No Sugar Added

After watching cooking shows last week(when I was supposed to be writing a paper...) I decided to try to make something without any sugar.  So I made mini apple pies. And I have to say that I wondered where the sugar was.  Overall, it was good, but it could have been sweeter.

First, you have to make a Basic Pastry


Ingredients:
2 and 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ice water

Start Cooking:
1.  Use a metal blade in a food processor.  Put flour, butter and salt in the food processor and pulse until butter is chopped and evenly spread throughout the flour.
2.  Add water and pulse until dough forms.
3.  Separate into 3 balls, wrap in plastic wrap and flatten into discs.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.


When the dough is refrigerating, prepare Apple Filling

Ingredients:
4 apples, whatever kind you like
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons honey
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon(how every much you like)
1 egg

Start Cooking:
1.  Cut apples into bit size pieces.  Melt butter in large sauce pan, add apples to melted butter, over medium heat.  Add honey and cinnamon, stir well.
2.  Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.  After 5-7 minutes, you will see that the apples are soft and all the flavors have mixed together.

3.  After the pastry dough has been refrigerated for at least an hour, roll the dough out flat.  The flatter the better!  Put a cereal bowl upside down on the dough and cut around it, making a circle.  Place circle of dough on a baking sheet, brush egg around dough, used to help seal the dough together.  Put a scoop of apples in center of dough, then fold over and press edges together.

4.  Cut small slits in top of dough to vent air and bake for 17-23 minutes at 350 degrees, until dough is firm and flakey.  

Tips and Hints:

1.  Make sure you roll the dough really really flat.  My first batch, pictured above, was too thick and you tasted more dough than apples(not so good).  The second batch, with thinner dough was much, much better.

2.  I tried to roll out the dough before refrigerating for 1 hour, and it was really hard to roll out.  I would say refrigerate for more like 90 minutes.  

Enjoy!  And share your sugar free recipes!