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Apple Hand Pies with Cinnamon Sugar

Apple Hand Pies with Cinnamon Sugar

Updated October 28, 2026

Flaky all-butter pastry pockets filled with a quick stovetop cinnamon apple filling and baked under a crunchy cinnamon-sugar top.

Before you start: have a 4-inch round cutter or a bowl to trace around. Each pie takes about 3 tablespoons of filling; overfilling makes them burst.

Store baked pies airtight up to 2 days; re-crisp in a 350°F oven 5 to 8 minutes. Freeze unbaked, sealed pies on the tray, then bag them for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, adding 5 minutes.

Cook time
2 hrs 10 min
Rating
…

Ingredients

Scale
Measurement units
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling)
  • ½ tsp fine salt
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter (cubed; 2 sticks)
  • 6 tbsp ice water
  • 3 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and diced small)
  • 6 tbsp granulated sugar (divided)
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon (divided)
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp water (for the egg wash)

Instructions

Make the dough
Pulse flour (2 ½ cups) and salt (½ tsp) in the food processor. Add cold butter (1 cup) and pulse until the pieces are the size of peas.
Drizzle in ice water (6 tbsp) a little at a time, pulsing, just until the dough holds together when squeezed. Press into a flat disk and wrap.
Equipment: food processor
Chill the dough
Refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
Cook the filling
While the dough chills, stir diced apples, sugar (4 tbsp), cinnamon (1 ½ tsp), nutmeg (¼ tsp), lemon juice (1 tbsp) and cornstarch (1 tsp) together in the saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the apples are soft and the juices are thick and glossy, about 8 minutes.
Spread on a plate and let cool completely.
Equipment: small saucepan
Roll and cut
On a floured counter, roll the dough about 1/8 inch thick. Cut 16 rounds with the 4-inch cutter, gathering and re-rolling the scraps once.
Equipment: rolling pin, 4-inch round cutter
Fill and seal
Set 8 rounds on the lined baking sheet. Spoon a heaping spoonful of cooled filling into the center of each, leaving a clean border.
Beat egg with water (1 tbsp) and brush a little around each border.
Lay the remaining rounds on top, press the edges together and crimp with a fork. Cut two small slits in each top.
Equipment: baking sheet and parchment
Chill the pies
Refrigerate the tray of pies for about 15 minutes while the oven heats to 400°F.
Equipment: baking sheet and parchment
Top and bake
Brush the tops with the rest of the egg wash. Stir sugar (2 tbsp) with cinnamon (½ tsp) and sprinkle over the pies.
Bake until deep golden and the filling bubbles at the slits, about 18 minutes.
Equipment: baking sheet and parchment
Cool
Let the pies cool on the sheet so the filling sets slightly, about 5 minutes, then serve warm.
Equipment: baking sheet and parchment

Tomorrow's Meal

Crispy Skillet Hand Pies with Sharp Cheddar

Leftover hand pies re-crisped in a buttery skillet and topped with melted sharp cheddar, the classic apple pie pairing.

You'll need to pick up:

1 tbsp butter2 slices sharp cheddar

Quick overview:

  1. 1.Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat
  2. 2.Add the leftover hand pies, cover and cook 3 minutes until the bottoms crisp and the filling warms
  3. 3.Flip, lay a half slice of cheddar on each and cover 1 to 2 minutes until melted
  4. 4.Serve warm

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