Apple Hand Pies

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These apple hand pies are made with a tender cinnamon apple filling tucked inside flaky pie crust and finished with a simple vanilla glaze. The apples are cooked first so they soften properly and the filling stays thick instead of making the crust soggy.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Cooling Time10

Total Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: hand pies

Author: kara

Ingredients

For the Apple Filling

2 small Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and diced
1 medium Honeycrisp apple peeled, cored, and diced
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 Pinch kosher salt

For the Hand Pies

4 refrigerated pie crust rounds
1 large egg beaten

For the Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add the diced Granny Smith apples, Honeycrisp apple, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and kosher salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples have softened slightly but still hold their shape.
Remove the apple filling from the heat and let it cool.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Unroll the pie crusts and cut out circles about 4-5 inches in diameter using a round cutter or the rim of a glass.
Place a spoonful of cooled apple filling in the center of half of the dough circles, leaving a clean border around the edges.
Top each filled circle with a second dough circle. Press the edges together, then crimp firmly with a fork to seal.
Brush the tops of the hand pies with the beaten egg. Cut two small slits in the top of each pie to allow steam to escape.
Place the hand pies on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk, and vanilla extract. Add more milk as needed until the glaze reaches a thick drizzling consistency.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled hand pies and let it set for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Dice the apples fairly small, about ¼ inch, so they fit easily inside the hand pies and soften evenly.
Let the apple filling cool before assembling the pies. Warm filling can soften the pie dough and make it harder to seal.
Do not overfill the pies. Leave enough clean dough around the edges to press and crimp them closed.
Start the glaze with 1 tablespoon of milk, then add more only as needed until it reaches a thick drizzling consistency.
Store cooled hand pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition