Happy autumn everyone!
Autumn is without a doubt my favorite season. There's nothing I love more than the cool autumn air, a nice cozy sweater, a hot cup of coffee, and watching the leaves turn into the most beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. With the changing of the leaves comes a change in seasonal produce and the ushering in of fall flavors. Pumpkin spice makes its awaited return and we welcome all the squash back onto our weekly menus. And although they can pretty much be found all year round, I always look forward to apples in the fall. I assume that’s probably because apples in the fall means cider, donuts, and the queen of fall desserts— the apple pie.
This recipe is an ode to my favorite fall dessert. It’s all the elements of a perfect apple pie— buttery, flaky crust and jammy apple filling—but individually sized, perfect for sharing, and quite addicting. It’s hard to not just grab one and eat it right over the sheet pan (they are called hand pies after all), but they’re even more scrumptious à la mode.
I can’t lie. These hand pies do require a few different steps, but I promise it’s worth it! I’ll skip the anecdote today because I know this post is probably going to be a long one. Follow along with me for tips and tricks as I make these hand pies step by step or skip to the bottom for the abridged version.
P.S. I’ve never actually addressed it, but here seems like a good opportunity. It’s so important to me that the people who decide to give my recipes a try have all the resources they need to be successful. That’s why I take the time in my posts to go through the recipe step by step. If you’ve been reading my posts, you already might have noticed that I give tips and provide as many pictures as I can along the way for reference. I want my recipes to be an easy, stress-free experience. Baking should be fun after all! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have a question. My DMs are always open!
Some notes before beginning —
The dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. Once the dough is made, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
The recipe for the dough is given in both weight and volume measurements. If you have a scale, I recommend weighing out the ingredients for the most accuracy.
The filling can be made a day in advance. Store the filling in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it.
The sweetness of the filling is totally dependent on your preference. Because the tartness of apples varies between each individual apple (even of the same variety), the amount of sugar and lemon juice may need to be adjusted. If your apples are particularly tart, you might want to consider completely omitting the lemon juice. If you want the brightness of the lemon and your apples are really tart, you may need to add more sugar to balance everything out. Once the filling is made and while it’s still warm, you can adjust the filling to your taste. The beauty of apple pie filling is that it’s so customizable to your preference.
Begin by prepping the pie dough. I love making an all-butter, slightly salty, flaky pie dough for all my pies, but if you have a holy-grail pie dough recipe, feel free to use that instead.
It’s important that the butter and water, but especially the butter, stay as cold as possible. Cold bits of butter throughout the dough help to create a flaky pie crust. When the cold butter hits the hot oven, any water in the butter turns to steam. This steam then creates pockets of air in the dough. In this case, those air pockets are what make the pie dough flaky.
I always make sure to use the coldest water and butter possible. I pour a bit of water into a cup, add a few ice cubes, and then keep it in the fridge to stay cold. I then measure the water I need from the chilled water when I’m ready for it. I cube and add my butter straight from the fridge. If your kitchen/home is on the warmer side and you’re worried that the butter won’t stay cold, you can cut the butter into cubes and then freeze it for 10 minutes or so.
The food processor is the quickest, most efficient way to make pie dough IMO. Start by placing the flour and cold, cubed butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the flour and butter 2 or 3 times (1 second pulses) to break the butter down into slightly larger than pea-sized pieces.
Add the salt to the cold water and swirl it around a bit to dissolve the salt as best as you can.
Add the cold salt water to the flour/butter mixture. Pulse the dough until the salt water is dispersed and the dough starts to come together in a crumbly mass. Don’t over process.
Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Gently press the dough together (using the plastic wrap if it helps) to form the dough into a disc. Wrap the dough tightly with the plastic wrap.
An additional step that isn’t totally necessary, but that I like to do, is to use a rolling pin to push the dough out to the edges. This helps to smooth out any shaggy, crackly edges. In my experience, this helps prevent major cracking when rolling out the dough.
Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before using. Letting the dough rest allows the dough to fully hydrate and the gluten to relax. This in turn makes the dough a bit easier to roll out.
