Flaky Cinnamon Sugar Apple Hand Pies
My mother makes the most wonderful apple pies. I wouldn’t dare attempt to make one for this blog, because it simply wouldn’t do it justice. And, I’ve tried to make one pie crust in my life, and it ended with a few bad words. But, the smells of warm apples swimming in a bath of cinnamon and sugar sauce just bring me so much nostalgia. Introducing Flaky Cinnamon Sugar Apple Hand Pies!
Think of these as apple pie, meets toaster strudel, meets hot pocket. These have only the best apple pie filling stuffed in flaky, buttery puff pastry, sealed and baked to crispy perfection. Truly, you can make these in 25 minutes and have dessert for the rest of the week. This recipe will make four hand pies! You can have Thanksgiving Dessert all the time. Sounds like a dream. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 cups apple, peeled, cored and sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 sheet puff pastry
1 tablespoon butter
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Recipe
Take puff pastry out of freezer about 30 minutes before you are ready to use.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse apples. Then, peel, core and cut them into about 1/4 inch slices. Place into a mixing bowl.
To the apples, add 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir until all apples are covered with cinnamon sugar mixture. Set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry sheet until it reaches a square about doubled in size from where it started. Then, cut that sheet into four equal square pieces.
Visualize each square piece of puff pastry in three pieces. Place about 1/2 cup of apple mixture in the left third of the puff pastry. Repeat this step with all squares.
Place about 1/4 tablespoon of butter in dollops on each square.
Then, fold the other side of the puff pastry over the apples.
Using a fork, pinch together the three open sides of your hand pies to ensure the filling doesn’t ooze out when baking.
Make an egg wash. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of melted butter and and egg. Brush the mixture on top of each hand pie.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the puff pastry is cooked through and the tops of the pies are golden pie.
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top and serve! You can also serve with vanilla ice cream, or make a simple glaze with a few tablespoons of milk and powdered sugar.
