One of my favorite fall activities is going to the pumpkin patch and the apple orchard. There is something about this that screams “welcome fall” to me!
And by “something” I totally mean the food.
From hot chili in a bread bowl to apple cider doughnuts, I love the food at these places. Unfortunately, we don’t go more than once or twice a season, so I’ve got to make these treats at home instead.
It’s a rough life, having to recreate my favorite desserts at home. I mean, the taste testing, the trial and error. Kidding. The perks of my job are pretty amazing.
However, after making a batch of these Apple Hand Pies, I realized why it’s probably a good thing to only have these once or twice a season. Or at least my waist has good reasons. I could eat this entire batch by myself.
For today’s recipe I used my favorite Crunch Pak Apple slices. I like to buy the organic slices from Costco. The individual bags are a little bigger, so my kids consume one with every lunch! However, I grabbed two of those bags for these hand pies! It equates to about 24-30 slices (or two large apples).
To make this I cheated and used refrigerated pie crust. I find that the flavor is great and the convenience is even better. However, if you prefer to make your own pie crust from scratch, you can use my favorite (EASY) pie crust recipe! You’ll need to make TWO. Or, use both pie crusts from the box, haha!!
This recipe comes together fairly quickly if using the refrigerated pie crust. While that is coming to room temperature on the counter, peel and dice your Crunch Pak apple slices (unless you’re lucky enough to find their peeled apple slices in the store, yes they exist)! You’re going to toss those in a skillet with some melted butter, salt, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. On medium heat, while stirring, cook them until soft, about 5-10 minutes. I diced mine fairly small (thumbnail size) so they only took about 5 minutes (you don’t want them mushy). Sprinkle in your flour and heat an additional minute while the mixture thickens as you stir. Set aside.
I used a 4 inch circle biscuit cutter to get my hand pies perfect. Each pie crust gave me 5, and then I took the scraps and rolled them out to get 1-2 more. This gave me a total of 12-14 hand pies!
To scoop an even amount of filling into each crust, I used a 1 TBSP cookie scoop to drop the perfect dollop. You’ll need to fold the dough in half around the filling and really PINCH those edges tight. I then folded the edges over and twisted a little. But you can fold them over and use fork tongs to pinch again. Before heading into the oven, make sure you prick them on top with a fork, once or twice so they don’t explode.
I originally had planned on frying them up, but since my kitchen was clean, I didn’t feel like having grease splatter (#foodbloggerproblems). So I baked them. And I’m so glad I did. They still had a delicious flaky texture, without all the fat.
Once they’ve baked up (making sure you used parchment paper to keep them from sticking), drop each warm hand pie into your glaze. Place it back onto the parchment paper and allow to set up. Takes about 10-15 minutes for the glaze to harden. Enjoy these warm or cold!
Be sure to stop on over to Crunch Pak for some delicious recipes and ideas!
Apple Hand Pies
yield: 12-14 HAND PIES
prep time: 10 MINUTES, PLUS 10 MINUTES FOR GLAZE
cook time: 15-20 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE HAND PIES:
- 1 box (14.1 oz) refrigerated pie crust (for two pies)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cup diced and peeled Crunch Pak apples (about 24-30 slices or 2 large apples)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 egg white, beaten
FOR THE GLAZE:
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk
DIRECTIONS:
- Remove pie crusts from package and allow to come to room temperature while you prepare filling. Preheat oven to 425F.
- Dice and peel Crunch Pak apple slices. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Add apples, salt, nutmeg, brown sugar and cinnamon. Heat for about 5-10 minutes, until apples are soft, stirring occasionally.
- While apples are heating, unroll pie crusts and cut 6-7 circles from each crust (using a 4 inch biscuit cutter). You may have to roll scraps to get the extra circles. Set aside.
- After apples have softened, sprinkle in flour. Heat for an additional minute, stirring thoroughly.
- Using a 1 Tbsp scoop, drop apple mixture into center of each pie crust circle. Fold in half and pinch edges COMPLETELY. Fold pinch edges over. Poke hand pie with tines of a fork to prevent bursting.
- Beat egg white in a small bowl. Brush over the tops of each pie. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.
- While pies are baking, whisk together the glaze ingredients. Remove cooked pies from baking sheet and drop in glaze, coating it completely. Return to parchment paper and allow to set, about 10 minutes. Enjoy warm or cold.