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes until softened and pulpy. Place in a bowl and leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge.
- Finally make the streusel, mix the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and then pour over the melted butter. Using a fork stir the mixture until it all clumps together. You need a mix of small crumbs and big chunks. Add the chopped pecans and stir them gently through the streusel. Put the streusel in the freezer for 10-15 mins to cool.
- When ready to assemble, pre-heat the oven to 180C and take a 12 hole deep muffin tin and grease it with a little butter. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of around 1/2 a cm and using a round cutter a bit larger than your muffin tin holes, cut out circles and fill each of the holes with pastry rounds.
- Take care not to pierce the pastry, you'll need to keep rolling the scraps to get all 12 rounds. Using a fork prick a few holes in the base of the pastry.
- Take the apple filling from the fridge and spoon it into the pastry holes, add a generous amount, but don't add too much so that it overflows. Take the streusel topping and sprinkle it over the apple filling.
- Place the pies in the pre-heated oven and bake for 35-40mins or until golden, you want the pies to be golden on top and you want to be sure the pastry is cooked on the bottom. When done leave them in the tins to cool completely before removing.
- These can be stored in the fridge and eaten within 2 days, or you can freeze them and defrost them fully before eating. They are nice warmed in the oven and served with cream.
Thanks for reading.
Angela
Neil
Hello. I’m confused about where the pecans go? Are they in the streusel topping?
patisseriemakesperfect
Hi Neil, so sorry – quick answer is yes, chopped up and sprinkled into the streusel when mixed.
I’ll update the recipe later, thanks for commenting!
Angela
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes
Thanks for sharing, these pies look lovely 🙂
patisseriemakesperfect
Thanks so much Nic.