Mini Apple Hand Pies With Pie Crust Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Mini apple hand pies are a cinch to make. Even if you don’t consider yourself a “baker”, with the easy tips below, you'll be able to pull them off. They look good, taste great, and you can even make them in batches and freeze ‘em for later.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time28 minutesmins
Cooling Time20 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr8 minutesmins
Course: Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple hand pie recipe, apple hand pies, apple pie hand pies, hand held apple pies, Hand pies with pie crust, Mini apple turnovers, Socially distant desserts
3largeGranny Smith apples peeled, cored, sliced into 1” wedges
1tsplemon juicefresh
¼tspsalt
¼cupwhite sugar
2tbspbrown sugar
1 ¼tspcinnamonground
1egg
2tspmilk
Instructions
Shape pie crust dough into mini hand pie circles. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust a large cutting board with a pinch of flour. To make the hand pie circles, use a 4” round cutter, or use a drinking glass. Spread the pie crust on the lightly floured work surface. You can use a rolling pin, if desired, to flatten out any creases in the dough and make the dough a little thinner, about ¼” thick. Lightly flour the circle cutter, and create as many circles as possible from the dough. To make the most hand pies possible, use all dough by forming leftover scraps into a ball and rolling it out to the same thickness as the other mini pie rounds. Lay the mini pie crust rounds on the parchment paper lined baking sheets, and pop them in the fridge for ~10 minutes to chill while making the apple pie filling.
Cook apples and add pie flavors. Add butter to a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once butter starts to brown, turn the stove down to medium. Add apples, lemon juice, salt, white and brown sugar. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until apples are softened. Add cinnamon and stir for about 1 minute until apples become sticky. Remove the pan from the heat so the apples stop cooking. Cool apple filling for ~10 minutes. To cool apples faster, transfer them to a flat surface like a baking sheet. Working with hot apples (instead of room temperature apples) will melt the dough, making it difficult to form beautiful mini hand pies.
Assemble mini apple hand pies with pie crust. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush the outer ½” edge of the pie dough rounds with egg wash. Add about 3 apple wedges to the center of the hand pies. Fold over the dough rounds to make a half moon. Use your fingers to push together the egg washed edges of the dough to seal them. Use a fork to squish down the edges for beauty and to make a strong seal. Though, if some of the apple corners poke out, it’s okay. Repeat for all mini apple pies. Use a sharp knife to make a 1” cross in the center of each pie, to release the steam while baking. Brush the tops of each hand pie with egg wash.
Bake mini apple pies. Bake mini apple pies in the oven until the outside is golden brown, about 22-28 minutes. Cool for 20 - 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
For the classic sweet-but-tart apple pie taste, use Granny Smith apples.
No milk? Make the egg wash without milk by using water in its place.
To make a freezer stash, freeze mini pies assembled, but not baked.
To bake frozen mini apple pies, brush them with an egg wash and bake at 400 for 28-30 minutes until golden brown.
Serving suggestions: add a homemade salted caramel drizzle or serve them in small bowls with a scoop of vanilla bean or pumpkin ice cream.
For a variation on this dessert, swap out cherry pie filling for the apples.