Cake pops seemed to be the “next big thing” about a year ago, but something new and improved has arrived: pie pops. Now, they sound difficult to make, but it is a lot easier than people think. Pie pops are a great new way to impress your friends with a petite little treat.

Another great thing about the pie pops is they only take a few ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes or less. Any sort of pie can be made into a pie pop, so the opportunities for crusty deliciousness are endless.

Ingredients and supplies

1 box of Betty Crocker Pie Crust mix or a box of frozen pie crust

1 apple

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar

1 cup of flour

Craft sticks

Rolling pin

Cookie sheet

Foil

First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Next, follow the directions on the box of the pie crust mix and make the dough or let your frozen pie dough thaw and unroll it. The pie crust mix only calls for water which makes things easy. The pie mix is enough to make two pie crusts.

Pour half of the mix into a bowl and stir in the water until the dough is formed. Take the dough and roll it thin with a rolling pin. The dough will get pretty sticky, so this is where the flour comes in. Sprinkle some flour over the rolling surface or else things will get frustrating and messy. Once the dough is rolled out, repeat the same steps for the second crust.

After both crusts are rolled out, it is time to cut out the shapes of the miniature pies. Cutting out the crust can be done with any cylindrical object with a small diameter. A shot glass was easy to use because the dough didn’t stick.

One of the pie crusts will be used for the bottom half of the pies and the other for the top, so make sure to cut out the same number of circles from each crust. Place the circles on the cookie sheet and get ready to make the filling.

Rinse off the apple and take the stem out. Cut the apple in half, then each half into thirds, but cut off the core and the seeds. Chop the apple up into tiny pieces until it almost resembles mush. Add the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and cinnamon sugar to the pile and mix well.

Next is to assemble the pie pops. Place a stick in the middle and press it into the dough so it will stay put. Once each pie crust has a stick, take a tablespoon of the apple filling and put it in the middle of the crust. Don’t forget to wrap each craft stick with foil to prevent them from burning in the oven – nobody wants pie pops on fire.

Next, place the top layer of the pie crust on each pop. Take a fork and press it around the edges of the pies to stick them together and leave a nice design around the outside. Lastly, sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top of each pie pop, and then bake for 10 minutes.

After those 10 minutes, the pops will only need about five minutes to cool – then they can be dolled up. Place the pops in a glass cup and prop them up to look like a flower bouquet or arrange in any sort of design on a plate. Impress friends with the pie pops or keep them all – either way, they will look great and be delicious.

Candice DeVries can be reached at [email protected]