These little pies are a bit labor intensive, but they are so cute and so tasty that the effort is worth it! Ingredients 2 1/2 cups Flour 2 tbsp. Sugar 1 tsp. Salt 1 cup Butter 1/2 cup very cold water 3 Apples (medium size) Granny Smith or whatever you like dash Lemon juice 1/3 cup Sugar 1 tsp. Cinnamon dash Nutmeg Water 1 large Egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water (opt.)

Instructions
To make the pie dough, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a fork to blend. Using a pastry cutter (or your preferred method), cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is coarse and the largest pieces of butter are no bigger than small peas. Stir in the water and mix gently just until the dough has come together in a a cohesive ball and all of the dry ingredients have been moistened. Form the dough into a disc and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour.

When you are ready to make your cookies, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
(Peel the apples and cut off the sides in four large chunks, removing and discarding the cores. With each large piece of apple, further slice into thin slices (somewhere between 1/8- and ¼-inch thick.) Use a small round cookie or biscuit cutter (about 2 inches in diameter) to cut round discs out of the apple slices.)
OR Just use a cool peeler/corer hand-crank machine like I have and skip all of the above slicing instructions!

Place the apple slices in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and whisk to blend.

To assemble the cookies, transfer half of the chilled pie dough to a lightly floured work surface (keep the remaining half chilled). Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out very thin, about 1/8 to ¼-inch thick. Use a larger round biscuit or cookie cutter (about 2½ to 2¾ inches in diameter) to cut out rounds of the pie dough. Transfer half of the rounds to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the rounds lightly with water (this will help the pies seal). Take a few apple slices at a time and place each on top of a round of pie dough. Layer a second round of dough on top of each apple slice and gently press the edges to help seal. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and apple slices. Crimp and seal the edges of the mini pies with the tines of a fork, dipping in flour if needed to prevent sticking. Lightly brush the tops of the cookies with the egg wash. Use a small paring knife to cut tiny slits in the top of each cookie. Sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired.

Bake for 25-28 minutes or until light golden brown.

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Yields: 20 Servings