Mini Mason Jar Apple Pie Kugel

I just noticed that you can see my reflection in the spoons in every single photo here.

So that’s the first thing I have to say.

The second thing I have to say is, LOOK at these mini apple pie KUGELS!!!!!!!!! They’re a total dream and I will never be over them.

But! Before we getting into the whole miniature kugels thing, let’s talk about bigger, normal-sized kugel. Because that’s really where this whole adventure began.

Growing up, I was lucky to get my first (and second, and eighty-fourth) taste of this dish at my grandma’s house in Pennsylvania. She had the most amazing noodle kugel recipe, and it was practically guaranteed that we’d eat the stuff at any family gathering at which she was present.

But if you’re totally unfamiliar, all you really need to know is that kugel is a traditional Ashkenazi baked casserole side (or dessert) often served on Shabbat and on holidays like Rosh Hashanah and…basically at any Jewish gathering. It’s an all-purpose dish: There are savory varieties and sweet varieties, and you can eat it warm or room temperature / cold, though I personally prefer the latter and have mostly seen it served that way.

This year, I thought it would be fun to give the classic recipe a makeover. So I added apples, shrunk it down, and threw on these little pie crust tops just for cuteness’ sake.

The result: The sweetest mini dessert. My favorite part of the whole thing is that you don’t miss out on the experience of making, you know, actual kugel. Instead of baking these in the individual Mason jars you see here, you first whip up a larger batch of kugel in a casserole dish, and then dole it out from there. The pie crusts are baked separately as well. So you can actually enjoy both the regular kugel and the Mason jar kugels, because odds are you won’t use up the entire batch in these jars. Win-win!!

Anyway, I think this is such a fun riff on a classic, and I hope it makes you as happy as it made me. Tutorial below!

Mason Jar Apple Pie Kugel

Makes ~25 mini “pies,” but you can also just make a few of the “pies” and reserve the rest of the kugel to eat in the traditional style or as leftovers. The basic elements of this kugel recipe are inspired by Tori Avey.

• 12 ounces wide egg noodles
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups sour cream (1 pound)
• 1 cup cottage cheese (8 ounces)
• 1 cup cream cheese, softened (8 ounces)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 5 crisp apples, peeled and sliced into small, square-ish chunks (Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, are all good varieties to try, but any apple works!)
• Cinnamon-sugar mixture, for dusting (about 1/4 cup)
• Nonstick cooking oil spray
• 4-oz. Mason jars or jelly jars (for as many people as you’ll be serving)
• 1 package store-bought pie crusts, dethawed (2 circles of dough total)
• Aluminum foil

1. Preheat your oven 350°F. Line a standard-sized cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles; cook about 5 minutes. Drain and return the cooked noodles to the pot.
3. Using a food processor, blender, or hand mixer, blend the eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar, butter, salt, and spices together.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the pot with the cooked noodles; stir to combine. Gently fold in the apple pieces.
5. Spray a 9″x13″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then fill with the noodle mixture and top by sprinkling with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
6. Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating the pan (180 degrees) halfway through cooking. While the kugel is baking, prep the pie crusts. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the dough, then use the lid of one of the small jars to cut out circles. Place each circle onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, then use the tines of a fork to “crimp” the edges of each one. Then, use a paring knife to create the tell-tale pie “slits” in the middle of each crust (you may have to wiggle the knife back and forth slightly to make sure the slits are large enough to be visible).
   Place a very small, balled-up wad of aluminum foil between the center of each crust and the parchment paper on the baking sheet to elevate the center of the pie crust ever so slightly, keep it from looking too “flat,” and mimic the look of a larger pie. Refrigerate the crusts on the baking sheet until you’re ready to bake them; this helps them maintain their shape in the oven.
7. When the edges of the noodles are golden brown and the center of the kugel has set, remove from the oven. Let cool and rest at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bake the pie crusts 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. To Assemble: Spoon portions of kugel into each of the Mason jars; it’s a good idea to keep the golden “noodle” tops at the top of each jar so that your guests are visually clued into the fact that this is, in fact, kugel. Serve individually with spoons. Eat and share!