Apple Hand Pies
Apple Hand Pies. You hold ‘em in your hand. No plate or utensil required. They’re stuffed with a cinnamon-y sweet apple compote. The dough is so flaky you’ll be sure to shed some crumbs (flaky is good). If you look at them close enough you’ll see a smile matching the reflection in the mirror. There’s adequate crust for every last bite. And a tinge of crunch from the coarse sugar on top. Oh, how I love apple hand pies.
When you insist on making everything from scratch, you need some room for simplicity. I wrote a post about this a couple months ago. My version of “simplicity” is keeping a few good recipes on hand (no pun intended) and dressing them in as many different ways as possible. Much like my wardrobe. Take apple hand pies for example. I haven’t reinvented the wheel. I use the same pie crust recipe for every pie, including hand pies. I love the recipe so much there’s no need for another. (P.S.—I’m an all butter pie crust girl. And so is she.) The apple filling recipe has been recycled a couple times over too. As seen here with another sighting scheduled later this week. Oh, how I love simplicity. Almost as much as apple hand pies.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pie Crust. Place flour, sugar, and salt in bowl. Whisk together.
- Dice butter and place into flour mixture. Using a pastry knife, cut butter into flour until it resembles coarse meal.
- Using a pastry fork add 1/2 cup of the ice cold water into mixture and combine. Continue adding water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough just comes together. You may not need the full cup of water.
- Gather dough together. Cut in half, wrap disks in plastic wrap, and place in fridge for 30 minutes to chill. Warm dough is not your friend.
- Apple Filling. Peel, core, and dice apples. Add the rest of ingredients. Stir and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375°. Roll dough out on a well floured surface (about 1/8? thick). Using a 4 1/4? biscuit cutter, cut 16 circles out of the dough. Place the dough on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.
- Spoon a small amount of the apple mixture into the center of the dough (about one heaping tablespoon), leaving a 3/4? clearing space around the edge. Lightly paint egg wash around half of the circle. Fold dough over, pressing to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edges. Cut a tiny slit in the top of the dough to allow for breathing while baking. Lightly paint with egg wash. Sprinkle with turbinado. Repeat.
- Bake for 20-25 or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving. Flavor is best served same day.
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
Simplicity is most definitely the key to a great recipe. I love how pretty these are and I swoon over anything mini-sized.
These remind me of those Hostess hand pies my Mom would buy me and my sisters when we were little! I have to make these! Beautiful job Melissa!
These look fabulous! Pie dough is still daunting for me
Check out Smitten Kitchen’s Pie Crust 102. I make my crust the same way—by hand with no food processor. I think it makes all the difference! Maybe I’ll do a pie crust video one of these days.
I much prefer an all-butter pie crust. These sound awesome. Built-in portion control, right? I would probably end up eating too many any way. They are beautiful!
I thought the same thing! But we ate way too many. Oops
Amazingly beautiful! This would go so well with my morning coffee…can you send one over?
Wish email technology would let me send the dang apple pies. Maybe next year?!
I totally agree with you about using the same recipes over and over, and for different applications. It’s comforting, and if it’s yummy, then why change it?
These are gorgeous! I have always wanted to make hand pies too…. yum!
Loving your photos, Melissa! And, I’m a BIG fan of anything in a pie crust! Yum.
[...] [Curtains close] Thanks for sticking out the apple extravaganza with me. Here’s a quick recap incase you missed it—Apple Coffee Cake, Applesauce, Apple Hand Pies. [...]
[...] get in the spirit of fall, I attempted to make a recipe i found for Apple Hand Pies. Typically my attempts to bake something new ends up with something going wrong…usually its [...]
There is nothing that says Fall like a nice warm apple pie. I have found a great way to make this all time favorite even better. Personal peices of pie:) All you do is make your pie as normal but instead of it getting put into a pan to bake you simply put the shell and stuffing into a cupcake pan. Only 6 are allowed at a time for spill over. This way there is no cutting and everyone gets just the right size/hand held peice of apple pie:)
oh…WOW! I love ANYTHING apple and this recipe i MUST try!
Thank you for your post, I was sad that my family was not able to make it to the apple orchard this year. Instead I ended up buying one of the bags and using that to do some baking. This years apple treat was apple /oatmeal cookies..I think they would have done better if I put in some walnuts though. Either way they were a good treat to add to the pile of recipies:)
Apple/oatmeal cookies sound delish!
Are the apple measurements in pounds or cups (peeled and sliced)?
Hey Victoria! They are actually measured in whole apples. It’s not super precise. And they are peeled and sliced. Hope this helps!
I just made something similar at a “Gluten Free” baking party and we used a gluten free cream cheese pie crust and put some raspberries in with the apples! Oh, my goodness does that add a new note to the apples! You should try it!
[...] Apple Hand Pies (recipe from The Faux Martha) [...]
Wow they are like little pasty pies.
Awesome.
[...] didn’t really make any substantial changes to this great recipe. I used all Granny Smith and added two tablespoons of brown butter to the apple mixture. Because [...]
[...] Here in Chumlaki it’s mid-November, and fall is in full swing. Last week, I was craving the apple hand pies my family in America would make during the apple harvesting season, so I decided to try to create them in Georgia. I would love to say that I made this recipe, but the foundation came fromThe Faux Martha blog. [...]