Apple And Prune Mini Pies

This post is sponsored by Sunsweet. Thank you, Sunsweet!

It’s been far too long since I’ve done a recipe on the ol’ blog, and the holidays felt like a good time to jump back in. We all know that the candy and baked goods are everywhere this time of year, and our house is no exception. I’ve tried to balance the holiday treats with healthier meals, but I’ve also started sneaking some good-for-you ingredients into what I’ve been making. That’s why I added Sunsweet Amaz!n Prunes to my mini pies.

I think most people know that prunes are good for digestive health, but they are also a source of important nutrients. Prunes contain vitamins A and K, zinc, magnesium, iron, manganese, phosphorus, and potassium, just to name a few. I was really pleased to discover that prunes can help with or help to benefit bone health. Half of a person’s bone mass is accumulated during adolescence, so I want to make sure Annie and James get the right nutrients to have healthy bones. Adults should be eating more prunes, too – there are studies that suggest eating 5-6 prunes a day can help to maintain bone mass in post-menopausal women, which I thought was fascinating (totally putting prunes in my mom’s Christmas stocking).

These pies are delicious and simple to make. So easy, in fact, that even kids can make it – Annie and James made another episode of “Annie’s Cooking Show” where they made these mini pies! You can watch it at the end of the post.

Let’s get started, shall we?

You will need:

Muffin pan
Round cookie cutter
Refrigerated pie crust (either store-bought or homemade)
2-3 apples, finely chopped
10-12 Sunsweet Pitted Amaz!n Prunes, roughly chopped OR 1/3 cup Sunsweet Amaz!n Diced Prunes
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon Sunsweet Amaz!n Prune Juice (optional)

Roll out your pie crust.

Using a large round cookie cutter (or anything else that’s round, like a glass), cut circles out of the crust.

Place each pie crust circle into an ungreased muffin cup, making a bowl shape.

In a bowl, mix together the apples, prunes, sugar, flour, vanilla, cinnamon and (optional) prune juice.

Spoon the fruit mixture into each muffin cup, making sure to divide the mixture evenly. This is when I’d highly suggest adding a bit of prune juice to every mini pie, to keep the fruit mixture moist while it cooks. I poured a teaspoon of prune juice over every mini pie.

Bake the pies at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until the crusts are golden brown.

Allow the pies to cool before removing them from the muffin pan.

And here’s Annie’s Cooking Show: Holiday Edition!

These go FAST in my house, so for Christmas I will probably make a triple batch (and it likely still won’t be enough).

If you have any questions, let me know!