Dessert won’t get much better this holiday season than with a layered apple pie made with a mini pie crust.
The idea was sparked when my neighbor Carrie dropped off 6 apples from her tree the other day.
I asked Ryan what I should do with them, and we both agreed that instead of just eating them as-is, I should create an Apple Pie of sorts for us to enjoy.
On Sunday, we will celebrate our 7-year wedding anniversary.
It doesn’t even seem possible, but 7 years have come and gone, and we both still love Apple Pie + Crisp.
So much so, in fact, that it was a feature on our wedding day.
And if the way to a man’s heart is through his belly, then this recipe did it.
We have had it already twice in the past week, and 2 mini pies don’t last longer than the day.
Now that you know the inspiration behind it, here is more about the actual recipe.
Mini Pie Crust {for a Layered Paleo Apple Pie}
It’s a Paleo recipe, so let’s get that out of the way.
Furthermore, it is made on a mini pie crust.
And that’s just adorable.
I am not 100% Paleo any longer (because I don’t need to be right now), but when I bake, I tend to still bake with Paleo ingredients because I enjoy them most. Also, because it’s a challenge, and I love a good challenge.
Part of what makes this recipe so delicious are the ingredients I chose to use, including the fresh apples, organic coconut flour, organic coconut oil, and honey.
Beyond that, the simple process was the key to this great pie.
Pie Dish
Use a pie dish that is approximately 6 inches.
You might enjoy THESE porcelain, non-stick ones.
These Sweese pie dishes feature:
- made from glazed porcelain material (Lead and Cadmium Free)
- resists staining, odors, and cracking
- durable and scratch-resistant for everyday use
- beautiful fluted edge supports more substantial pies and keeps it from spilling
You then dig into your jar of coconut oil and coat the plates with the coconut oil. Yes, I do this even with non-stick.
Once the dough has been made, you’ll need to place it in the fridge to chill while preparing the apple portion.
(A quick note on the dough, it uses almond meal not almond flour. Click HERE to learn the difference.)
To prepare the apples, you first de-skin them. {Note that you can leave the skins on, but we tried it both ways and thought without skin was much better because you get more of the flavor without the bulkiness of the skin. Your call.}
Once the skin has been removed, cut into slices using an apple corer (if you have one).
After you have slices, cut down even further into 3-4 more slices per slice (lengthwise) to make several thin apple slices.
Place the honey in a large pan on the stove and heat on low. You then add the apples and saute them until they reached a nice golden brown.
At this point, let the pie-making commence!
Almond Flour Pie Crust
The key to the layers is that you want a very thin layer of dough followed by a layer of apples, followed by dough weaved on top of the apples, apples weaved on top of dough, etc, until complete (see full instructions below for the total number of layers).
And then you bake.
Top with whipped cream.
What is this whipped cream? 100% full-fat coconut milk. That’s it. You can get this by choosing #2 on this coconut milk list OR with this coconut milk. Place the can in the fridge overnight, open and serve.
(Need a sweeter whipped cream, but still dairy free? You can grab the 3-ingredient whipped cream recipe HERE.)
And enjoy every single bite.
Gluten Free Apple Pie Recipe
Click HERE to save for later.
- 3 small-to-medium apples, de-skinned and de-seeded
- ½ cup almond meal
- ¼ cup Nutiva Organic Coconut Flour
- 2 medium eggs, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil + a little extra for coating your pie plates
- ¼ cup raw honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- Nutiva Organic Coconut Sugar, as desired
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Lightly coat your 2 pie plates with coconut oil.
- Place all ingredients except for the apples,
honey and coconut sugar in a food processor (or good blender), and blend until smooth (but not overly smooth). - Place mixture in a bowl, and set inside the fridge to chill.
- Meanwhile, cut the apples into slices (using an apple corer if you have one), and then into even thinner slices lengthwise (I cut each apple slice into 3-4 thinner slices).
- Heat the honey on low in a large saucepan.
- Place apples in pan, and saute until lightly golden brown in color.
- Place a thin layer of dough on the bottoms of both pie plates, and then add a layer of the sautéed apples on top of the dough. Make 3 total layers. (Dough + apple, dough + apple, dough + apple.)
- Sprinkle with coconut sugar, if desired.
- Place both pies in the oven and bake on the second shelf for about 22 minutes. (20-24 minutes, depending on your oven.)
- Serve warm with whipped cream.
p.s. Ryan, I can’t wait for many more years of Apple Pie with you.
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:
Xox,
SKH
You will heal. I will help.
I hear so much about coconut flour that I bought some and didn’t know what to do with it but I may try this.
I think you’ll love this! By the way, I have a ton of Coconut Flour recipes on my blog if you just search it:) Enjoy!