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Autumn Apple Hand Pies (With Vegan Option!)

Apple anything is always on my list of favorites and these apple hand pies are a must have for the autumn season. I love apple pie, but I think I might love these even more because they remind me of the little hand pies that I used to get at the convenience store when I was a kid. 

I think my husband and I ate these in approximately 2 days. It would have been less, but I had him ration them so we didn’t make ourselves sick. It’s so easy to just pop one in your mouth, then eat another and another and another…and then you lose count and have eaten all of them. 

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apple hand pies

These are definitely a great snack for kiddies after they come home from school or if you want some finger food on the table when you have friends over. The filling is just like apple pie and the flaky buttery crust on the outside is the perfect complement. 

Time to Make Some Apple Hand Pies!

Make the Shortcrust Pastry

This is a basic shortcrust pastry which I use pretty much whenever I need a crust for a pie. It always comes out flakey and buttery and perfect! You just have to really be careful that you don’t over knead it or overwork it, otherwise it will become tough.

First you need to put your flour in a large bowl and put in half the cubed butter. With your hands, smush the butter into flakes. Make sure you smush all the cubes into the flour.

Then you’re going to do round 2 with the rest of the butter. Same thing, just smush into flakes in the flour. You don’t want to fully incorporate it because then the resulting pastry won’t have flaky layers. 

The final step is to add a little bit of the ice water at a time, and without handling the pastry too much, smush into a ball. You want to add just enough water so it all sticks together, but you don’t want the dough to feel wet. 

Then split your pastry into two flattened discs and wrap in siran wrap. You need to refrigerate then for at least 20 minutes. While the dough is in the fridge, you can work on the filling. 

apple hand pies

Apple Hand Pie Filling

The filling is really quite simple. So first, gather your ingredients:

  • Apples
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Lemon Juice

You should dice the apples into small pieces. They need to be small enough to fit into the pocket of the hand pie. After you chop the apples, you just have to throw all the ingredients into a large saucepan on the stove, on medium heat. Just mix it all until the filling starts to thicken and feel sticky. 

Then take off the heat and let cool while you start prepping your crust. 

apple hand pies

Assemble and Bake

Assembling is the funnest part to me, seeing the apple hand pies come together. I love it!

So to prep, you should have your oven preheating, a baking sheet ready with parchment paper, a small knife and fork to cut the slit in the top and crimp the edges, egg wash and brush and some sugar to sprinkle on top. Let’s do this!

Start by rolling out one disc of pastry dough on a lightly floured surface. You want the pastry to be between 1/4″ and 1/8″ inch thick. Then using a bowl or cookie cutter with about a 4″ inch diameter, cut out circles. You should be able to get about a dozen from the pastry dough. 

Next move each circle onto the baking sheet, then put a rounded tablespoon of filling slightly off center. You want to leave about a 1/2″ of pastry on the outside of the circle (this is where you crimp). Then brush the outside edge with egg wash and fold the pastry in half over the filling to form a half circle.

Crimp the edges together with a fork, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with some sugar. Then with a small paring knife, cut a couple of slits into the top so the steam can release while cooking. 

Once you finish assembling all your apple hand pies, they bake in the oven until they’re golden brown. I usually fit 6 to 7 on a baking sheet. You don’t want to crowd them.

apple hand pies

After they’re all baked, I would let them cool for a few minutes before digging in. You can eat them hot or cold. Store them in the refrigerator if you don’t eat them right away (highly unlikely), because there is butter in the crust. 

These are a continual favorite in my house and I’m sure they will be in yours too! 

Happy Baking!

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Apple Hand Pies

With Love, Melissa
They're like little delicious individual apple pies! A perfect addition to your fall recipes. There's a vegan option too!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Hand Pies

Ingredients
  

  • Granulated Sugar (to sprinkle on top)
  • 1 Egg (for egg wash)**

Shortcrust Pastry

  • Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • ½ Tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup Dairy Free Butter, diced
  • ½ Cup Ice Water

Apple Filling

  • 4 Cups Apples, diced small
  • ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Tsp Arrowroot Powder
  • ½ Tsp Cinnamon
  • ½ Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 3 Tsp Butter

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt for the shortcrust pastry. Add in half the cubed butter and smush into the flour using your hands. Then add in the other half of butter and smush into flakes in the flour. Make sure to leave flakes of butter.
  • Add in the ice water a little at a time and compact until it starts to stick into a ball. Don't overwork it. Separate the pastry into two discs and wrap in siran wrap. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
  • In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the apple filling and mix together on medium-low heat. Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until the filling starts to thicken and get sticky. Take off heat and set aside.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out first disc of pastry until its ½" to ¼" inch thick. Using a 4" bowl or cookie butter, cut out circles from the pastry. Place the circles onto a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix egg and a tablespoon of water in a small bowl for egg wash. Add a rounded tablespoon of filling onto the middle of each circle. Brush the outside rim of a filed circle with egg wash, then fold in half over the filling. Use a fork to crimp the edges shut. Brush the outside with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Then using a small knife, cut a few slits into the top.
  • Do this with all your pastry and filling until you run out. You should get about a dozen. Place 6 hand pies on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Enjoy!

Notes

**Vegan Option: Use melted dairy free butter, a couple of tablespoons as an "egg wash" instead. 
Keyword Apple, Dairy-Free, Hand Pie, Pie

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This Post Has 14 Comments

  1. Claudio

    5 stars
    These are ADDICTING! Please make some more ASAP! Also what’s the difference between this crust and the Danish crust again?

    1. Sweet Melissa

      I totally will make more! Danish crust is laminated with a lot of buttery layers almost like croissants or puff pastry. The crust for these hand pies is shortcrust pastry, which is what is normally used for pie crust. Not exactly flaky like croissants or danishes, but still buttery and delicious!

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