Apple Hand Pies
Servings 4 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