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These apple hand pies taste just like a classic apple pie but are a portable & delicious dessert. Apple, cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg creates the perfect seasonal treat!
What is better than a traditional pie when the weather starts to get cold and apples are in season? Apple hand pies or mini apple pies, of course! My recipe for mini apple hand pies is easy to make, freeze well, and are perfect for a quick treat on the go, or to feed a large crowd at the holidays.
My mom is famous in our family for her traditional apple pie during apple season, and many times I’d come home to a slice of apple pie waiting for me. In our family, no holiday is complete with out her warm apple pie and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s one of my favorite fall desserts, but it is difficult to make a whole pie to eat by yourself because so much ends up going to waste.
Because of this, I modified her original recipe and created a delicious way to keep her tradition going by making personal sized apple pies with these hand pies. The best part is, you can use this hand pie recipe as a base for any filling. It’s a great way to use seasonal fruits – I’m thinking blueberry, stone fruits, strawberry, cherry hand pies, the list is endless!
Just like my recipe for homemade pop tarts – you can make these with homemade pie crust, but I like to make them with store-bought pie crust because it keeps the recipe quick and easy.
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These are the apple pie molds I used. They come in a set of 3 with an apple, acorn and pumpkin pie mold.
Table of Contents
Apple Hand Pie Ingredients
- Pie Crust- Pre packaged sheets of pie crust this can be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store usually near the butter.
- Apples- I like to use honey crisp but golden delicious or granny smith apples work well.
- Butter- Unsalted Butter.
- Spices- I like to use cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Sugar– Both white granulated sugar and light brown sugar.
- Flour– Thickening agent for the apple pie filling.
- Egg– A large egg for an egg wash to help seal the hand pie and helps the crust become golden brown.
How To Make Apple Pie Filling
- Grab a large pan and set it to medium heat. Add butter and let it melt. Then add apples, cinnamon, white sugar, brown sugar and mix.
- Add water and cook for about 5-10 minutes on medium heat. Apples should start to soften and liquid bubbling.
- Stir in flour and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Apple filling should start to thicken.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
How To Assemble Apple Hand Pies
Preheat oven to 400°F. On a bakers mat, parchment paper or a lightly floured surface unroll the pie dough. Using a pie mold or a circle cookie cutter, start cutting pieces and place them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. You will want to rotate your cookie cutter to get as many cuts as possible out of your pie crust. Knead remaining pie crust and using a rolling pin, roll it out to about 1/8 inch thick and cut the remaining circles.
On half the piece, place one tablespoon of apple pie filling in the center of each circle. In a small bowl beat an egg for your egg wash, and brush the inside edges of your hand pie before placing a crust cut out on top.
Seal the edges together with your finger and use a fork to press down to crimp the edges around the whole pie, and poke some holes into the top to release steam. Brush the tops of each hand pie with the egg wash.
Place the little hand pies on large baking sheets and bake at 400º F for 10-12 minutes before cooling on a wire rack.
You can freeze the remaining pies by first wrapping individually in plastic wrap, and placing in a freezer bag or airtight container.
Apple Hand Pies
How to make homemade hand pies with apple filling.
Ingredients
- 4 Apples Peeled, Cored and Chopped
- 2 Tablespoons of Butter
- 1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
- 1/3 Cup of Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of White Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons of Water
- 1 Tablespoon of Flour
- 2 Refrigerated Pre-made Pie Crusts (at room temperature)
- 1 Egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- In a medium heat skillet melt butter. Add apples, cinnamon, white sugar, brown sugar and mix.
- Add water and cook on medium heat for about 5-10 minutes. Apples should start to soften and liquid bubbling.
- Stir in flour and cook and addition 2-3 minutes. Apple filling should start to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- On a bakers mat, parchment paper or a counter with flour unroll the premade pie crust.
- Using a heart cookie cutter start cutting heart shaped pieces and place them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. You will want to rotate your cookie cutter to get as many cuts as possible out of your pie crust. Knead remaining pie crust and roll it out to about 1/8 inch thick and cut the remaining hearts.
- On half the hearts place one tablespoon of jam in the center of the heart. It does not need to be perfectly spread. It will even out when baking.
- In a small bowl beat an egg for your egg wash. Brush the inside edges of your hand pie.
- Place a heart cut out on top. Now seal the edges together with your finger. Then use a fork and press down to crimp the edges around the whole heart.
- Use the fork to poke some holes into the top of the hand pie to release steam. Brush the pies with the egg wash.
- Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes
- Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Want to make a different shape? Grab a different cookie cutter or make a traditional rectangle pop tart by using an index card and a pizza cutter.
More Apple Recipes
These are some of my favorite and most popular apple themed recipes