Alternatively, if your food processor is too large to process this quantity, if you prefer to not use a food processor, or if you’re new to making pie dough and you’re nervous about over-working it, you can make the dough by hand. Put the flour in a medium sized bowl. Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour (i.e. the rubbing method) until the butter is broken down into slightly larger than pea-sized pieces. Make a well in the center of the butter/flour mixture. Add the salt to the cold water and swirl it around a bit to dissolve the salt as best as you can. Add the cold salt water to the flour/butter mixture. Gently mix the water into the flour by hand until the dough comes together into a shaggy/ crumbly mass. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, form it into a disc, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least an hour before using.
Make the filling while the dough rests.
Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/4-inch cubes. You should have almost 3 cups of apple cubes (approx. 2 3/4 cups). Granny smith apples are my go to for baking, but any tart, firm apple will work.
Melt the butter in a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once melted, allow the butter to toast lightly until it smells fragrant and just begins to turn golden brown.
Add the sugars, spices, and salt to the (very) lightly browned butter.
It might seem silly to use such a small amount of light brown sugar, but I love the slight molasses undertone it provides.
Stir the butter, sugars, spices, and salt together until combined and the spices become fragrant. It’s okay if the sugars don’t really melt. The main goal is to get the spices toasted and fragrant.
Fold the cubed apples into the butter/sugar/spice mixture until the apples are evenly coated and the liquid from the apples begins to cook out.
Bring the apples to a simmer over medium heat. You want the liquid to be gently, but steadily bubbling. Simmer the apples over medium heat until fork-tender. This will only take about 4 minutes since the apples are cut relatively small. Turn the heat down if the liquid begins to bubble too rapidly.
While the apples simmer, make a slurry. Stir one part cornstarch and one part cold water together in a small bowl.
Once fork-tender, stir the lemon juice (if using) and the vanilla into the apples. As I said in the notes, the lemon juice is optional and whether or not you add it depends on how sweet you like your filling. I personally add the lemon juice for the bit of brightness it adds and if my filling gets a bit too tart, I adjust the sugar at the end (more on that later). However, you may want to consider omitting it if you feel your apples are already too tart or if you prefer a sweet, shall I say “McDonald’s-esque” filling.
Stir the slurry into the simmering apples over medium-low heat.
Stir the apples continuously until you see the liquid thicken and cling to the apples. When properly thickened, you should be able to drag a spatula through the apples without the liquid running all over.
Once thickened, cook the apple filling for one minute more to cook off the starchy flavor. Remove the filling from the heat. The apples should be tender, but not mushy. They should have retained their shape for the most part.
Give the filling a final taste. If the filling is too sweet, sparingly add some lemon juice. If the filling is too tart, sparingly add some more sugar. If you have to sweeten the filling a bit more, be sure to stir the sugar in while the filling is still warm to help dissolve.
Let the filling cool. I prefer to cool my filling in the pan for 10 minutes and then in a bowl loosely covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for about 20 minutes. If I have the time to spare, I’ll let the filling cool a bit longer in the fridge. A cold filling will ensure that the butter in the dough won’t melt before it hits the oven. The colder the filling the better.
Once the dough has rested and the filling is cool, it’s time to assemble.
Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper.
The first step in assembly is to cut out 3 1/2-inch wide, 1/8-inch thick rounds of pie dough. You should be able to get 20 rounds (for 10 hand pies) total by only having to re-roll the dough once. To ensure that the dough is as flaky as possible, try to avoid having to re-roll out the scraps more than once.
If you’re like me and don’t have a ton of counter space to work with, cut the disc of pie dough in half.
Dust your work surface and one half of the dough with flour. Return the other half of pie dough to the fridge. Roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Using a floured 3 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible.
Keep in mind that you want to get 20 rounds total. Transfer the rounds to the parchment-lined sheet. Set the scraps aside while you repeat the rolling out and cutting with the other piece of dough. Gather the scraps from both halves of the dough, gently push them together, and roll back out to 1/8-inch thick. Cut out more 3 1/2-inch rounds from the re-rolled piece of dough and transfer to the parchment-lined sheet. You should have 20 rounds.
