Portable, flaky pastry pockets filled with spiced apple compote and sealed with a crispy cinnamon-sugar crust.
Prepare the apple filling while the dough chills; this saves time during assembly. Do not overfill hand pies or they will burst during baking; 2 tbsp filling per pie is ideal.
Keep all dough ingredients and tools cold to achieve maximum flakiness. Egg wash creates a golden, shiny crust; brush gently to avoid deflating the pastry.
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp ice water
- 4 medium granny smith apples
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 large egg (for egg wash)
- 1 tbsp water (for egg wash)
- 3 tbsp cinnamon sugar topping
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp ice water
- 4 medium granny smith apples
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 large egg (for egg wash)
- 1 tbsp water (for egg wash)
- 3 tbsp cinnamon sugar topping
Instructions
Make the pastry dough
Combine 2.5 cups flour and salt (½ teaspoon) in a food processor or mixing bowl.
Add 1 cup cold cubed butter and pulse (or cut with a pastry cutter) until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
Sprinkle ice water (6 tablespoon) over the mixture and pulse or stir gently until the dough just comes together; do not overwork.
Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Equipment: food processor, 4-inch round cutter or bowl
Prepare the apple filling
Combine 4 medium diced apples, granulated sugar (¼ cup), ground cinnamon (1 ½ teaspoon), ground nutmeg (¼ teaspoon), and lemon juice (1 tablespoon) in a small saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and the liquid has reduced to a thick compote, about 8–10 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool completely before assembling the hand pies.
Equipment: small saucepan, 4-inch round cutter or bowl
Roll and cut the dough
On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough to 1/8-inch thickness.
Using a 4-inch round cutter, cut out 16 circles from the dough; re-roll scraps as needed.
Equipment: 4-inch round cutter or bowl
Assemble the hand pies
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place 8 dough circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between each.
Spoon about 2 tbsp of cooled apple filling onto the center of each circle.
Top each with a second dough circle and press the edges firmly to seal.
Using a fork, crimp the edges of each hand pie to seal completely.
Equipment: baking sheet, fork, parchment paper
Finish and bake
Whisk together 1 egg and 1 tbsp water to make an egg wash.
Brush the egg wash over the top of each hand pie.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar topping (2 tbsp granulated sugar mixed with 1 tbsp ground cinnamon) evenly over the hand pies.
Bake at 400°F until golden brown, about 15–18 minutes.
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before serving.
Equipment: baking sheet, 4-inch round cutter or bowl
Before you cook
Cook notes
- • Keep all dough ingredients and tools cold to achieve maximum flakiness.
- • Prepare the apple filling while the dough chills; this saves time during assembly.
- • Do not overfill hand pies or they will burst during baking; 2 tbsp filling per pie is ideal.
- • Egg wash creates a golden, shiny crust; brush gently to avoid deflating the pastry.
- • Hand pies are best eaten warm but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days and reheated in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes.
- • For a spiced apple flavor, add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of cardamom to the filling if desired.
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