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You are here: Home / Recipes / Baking and Desserts / Mini Apple Pies with Beetroot

Mini Apple Pies with Beetroot

October 18, 2015 by Sarah Trivuncic 16 Comments

This site content is free. When you purchase via referral links on our posts, including those to Amazon, we earn affiliate commission, at no extra cost to yourself. Thanks for reading and please share posts you find useful!

These Bramley apple hand pies are part sweet, part savoury. Their lack of sugar dispels the notion that cooking apples are sour. Part of an ongoing series of recipes commissioned by Bramley Apples.

Mini Apple Pies with Beetroot (vegan)

It’s a very long time since I ate a home made apple pie. In fact I’m wondering whether I often did. In my head I am recalling cloying manufactured efforts with wet filling. This week has been Bramley Apple Pie Week and I have been thinking after my beetroot salsa post how well Bramley and beetroot go together and that a Bramley Apple Pie need not be a sweet affair.

Vegan Bramley Apple Pies with Beetroot

So this version has no added sugar. I wouldn’t say it was savoury either, it’s a bit of both.

Vegan Bramley Apple Pies with Beetroot-2

The beetroot has been finely diced and pre-roasted in some oil with salt and pepper for a few minutes.

Vegan Bramley Apple Pies with Beetroot-3

The Bramley apple filling is made purely from chopped apple with only a scant addition of water and the spices. No sugar is added at all. We are so used to putting sugar in apple sauce but it really isn’t necessary. In order to harmonise the texture between the slightly harder beetroot and soft apple I added a little ground hazelnut (which was also used when rolling the pastry).

making dairy free pastry

For the pastry I am still enamoured with the success of my crumble topped jam tarts so I decided to repeat the dairy free pastry with spelt flour.

Making Vegan shortcrust pastry

This dairy free pastry has totally taken me a back how easy it is to make and work with. I’ve found that the soft dairy free spread blends with the flour straight from the fridge – much more easily than butter and you can effortlessly form a ball of dough that’s neither sticky nor dry.

Vegan Bramley Apple Pies with Beetroot-4

The dairy free pastry rolls out very easily, in this case I used more ground hazelnut to dust the work top and add a little extra hazelnut flavour to the pastry cases.

Baking blind hand pies

The individual pastry cases had been baked blind for around 10 minutes before adding the filling and topping.

glazing vegan pastry with thinned soya cream and cinnamon sugar

The usual options to glaze pastry (egg, milk) are obviously not vegan so instead of brushed the pastry tops with some thinned down soya cream (you could use soya milk although I had none to hand) and a grinding of cinnamon sugar.

The pies are then returned to the oven to cook their tops – around a further 15-16 minutes.

So I realise these aren’t exactly orthodox. My husband is confused whether they’re pudding or not. Personally I’m rather pleased with them. They’re a reasonably substantial snack that’s lower in sugar than your average apple pie and gives you a break from wheat gluten at the same time.

What I really like about working with Bramley apples is that you can cook them without sugar and concentrate on that lovely apple flavour. Even if you don’t have time to make pies, do grab yourself a pair of Bramleys from the supermarket if only to make your own apple sauce. It takes 3-4 minutes and you’ll never buy bottled apple sauce again. That’s a promise.

What did you last do with a Bramley?

Bramley Apple Hand Pies with Beetroot (Vegan)

Bramley Apple Hand Pies with Beetroot with Vegan Pastry

Makes 12

Ingredients
150g dairy free spread
300g plain spelt flour
pinch of salt
1 tbsp of water
2 large or 3 medium Bramley apples, peeled and chopped into dice sized chunks
4 small beetroot, peeled and chopped into smaller dice (i.e. 5mm)
1 tbsp ground hazelnuts with extra for rolling pastry
1 tbsp groundnut or pale rapeseed oil
ground black pepper
smoked sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp soya cream thinned with 1 tbsp water
ground cinnamon sugar (optional – I use a grinder from Lakeland but you can sub with ordinary demerara)

You will need a 12 hole muffin tin, baking parchment paper and ceramic baking beans.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 190c, gas mark 5. When up to temperature, toss the beetroot dice in oil, season with a little smoked sea salt and ground black pepper. Roast for 6-7 minutes then set aside.

2. Meanwhile blitz the dairy free spread, salt and spelt flour in the food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Decant the mix into a medium size mixing bowl and add a tablespoon of water. Draw the ingredients together into a ball.

4. Grease the muffin tin. Roll out the pastry to 7mm thickness. Cut out pastry circles to fill the 12 holes. Press the pastry against the sides of the tin so it fills the sides of each hole, prick the bases with a knife. Line each mini pastry case with parchment paper and a tablespoon of ceramic baking beans. Bake the pastry bases for ten minutes.