Press any remaining scraps together, rewrap in plastic wrap, and set aside in the fridge.
Obviously, if you have the space, you can just roll out the entire piece of dough at once. If you do this, you will still need to re-roll the scraps to get your 20 rounds.
Divide the chilled filling between 10 of the rounds of dough. Place about 2-ish tablespoons of filling in the center of each round of dough, leaving about a 1/2-inch border. These will be the bottoms of the hand pies.
Brush the edges around each filled round with milk. If you prefer, you could use an egg wash or a heavy cream wash (1/2 tablespoon heavy cream, 1/2 tablespoon water).
Place one of the remaining rounds of dough over one of the apple-topped rounds, carefully stretching a bit if needed. Press the edges together carefully to seal. Repeat until all the hand pies are covered and sealed.
Use a fork to crimp all around each filled hand pie. This will help to keep the filling from bursting out between the top and bottom crusts. Dip the fork in flour if it sticks while crimping.
Brush the sealed, crimped pies with more milk and then sprinkle each with a bit of granulated sugar.
Use a small paring knife to poke 4 small steam holes in the top of each hand pie.
Place the sheet of hand pies in the freezer to chill, about 20 minutes. This helps maintain the shape of the pie.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees f while the hand pies chill.
Bake the chilled hand pies at 375 degrees f on the middle rack of the oven, rotating the pan halfway, until the pies are golden brown all over, 40 to 45 minutes.
The hand pies are best warm while the crust is still crisp and flaky, but even more delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Store the hand pies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Hand pies can be reheated at 375 degrees f on a foil or parchment-lined sheet until the filling reheats and the crust re-crisps, 5 to 10 minutes.
Bonus Tip: Wondering what you should do with the pie dough scraps you tucked away? Roll the dough back out, cut into any shape you want (if desired) or leave as a slab, brush with milk, and bake on a parchment-lined sheet at 375 degrees f until golden brown. Eat the scraps as a snack (delicious, trust me) or throw on top of ice cream.
Yield: 10 hand pies
Ingredients
For the crust
170 grams (6 ounces or 1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour, plus some for dusting
113 grams (4 ounces or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
57 grams (2 ounces, by weight or just scant of 1/3 cup) water, ice cold
3.42 grams (1 teaspoon) kosher salt
For the filling
1 pound granny smith apples (about 2 large apples)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground clove
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, optional (see notes)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For assembly
1 tablespoon whole milk (see notes)
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Method
Begin by prepping the pie dough. Place the flour and cold, cubed butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the flour and butter 2 or 3 times (1 second pulses) to break the butter down into slightly larger than pea-sized pieces. Add the salt to the ice cold water and swirl it around a bit to dissolve the salt as much as possible. Add the cold salt water to the flour/butter mixture. Pulse the dough until the salt water is dispersed and the dough starts to come together in a crumbly mass. Don’t over process.
Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and gently form it into a disc. Wrap the dough tightly. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour before using for assembly.
Make the filling while the dough rests.
Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/4-inch cubes. You should have almost 3 cups of apples (approx. 2 3/4 cups).
Melt the butter in a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once melted, allow the butter to toast lightly until it smells fragrant and just begins to turn golden brown. Add the 3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and salt to the lightly browned butter and stir together until combined and the spices become fragrant.
Fold the apples into the butter/sugar/spice mixture until the apples are evenly coated and the liquid from the apples begins to cook out. Bring the apples to a simmer (the liquid should be gently, yet steadily bubbling) and cook over medium heat until the apples are fork-tender, about 4 minutes. Turn the heat down if the liquid begins to bubble too rapidly.
While the apples simmer, make a slurry. Stir the cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of cold water together in a small bowl.
Once fork-tender, stir the lemon juice (if using) and the vanilla into the apples. Stir the slurry into the simmering apples over medium-low heat. Stir the apples continuously until the liquid thickens and clings to the apples. Once thickened, cook the apple filling for about one minute more to cook off the starchy flavor. Remove the filling from the heat.
