Apple Hand Pies
These Apple Hand Pies feature a sweet apple pie filling inside a buttery, flaky pie crust. So easy to make and perfect for fall!
Aside from cake recipes, some of the most requested recipes I get from readers are for pies. I can’t say I blame you all either. I mean, what’s not to love about a flaky pie crust with a delicious filling tucked inside?
I plan to post more pie recipes closer to Thanksgiving, but I couldn’t wait to share these adorable apple hand pies with you. While I love regular pie, I also love mini pies and hand pies because you can easily pick them up and they take a lot less time to bake!
Another thing that I love about these hand pies is that you can get as creative as you want with them. You can cut them large and fold the pie crust to make them look more like a turnover or use different cookie cutters to shape them however you like.
To make these hand pies, you’ll start by rolling out your pie crusts. If you want to make these pies a little easier, then you can use store-bought pie crusts. If you want to stick with homemade pie crusts, I have a full tutorial here showing you how to make your own. Super easy too!
Then, you’ll cut out your circles for the hand pies. I used a 3.5-inch cutter for these hand pies and I don’t suggest using one much smaller. If you want to shape your hand pies more like a turnover, then you can use a larger cutter and just adjust the baking time slightly if needed.
Once your circles are cut out, refrigerate them while you make the filling which is just a simple mixture of chopped apples, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and some spices. You can use any kind of apples that you prefer for the filling, I really love to use a mix of Granny Smith and either Honeycrisp or Gala apples.
Then, spoon the filling on top of half of your pie crust circles. You’ll only need about 2-3 tablespoons of filling per circle, just make sure to evenly distribute the filling the best that you can. You also want to leave some room at the edges so you can place the other pie crust circles on top and crimp the edges together.
I love to add a little bit of butter to fruit pies, so I added some to these as well. The butter makes the filling a little richer, but I’ve tried these pies without it too and they taste just fine. I just cube about one tablespoon of butter into small pieces and add 1-2 pieces on top of the filling on each pie.
Once you’ve added the filling, top each pie with the other half of the remaining pie crust circles and crimp the edges with a fork. If you want to make the pie crusts stick together a little better, you can dampen the edges of the circles with a little water or your egg wash.
The egg wash is just a simple mixture of one egg and some milk that you’ll brush on top of the pies. The egg wash helps the pie crust get that pretty golden color on top. You can also top your pies with some coarse sugar or leave them plain.
I suggest cutting a few slits in the pies too before you pop them in the oven. I just did a little cross pattern, but you could even use small cookie cutters to cut out tiny designs.
Once the pies are ready, just bake them until they’re golden brown and you can see the filling bubbling inside. You can either serve these while they’re warm or store them for a day or two until you’re ready to serve them.
Baking Tips For Apple Hand Pies
- You can use any kind of apple that you prefer for this recipe. I love to use a mix of two different apples and usually use Granny Smith, Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Gala apples.
- Make sure to peel and core your apples before chopping them. It’s also best to chop the apple into uniform size pieces so the filling bakes evenly.
- Feel free to use a different cookie cutter or larger cutter for these hand pies, just adjust the baking time slightly if needed.
- I topped these hand pies with a little bit of coarse sugar, but you could top these with a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk or some homemade salted caramel sauce.
Apple Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts homemade or store-bought
- 2 cups (240 grams) chopped apples
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (15 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 -1 teaspoon ground cinnamon adjust to your personal preference
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) milk
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) butter cubed into small pieces, optional
- coarse sugar for sprinkling on top optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 1-2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie crusts to about 1/8-inch thick. Using a 3.5-inch cookie cutter (or cup) cut out as many circles from the pie crusts as you can, reroll any scrap pieces of dough as needed. You should get about 18-20 circles. Place the cut-out pie crust circles on the baking sheets and transfer to the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.
- Combine the chopped apples, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg in a mixing bowl until fully combined and all of the apples are coated with the mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk until well combined. Set aside.
- Remove the pie crust circles from the refrigerator and evenly distribute the apple pie filling between half of them. Make sure to leave some room at the edges. Place 1-2 pieces of the cubed butter on top of the filling on each pie.
- Place the other half of the pie crust circles on top (use some water or the egg wash to dampen the edges and help seal them together if needed) then crimp the edges with a fork.
- Brush the top of each pie with the egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired, then cut 2-3 slits in the top of each pie.
- Bake at 400°F for 18-22 minutes or until the pies are golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
More apple recipes to try!
Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes & Donuts
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