Apple Hand Pies
Individual baked hand pies made with homemade buttery pie crust, apple pie filling and a coating of sparkling sugar.
Servings: 12 hand pies
Equipment
Ingredients
Hand Pie Crust
- 1 double Homemade All Butter Pie Dough
Apple Pie Filling
- 400 grams granny smith of pink lady apples peeled, cored, and cut into small cubes (brunoise)
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 28 grams unsalted butter
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg beaten with a fork
- 1 tsp heavy cream
Syrup Glaze
- 25 grams water
- 30 grams granulated sugar
Topping
- sparkling sugar or coarse sugar
Instructions
Hand Pie Crust
- Make a double crust batch of homemade pie dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour before rolling out.1 double Homemade All Butter Pie Dough
Apple Pie Filling
- Combine apple chunks, spices, water, sugar, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Stir to evenly coat the apples.400 grams granny smith of pink lady apples, 1 Tbsp water, 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground allspice, 50 grams granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- Cover the apples with a cartouche. Just like lining the bottom of a cake pan, cut a circle of parchment paper to fit inside the saucepan, with a hole in the center to release steam. This will trap enough steam to soften the apples without them drying out.
- Cook the apples on medium heat for 10-12 minutes until softened. Lift the cartouche halfway and give the apple a good stir.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Transfer filling to a separate container to cool. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.28 grams unsalted butter
Make Apple Hand Pies
- Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃) no fan. Line a baking tray with two layers of parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness. Cut out 4.5 x 3-inch inch ovals with a cookie cutter. You can also cut 4.5-inch circles with a round cutter. You will need a top and bottom oval for each hand pie.
- If at anytime the dough becomes too soft to handle, pop it back in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Place one oval on the prepared baking sheet. Scoop 1.5 Tbsp of the cooled apple pie filling into the center of the oval. Paint a thin coating of egg wash around the filling towards th edges of the dough.1 large egg, 1 tsp heavy cream
- Take a separate oval piece of dough and gently stretch it slightly to widen it. Cover the apple pie filling and press the edges down onto the bottom piece of dough sealing the two together. Use your fingertips and try to keep the filling in the center.
- Take small sharp knife and cut a slit in the center of the top of the hand pie to let steam escape while baking. Paint the top of the hand pie with a coating of egg wash. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
- Place the filled pies in the fridge for 10 minutes of freezer for 10 minutes to firm before baking. When the butter is cold the dough will hold its shape better while baking. Option to ass a second coating of egg wash for a darker crust.
- Place the tray on the middle oven rack and bake for 25-28 minutes until the pies are golden brown on top.
Syrup Glaze
- Stir the sugar and water together in a small saucepan on medium heat. Cook until just starting to simmer and sugar has dissolved.25 grams water, 30 grams granulated sugar
- Transfer the baking tray to wire cooling rack. Paint a thin coating of sugar syrup across the top of the warm pies. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar.sparkling sugar or coarse sugar
- Let the pies cool for 10-15 minutes before serving warm.
Notes
Pie Dough: Temperature is important when working with pie dough. It should be cool but not firm when rolling out. It can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge.