Apple Pie Shot

As hard as retailers try to move it up, I am a big proponent of holding off the Christmas season until after Thanksgiving. That is why the next three posts are dedicated to pie, the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert. The first baked pie Shotible is Apple Pie.

I used a store-bought pie dough crust for the glass.   Each package came with two crusts. I cut each into quarters, and then rolled each quarter into a ball. I then spread the dough out covering the sides and bottom of the molds.

For the filling, I made a syrup with brandy, butter, flour, sugar, brown sugar and spices. I brought the mixture to a simmer in a sauce pan. I then added diced apples. I used a combination of Macintoshes and Granny Smiths. I cooked them for just a few minutes in the sauce pan just to soften them up a little.

I filled each dough glass with the apple mixture put them in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. I then took them out of the oven and covered them with aluminum foil so the tops wouldn't burn when I baked them for another 15 minutes.

We brought the Apple Pie Shotibles with us to dinner the next night with my folks, my cousin Cherise and her fiance Pat.  There were a couple left over that Jeff and I took with us on a weekend trip to New York City.  I figured, what better place for an Apple Pie Shotibles photo shoot than the Big Apple itself?

Caramel Apple Shot

As a kid, I loved going to the Apple Harvest Festival every autumn.  The fair is the ultimate tribute to apples.  Everywhere you look, there is another treat made from the fruit.  Vendors sell hot apple cider, apple cookies, apple fritters, apple sausage, and even apple pizza.  And of course, a trip to the festival isn’t complete without a Caramel Apple. 

For the glass, I used a Caramel Apple box cake mix.  Okay, I get it wasn’t the most inspired choice, but it worked well. 

For the filling, I decided not to cook the apples.  I left them raw because I wanted them to remain crisp and fresh, just like a real Caramel Apple.  I diced up granny smith apples and infused them with Apple Ginger flavored vodka.    

I melted caramel candies and drizzled them on top of the apple chunks.  I then topped off the Shotibles with chopped peanuts.  The result was a fun little treat that successfully jump started the autumn season.