Chai Spice Apple Tassies

Happy Sunday, everyone.

A lot of holiday baking-especially when they’re gifts– centers around treats that are ‘portable’, meaning they can be packaged up, transported and exchanged without too much of a hassle or mess. It’s easy to do this with cookies, brownies/blondies, candy and even cake. Pies can be a bit more complicated.

But the good news is, they really don’t have to be.

A little while ago, I shared a recipe that scaled down a traditional apple pie recipe into a faster and much more ‘portable’ bar version. I liked it a lot, but apple pie bars can still be somewhat tricky to fit/package inside of a cookie box and send off through the mail. Depending upon the size, the temperature and the consistency of the filling itself, they’re also not exactly a ‘handheld’ treat either.

This is where the tassie comes in.

Tassies come from the Scottish word “tass,” which means ‘small cup’. It’s a great word for them because that’s exactly what they are: a small ‘cup’ tart/pastry. The crust is typically made with flour, butter and cream cheese. It’s different from both regular pie crust and cookie crust because it’s obviously firmer and more durable than a heavy slice of pie, but it’s also more tender and richer tasting than a cookie bar.

The dough of tassie tarts is typcally pressed in/molded into the cups of a standard muffin pan, –which makes them a perfect, handheld size–then filled with a few tablespoons of a pie filling of the baker’s choice.

Our choice today is an apple pie filling–with a twist.

Apple pie is a classic for a reason, but because this is the holidays, we’re taking it up a notch with the addition of chai spices. Chai is not just about cinnamon; it’s a medley of flavors that in baking, are meant to evoke the warmth and comfort of a perfectly brewed cup of chai tea. Each one of them brings their own flair to the party. There’s Cardamom (Bright, citrusy, and slightly floral), Ginger (Warm, spicy, and a little bit peppery), Cinnamon (Sweet, woody, and classic), Clove: Pungent, sweet, and aromatic, and Nutmeg (Sweet, nutty, and earthy.) These spices complement the natural sweetness and tartness of the apples beautifully, creating a more complex and intriguing flavor profile. When you give them an overnight rest (which I highly recommend in this recipe) those flavors will pop all the more in the final product.

While there are three separate components to making these, the actual process is quite simple.

O ne thing that I will strongly advise is to not skip/omit the extra step of lining the muffin pans with the strips of parchment paper before pressing the dough into the individual cups. You will thank me later when your tassies are cooling in the pan and you’re anxious to get them out without burning your fingers, or–worse– fumbling to loosen the tassie cookie cup from them muffin well without crumbling the pastry. The parchment paper strips eliminate that hassle altogether.

And when they are done? You have what I gotta say is a pretty perfect holiday treat to add to the dessert tray or cookie box that travels well and tastes just as good.

Just one more day left in the 12 Days of Christmas–any guesses as to what our last recipe will be? Find out soon!

Day 1: Holiday Lunch Lady Bars

Day 2: Ginger Thins

Day 3: Chunky Gingerbread Spiced Apple Butter

Day 4: Bakery-Style Apple Butter Cookies

Day 5: Apple Butter Spice Cakes

Day 6: Spiced Polvorónes Cookies

Day 7: Pumpkin Angel Biscuits

Day 8: Malted Sugar Cookies

Day 9: Biscoff Sandwich Cookie Shortbread

Day 10: Caramel Apple Butter Scones

Day 11: Chai Spice Apple Tassies

Chai Spice Apple Tassies

Ingredients

For the Crust

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, but still cool to the touch
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened, but still cool to the touch
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For the topping

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar, preferably dark brown
1/8 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

For filling

2 medium apples, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoons ground cloves
½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
½ teaspoons cardamom
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Make the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment — or, if using a hand mixer, in a large bowl — beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add the flour. On low speed, mix until no streaks remain and the dough starts to come together, about 1 minute. Scrape any stray dough from the sides of the bowl, gather into a ball and flatten into a smooth rectangle or disc. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the filling: In a medium size saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, the brown sugar, corn starch, the spices, lemon juice and vanilla stir to combine, then bring up to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until apples have softened, released their pectin, and mixture is slightly thickened. Allow to cool completely (best results if you can, refrigerate it overnight)

When ready to bake, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Using one strip of parchment paper, cut out 24 long thin strips (about the width of a pencil). Spray each muffin tin generously with cooking spray, then crisscross two strips of parchment paper in each muffin cup.

Cut the cold dough into 12 equal pieces, about 1-inch cubes, and, using your fingers, evenly press each piece into the bottom and up the sides of 12 mini muffin cups, making sure there are no holes. Refrigerate, uncovered for about 15-20 minutes.

Make the topping: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter, and using your fingers, mash it into the dry ingredients until the butter is no longer visible and small clumps begin to form. If your kitchen is warm, let the crumble chill in the refrigerator until needed.

Retrieve the muffin pan from the refrigerator, and add a tablespoon of filling into each dough cup, filling it about 3/4 of the way, stopping to stir the filling periodically to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Top each filled tassie with some of the crumble topping.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crumble and crust are golden brown.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely before using the parchment paper strips to lift out and remove the tassies from the pan.