Apple hand pies are little pockets of flaky dough bursting with apple pie filling – plus they are handheld and personal sized! We shape the little pies like apples for an adorable twist on the classic apple pie. These have a flaky, golden crust and are stuffed with a delicious apple filling. From being delicious to their apple shaped, these pies are all around irresistible.
The crust:
The first step to make the apple hand pies is the crust. The golden and flaky crust is what makes all the difference. We use a cream cheese crust which is similar to the dough used for rugelach and other baked goods. The cream cheese makes for a flaky dough that is not too dry. It is truly delicious on its own (especially when topped with cinnamon sugar).
The filling:
The filling in these pies is a caramel like sauce that coats the apples. The apples are cooked slightly before baking inside the pies to ensure a soft, delicious apple pie filling. We pile this filling on oatmeal or even by the spoonful – it is so tasty!
Cutting the pie dough into apples:
To assemble the pies to be shaped like apples, simply roll out the dough and cut it into apple shapes. If you do not have an apple cookie cutter, it is no problem! Simply trace an apple shape onto parchment paper. After it is traced, cut out the apple shape in the parchment paper. Lay the parchment apple onto the pie dough and use a knife to trace out apple shapes in the pie dough.
Assembling the apple hand pies:
To assemble the pies, place two pie dough apples side by side. Coat one side with egg wash and fill ~2 tablespoons of apple pie filling in the center. Place the second apple pie dough on top. Press together the edges with a fork and cut a small line on the side. Brush the entire top with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Apple Hand Pies
Ingredients
Apple Filling:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 large green apples peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Sprinkle of mace optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
Topping:
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar (equal parts cinnamon & sugar)
Crust:
- ¾ stick cold butter (6 tablespoons) cut into tablespoon pieces
- 4 ounces cold cream cheese cut into tablespoon pieces
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cream Cheese Crust
- Add the butter, cream cheese, flour, and salt into a food processor. Pulse the ingredients together until a ball forms. Dust the dough with flour, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour (up to 24 hours).
Apple Filling:
- Brown the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once it is golden and toasty, stir in the sugars, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Then stir in the peeled, cubbed apple pieces into the warm caramel mixture. Zest the lemon and cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes until the apples are softened. Set aside to cool.
Assembly:
- Roll dough out until 1/4” thick place and cut into 8 apple shapes or rectangles (~3-4 inches in length)
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of the apple mixture into the center of 4 pieces of the dough
- Make the egg wash by mixing together the milk and egg. Brush egg wash along the outside edge of the crust where there is no apple filling
- Place the 4 pieces without apple on top of the pieces with apple and egg wash. Seal them by pressing a fork along the outside edge of the pie so both pieces of crust stick together
- Brush egg wash across the entire top of the hand pie and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
- Cut a small slit or poke a few holes across the top of the pie
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes until golden