Give the filling a final taste. If the filling is too sweet, sparingly add some lemon juice. If the filling is too tart, sparingly add some more sugar. If you have to sweeten the filling a bit more, be sure to stir the sugar in while the filling is still warm to help dissolve.
Let the filling cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then in a bowl loosely covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, until the filling is cool to the touch.
Once the dough has rested and the filling is cool, it’s time to assemble.
Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper.
On a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick. Use a floured 3 1/2-inch round cutter to cut out as many rounds as possible. Transfer the rounds to the parchment-lined sheet. Press the scraps back together, roll the dough back out to 1/8-inch thick, and cut out more rounds. Transfer the rounds to the parchment-lined sheet. You should be able to get 20 punched out rounds of dough by just re-rolling the dough once. The more the dough is re-rolled, the less flaky it will be. Try your best to punch out all 20 rounds without having to re-roll the dough more than once.
Don’t waste those scraps! Rewrap any scraps of dough and store in the fridge (see notes).
Divide the chilled filling between 10 of the rounds of dough. Place about 2-ish tablespoons of filling in the center of each round of dough, leaving about a 1/2-inch border. Brush the edges of each filled round with milk. Place one of the remaining rounds of dough over one of the apple-topped rounds, carefully stretching a bit if needed. Press the edges together carefully to seal. Repeat until all the hand pies are covered and sealed.
Use a fork to crimp the edges of each hand pie. Brush the sealed, crimped pies with milk and then sprinkle each with a bit of granulated sugar. Use a small paring knife to poke 4 small steam holes in the top of each hand pie. Place the parchment-lined sheet of hand pies in the freezer to chill, about 20 minutes. This helps maintain the shape of the pie.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees f while the hand pies chill.
Bake the chilled hand pies at 375 degrees f on the middle rack of the oven, rotating the pan halfway, until the pies are golden brown all over, 40 to 45 minutes.
Serve the hand pies warm with vanilla ice cream or eat as is. Both are delicious.
Store the hand pies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Hand pies can be reheated at 375 degrees f on a foil or parchment-lined sheet until the filling reheats and the crust re-crisps, 5 to 10 minutes.
Notes
The recipe for the dough is given in both weight and volume measurements. If you have a scale, I recommend weighing out the ingredients for the most accuracy.
The sweetness of the filling is totally dependent on your preference. Because the tartness of apples varies between each individual apple (even of the same variety), the amount of sugar and lemon juice may need to be adjusted. If your apples are particularly tart, you might want to consider completely omitting the lemon juice. If you want the brightness of the lemon and your apples are really tart, you may need to add more sugar to balance everything out. Once the filling is made and while it’s still warm, you can adjust the filling to your taste. The beauty of apple pie filling is that it’s so customizable to your preference.
Whole milk is used in place of an egg wash. Use an egg wash if you prefer. A combination of 1/2 tablespoon heavy cream and 1/2 tablespoon water can also be used.
If your food processor is too large to process this dough quantity, if you prefer to not use a food processor, or if you’re new to making pie dough and you’re nervous about over-working it, you can make the dough by hand. Put the flour in a medium sized bowl. Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour (i.e. the rubbing method) until the butter is broken down into slightly larger than pea-sized pieces. Make a well in the center of the butter/flour mixture. Add the salt to the cold water and swirl it around a bit to dissolve the salt as best as you can. Add the cold salt water to the flour/butter mixture. Gently mix the water into the flour by hand until the dough comes together into a shaggy/ crumbly mass. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, form it into a disc, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least an hour before using.
Don’t waste that leftover scrap dough. Roll the dough back out, cut into any shape you want (if desired) or leave as a slab, brush with milk, and bake on a parchment-lined sheet at 375 degrees f until golden brown. Eat the scraps as a snack (delicious, trust me) or throw on top of ice cream.
The dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. Once the dough is made, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
The filling can be made a day in advance. Store the filling in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it.
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