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–+ servings
Apple hand pies with a caramel drizzle on a white platter, next to a spoon of caramel sauce

Apple Hand Pies

Buttery, flaky apple hand pies filled with a spiced cinnamon apple filling and baked until golden. Easy individual pies, perfect with a drizzle of caramel.
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Chilling time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Choose Serving Size 12 hand pies

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • Rolling Pin
  • Round cutter or glass
  • Baking sheets
  • Parchment paper
  • Pastry brush

Ingredients 

For the dough

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 315 g
  • 1 tsp salt fine
  • ⅞ cup butter 1 3/4 sticks or 200 g, cold and cubed
  • ½ cup water cold

For the filling

  • 3 apples firm baking apples, peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 1 tsp orange zest finely grated
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp cinnamon ground
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg ground
  • ¼ tsp allspice ground

For the egg wash

  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp milk

For topping

  • 1 tbsp sugar for sprinkling
  • caramel sauce for drizzling, optional

Instructions

  • Add the flour, salt and cold cubed butter to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like small crumbs. Add the cold water and pulse in short bursts just until the dough comes together.
  • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, shape it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for 2 to 3 hours.
  • Meanwhile, make the filling. In a pan over medium heat, add the apples, orange zest, sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Cook, stirring, until the butter melts, then 2 to 3 minutes more, until the juices turn syrupy and start to caramelize.
  • Transfer the filling to a bowl and let it cool completely, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Using a glass or round cutter, cut circles about 3 inches (8 cm) across. Reroll the scraps once; you need 20 to 24 circles.
  • Place half the circles on the baking sheets. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of each, leaving a clean border. Brush the border with a little egg wash, top with the remaining circles and seal the edges by pressing with a fork.
  • Cut two small slits in the top of each pie. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with a little sugar.
  • Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes (the filling is very hot), then drizzle with caramel sauce and serve.

Notes

The dough is easiest to handle cold, so roll out half at a time and keep the rest in the fridge. Use firm baking apples so the filling stays chunky, and let it cool completely before filling the pies. To freeze, freeze the shaped, unbaked pies on the tray, then bag them for up to 2 months; brush with egg wash and bake from frozen, adding 5 to 10 minutes.