Apple Pie Pops

Pie. Apple Pie. Apple Pie Pops = LOVE on a stick. Who couldn't resist one of these sweet little beauties?! Comforting mouthfuls of sweet pastry and sweet cinnamon apple pie filling .... on a stick!

This recipe easily makes 30 pops.

First, make the sweet pastry. You will need:

• 110g soft unsalted butter
• 140g caster sugar
• 275g strong white flour
• 1/2 tea spoon of baking powder
• 1/4 tea spoon of fine salt
• 125 ml double cream

In a large bowl cream the sugar and the butter together until well combined. In another bowl, sieve together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt). Then add half of this dry mixture to the sugar butter mixture and rub together with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined. 

Add the remaining dry ingredients and then using your hands rub all of the ingredients together. You should end up with a bowl of crumbs. Finally, pour in the double cream into the bowl and mix well, the cream will bind the crumb mixture together into a smooth dough. 

Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour. 

For the apple filling:

• One large Bramley apple, peeled, cored and grated
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of flour (this will soak up the juices that come from the grated apple)

Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. 

Once the pastry dough has chilled, remove from it's cling film and place onto a lightly floured work surface. The recipe makes 30 pops and so take 1/3 of the pastry at a time and prepare the pops in batches of 10. 

Roll out the pastry until it is approx 3mm thick. Using a cookie cutter (max size 2.5 inches, otherwise the pies will become too heavy to stay attached to the pop stick), cut out 20 hearts. 

Place 10 of the hearts onto a lined flat baking sheet and in the centre of each heart place a dollop of the apple mixture. Ensure the mixture stays in the centre and the edges of the heart are kept clear.

Next place a lollipop stick in the centre of each heart and on top of the filling. Wet around the edges of each heart with some water and then place another pastry heart on the top, sandwiching the apple pie filling.

Crimp the edges of each heart. Glaze with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 160 degrees C (Fan Oven) or 180 degrees in a conventional for 15 minutes.

Once the pies are cool, wrap with a cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon or bakers twine. Add a pretty gift label or message and you have pretty little pie gifts. Or, if you don't feel like spreading the apple pie love, eat hot and enjoy!