5. Meanwhile, simmer the cubed apple with a scant tablespoon of water over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Leave the lid on so the apple starts to cook down. As it begins to catch, give it a quick stir and add the cinnamon and cardamom. Set aside.

6. Take the pre-baked pastry cases from the oven and carefully remove the hot ceramic beans and lining papers. Fill each case with a heaped teaspoon of cooked apple and a scattering of beetroot cubes. Brush the pastry with the thinned soya cream and top with pastry circles (I use a crinkle cutter for the top bits), press down the lids.

7. Sprinkle with a little more smoked sea salt and if you wish, a grind of cinnamon sugar. Bake for a further 12-15 minutes until the tops are cooked and starting to brown. Serve hot or cold.

Bramley Apple Hand Pies with Beetroot (Vegan)

If you’re looking for a savoury apple pie then investigate this sausage and Bramley apple pie by Dom at Belleau Kitchen. He and I will be partnering every third month to bring you more Bramley apple recipes over the coming year.

Post commissioned by Bramley Apples as part of a series.

This site content is free. When you purchase via referral links on our posts, including those to Amazon, we earn affiliate commission, at no extra cost to yourself. Thanks for reading and please share posts you find useful!
Filed Under: Baking and Desserts, Branded Content Tagged With: apples, baking, beetroot, Bramley apples, pastry, vegetarian

About Sarah Trivuncic

Sarah Trivuncic has published recipes, restaurant and travel reviews on Maison Cupcake since 2009. She lives in Walthamstow, East London with her husband and teenager.
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Comments

  1. Dominic says

    October 18, 2015 at 11:50 am

    oooh, beetroot and apple are a lovely combination and I agree, these could easily be savoury or sweet. I’d imagine they’d be great served alongside something like a ploughman’s lunch with some strong cheddar, or even wonderful with Christmas left-overs. I’m loving this idea… i’m so excited by all the wonderful bramley recipes to come! Thanks for the mention and link xx

    Reply
  2. Sisley White says

    October 18, 2015 at 2:49 pm

    Hoe delicious! I love a apple and beetroot mix. Are the beetroot cooked before they bake?
    I can’t wait to try this x

    Reply
    • Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

      October 19, 2015 at 9:36 am

      A few minutes roasting with salt and pepper.

      Reply
  3. Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs says

    October 18, 2015 at 6:04 pm

    What a clever recipe! You’ve inspired me to cut out the sugar next time I’m making apple pies or apple sauce for that matter…you’re right cooking apples aren’t all that sour I think we just get used to chucking sugar over everything! Great post 🙂

    Reply
    • Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

      October 19, 2015 at 9:36 am

      Thanks Emma. The apple sauce was a bit of a revelation – you just cook it down and the flesh itself tastes great without any sugar.

      Reply
  4. Lucy Parissi says

    October 18, 2015 at 6:52 pm

    I would never have thought to add beetroot into apple pie but you make it look like the most natural idea in the world! Love the size and look of these cuties – I think I would be allowed one on my diet even. Yummed!

    Reply
    • Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

      October 21, 2015 at 10:46 am

      Yes I squeezed one into my diet 😉

      Reply
  5. Nayna Kanabar says

    October 18, 2015 at 7:27 pm

    I love apple pie but I have never thought to add Beetroot to it. Interesting combination.

    Reply
    • Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

      October 19, 2015 at 9:35 am

      Thanks Nayna, I think beetroot is another ingredient people can be stuck in a rut with.

      Reply
  6. Lucy says

    October 18, 2015 at 7:40 pm

    i love the sound of these pies, I can see how apples don’t always need sugar, they have so much natural sweetness already even when they are cooking apples.

    Reply
    • Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

      October 19, 2015 at 9:34 am

      Yes I’m flummoxed why we’ve been brainwashed into adding sugar to them.

      Reply
  7. Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla says

    October 18, 2015 at 9:18 pm

    Sarah, that is such an interesting recipe. I would never think of adding beets to apple pies but yours look delicious.

    Reply
    • Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

      October 19, 2015 at 9:34 am

      Thanks – it was the beetroot salsa in the summer that got me started.

      Reply
  8. Katie Bryson says

    October 19, 2015 at 7:07 am

    This sounds like a wonderful combination of flavours Sarah and i’m totally intrigued to make them myself….

    Reply
    • Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

      October 19, 2015 at 9:34 am

      You’ll have to let me know how you get on – I think the hazelnut in the pastry def adds something.

      Reply
  9. Emily @amummytoo says

    October 19, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    These looks delicious, Sarah. Lovely pastry and a great use for lovely tart Bramleys.

    Reply

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