Apple Hand Pies
Several weeks of apple desserts and several dozen additional apples eaten and we still have loads of apples. Last Sunday I was determined to make a dent in the final bowl of apples. I was craving piecrust but I was looking for something that would be individual and easy to grab and go. Enter the hand pie. These hand pies are like flaky handheld bits of heaven. More importantly, they are my new favorite way to enjoy the last of this Fall’s apple haul. It’s like getting all the benefits of pie without as much fuss.
You could go ahead and add a frosting to these guys if you’re feeling fancy. I like the simplicity of just an egg wash and a little raw sugar. To get the perfect circles I used a cereal bowl.
Crust
1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ tablespoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks of butter, cut into ½ inch cubes, frozen
½ cup ice cold water
Filling
1 lb apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Toppings
1 egg white
2 tablespoons water
¼ cup raw sugar
For the crust, place all of your dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Add in the frozen butter and ¼ cup of the ice cold water. Pulse the dough several times until it begins to combine and stick together. If it looks dry add more cold water, a tablespoon at a time. Once the dough begins to come together, remove it from the food processor and mold it into a thick, flat disc; wrap tightly in Saran wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This dough can be premade and stored sdcZin the fridge for up to 2 days.
While the crust chills, peel and chop the apples. Combine the chopped apples with the spices, sugar and cornstarch.
To form the hand pies, roll out the dough on a well-floured surface until it is approximately ¼ inch thick. Using bowl with about a 6-inch diameter, cut out 6-7 circles of dough. You will need to cut a few circles and then re-roll your dough 2-3 times to do this. You should not have much dough left at the end.
Once you have your dough circles, begin scooping apple filling into ½ of each circle. Each pie can hold roughly 2 heaping tablespoons of filling. You do not want to over fill! After you have placed the filling, fold over the other side of the dough, creating a half circle. Carefully crimp the edges together to create a seal to keep the apple filling inside. Place all of the hand pies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
For the top of the hand pies, whisk together 1 egg white and 2 tablespoons of water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the egg wash on each hand pie. Make sure to get all of the edges. While the egg wash is still wet, sprinkle raw sugar on each hand pie.
Bake the hand pies at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on the pies for the last 10 minutes of baking time, as they will begin to brown quickly!