Cooking With Kids: Mini Apple Pies Recipe

Not only did momstown Oakville get a group of Junior Chefs together last week, but they were Junior Pastry Chefs!  Our theme of the month is apples and so apple pie was a natural choice for our cooking with kids program.  But since momstown's Junior Chef program likes to give kids the chance to participate as much as possible, this mini apple pie recipe was a better fit than just one big pie.  Oakville kids were rolling and cutting out dough, peeling and cutting apples and having a great time.

This recipe was a big hit! Here is what you need to make your own Mini Apple Pies at home.

Ingredients:

3 large granny smith apples
1/2 cup + 1tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
3 tablespoons of chilled butter cut into 18 equal pieces
2 boxes of tender flake puff pastry (found in the freezer section). Make sure you thaw it in the fridge overnight.

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 400F and generously grease a regular size muffin pan with butter.
2. Mix together the cinnamon and flour in a small bowl.
3. Peel and cut apples to into small pieces.
4. Pour the sugar over the apples, then the cinnamon flour mixture. Mix well.
5. Use a rolling pin to roll out the puff pastry and cut 12 circles with a mason jar lid or drinking glass
6. Use fun cookie cutter shapes to cut from the remaining crust, these will top the pies
7. Line the muffin pan with the cut out pastry circles.
8. Fill each muffin tin with a small spoonful of apples.
9. Lay a piece of butter on each pie and cover with the cut out shapes.
10. Bake for 14-16 minutes.

momstown Oakville has monthly Junior Chef events on the weekends and weekdays.  Purchase your membership here for just $45 a year.  This includes not only our Junior Chef program but ALL of our monthly programs, lots to do for little ones from new babies to toddlers, preschoolers and more!  And did we mention you get a 12 month subscription to Today's Parent magazine too?!

Apple Wreath Craft For Kids

Momstown's theme of the month for September is 'Apples'.  So far, Oakville moms and kids are loving this theme as there are so many fun Fall things to do that involve apples!  At our momstown Monet program this week, we got together to make festive apple wreaths.  This craft was so much fun as it involved apple stamping, as well as cutting and gluing too.

Apple Wreath Craft

Here is what you need to make your own apple wreath:

-green pipe cleaner
-large white paper plate
-green construction paper
-brown crayon or paint
-white paper
-red paint
-apples
-scissors
-glue

Steps to make the apple wreath:

1.  Cut out the middle of the paper plate so the remainder is a wreath shape
2.  Colour the back side of the paper plate ring using brown crayon or paint it with brown paint
3.  Cut an apple in half and paint the halfs red.  Stamp 7 good apple stamps onto the white paper and leave the paper to dry
4.  Put a small hole in the top and put the pipe cleaner through making a circle so you can use this to hang the wreath.
5.  Take the green construction paper and cut out stems for the apples
6. When the apple stamps are dry, cut them out.
7.  Glue the apples onto the brown paper plate ring and then glue the green apple stems on to the apples

Hang this cute creation in our outside your house to help celebrate the arrival of the Fall season!  Join us for our next momstown Monet program or one of the other 40+ events we have on our calendar each month.  A yearly membership is just $45 a year and includes a 12 month Today's Parent magazine subscription!