Dessert+baking

Hand-pies with apples

Prep Time: 1 hr 20 min / Cook Time: 30 min / Total Time: 1 hr 50 min

These handcrafted apple pies, alternatively referred to as apple turnovers, appear so impeccably made that it's hard to believe they were created at home! Feel free to use any of your preferred pie fillings, whether sweet or savory. I encourage you to experiment with this straightforward method soon.

Author and photographs: Olga

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Crafting hand pies is a simple endeavor, and enjoying them either warm or chilled adds to the delight. The joy lies in customizing them to your liking—experiment with various flavors like caramel, cranberry, or any fruit that captures your imagination!

You can take a shortcut by utilizing store-bought crust and pie filling, or opt for a homemade approach, as I did. There are numerous methods to prepare these petite pastries— bake them in an air fryer, fry in the oil, or even use an oven.

The possibilities are abundant!

Hand-pies with apples

Yield: 12 mini pies

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients:

235 gr of all-purpose flour
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tbsp of sugar
100 gr. of chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
65 gr. of ice water
1/2 tsp of baking powder

Apple Filling:

4-6 apples
200 gr. of sugar
Zest and juice of half an orange
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp of spice blend (cinnamon and ginger)

Tossing

Additional sugar and cinnamon for tossing

Instructions

Hand-pies with apples Crust: Additional sugar and cinnamon for tossing In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Cut the chilled unsalted butter into pieces. Use a blender, fork, or your preferred method to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Pour in the ice water and work the ingredients with your hands until the dough comes together. If the dough is still crumbly, add more ice water, one tablespoon at a time. Avoid overworking the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a rectangle. Cut the dough into small rectangles of your desired.

Place each piece of dough rectangle on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the apple mixture into the center of each pie. Brush the edges with water and bring the corners together to form hand pies. Trim if necessary and crimp the edges to seal.

Bake the hand pies in the oven until golden brown, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Alternatively, you can fry them into an oil until they achieve a golden brown color.

Allow the hand pies to cool completely on wire racks before serving. Toss the pies in a bowl with a sugar-cinnamon mixture for added flavor.

There are pies with apples on the pastry rack. There are pies with apples on the pastry rack. One of them is broken. The filling is visible

Apple Filling: In a large pot, combine peeled apples, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, salt, cornstarch, and spice blend. Stir until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Bring the apple mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat and boil it for approximately 5-6 minutes or until the apples become soft. Remove the pot from heat and let the apple mixture sit for about 20 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and mixture cool.