Cindy "TheSweetNerd" Rodriguez When I was a kid, I used to love a good candied apple on a stick. The adult version that I’ve come up with is much simpler where I dip an apple slice into a cup of melted caramel. Crunchy, sweet, and gooey! For this recipe, I wanted to take it to the next level and wrap that perfect pairing of apple and caramel into a pie shell. It’s almost like a mini apple pie, which is practically synonymous with Thanksgiving. I personalized these darlings by slapping some letters on the top making these the perfect mini hand pies that everyone can be thankful for. Serve ’em up for dessert or an appetizer, or save them for a fun way to say muchos gracias.
FILLING FIRST
‘Tis the season for apples! I love the apple varieties available this time of year, even in LA. Pink Lady, Gala, Delicious, Granny Smith. For this recipe, I chose Gala apples. You’ll want to use three of them for this recipe, peeled and chopped into quarters. I’m a fan of the apple slicer tool (splurge on a nicer brand like OXO since the cheaper ones have dull, flimsy blades). Add some cinnamon, lemon juice, dash of high quality store-bought caramel (keep it easy for yourself), light brown sugar, and cornstarch. Set aside to begin working on the dough.
DOUGH 101
HAND PIES ASSEMBLY
- For the letters: Take about 1/4 of your total dough, roll it out, and cut your letters. I use Ateco letter cutters. Set letters on plastic wrap, and toss ’em back in the fridge for 10 minutes (ok, don’t really toss them!). The letters are completely optional. Yes, they’re festive, and they’re not too hard to fit on the top of the pie. But they do take a little extra time.
- For the mini pie shells: Roll out the dough, cut out 4″ circles and carefully place in the fridge for 15 minutes. This just chills them enough for the final step.
HAND PIES FILLING
Fold and crimp with a fork to seal the hand pie. Don’t forget to poke 3 holes on the top with a knife. It’s muy importante to add a release for the air.
ADD YOUR WORDS OF THANKS
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. I would love to see what words people come up with. You have about 6 letters max with the 4″ rounds of dough. This could translate for Valentine’s Day with LOVE on top, or 2018 for a New Year’s party, or names would be fun, too. CINDY would fit! Just have fun with it!
OUR FAVES
Photos by: Maria Hedrick Photography
Filling 1Mix all ingredients together. Dough 1Food Processor: Pulse flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter pieces and pulse until texture is like coarse meal. Add the water a bit at a time until dough comes together in clumps. (You may not use all the water, but you'll use most of it). Form into a square, wrap in plastic, and chill until firm (about 2 hours). Can be made 3 days ahead. Let stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before rolling out. Assembly 1Roll out dough to be a quarter inch thick and cut out 4" circles. Leave 1/4 of dough to roll out for letters to decorate (optional). Refrigerate. 2Roll dough, cut letters. Refrigerate. 3Prep egg wash. 4Start with dough round and brush egg wash on the perimeter of the circle. 5Add dollop of apple filling in the center of the dough. 6Fold and crimp with a fork to seal the hand pie. With a knife, poke 3 small holes on the top. 7Egg wash the outside of the dough. Adhere letters to hand pie. 8Egg wash letters. Dust with sanding sugar. 9Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes.Directions
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LET’S BAKE TOGETHER!
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These look easy enough for me – and both of my kid’s names can fit!
You should add Tessa on there, too! 😉
Adorable, creative & fun! Love it!
Thanks Colleen!
I love these hand pies. Thanks mucho for sharing the recipe! 🙂
Ha! Nice one Maggie. Thanks mucho to you.
Ahhhhhh! These are so cute. And Food processor for the win!
Yes! You said it, girl.
Nice little pies. Reminds me of a German pie I make. So good that you have a from scratch recipe for the dough.
Thanks Roxana, sometimes I cheat and splurge on the store bought stuff, but this recipe is easy and quick.
Such a fun idea! I love hand pies and these apple caramel ones are perfection 🙂
Thanks Jennifer, this is my favorite filling by far.
I love hand pies Cindy! These are adorable. I love the extra effort you put in with the lettering! Makes them so special!
Thanks Mary Ann, truth be told it is a little more work but not much. And it does make the little pies so much more special.
I love how personalized these are! Definitely want to try them out.
Thanks Lorna – your name will fit! 😉
I love everything about apple pie (bc I don’t like pumpkin pie) but these look super delicious! I’ll have to veganize them and bake them for my family this week!
Love the little messages! Great idea for placecards!
These are absolutely adorable, Cindy….and I don’t know what it is about it, but I love the name ‘hand pies’ – sounds so cozy to me 🙂 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! XO