Description
These easy homemade apple hand pies feature a flaky, buttery crust and a gooey cinnamon apple filling, making them perfect for bake sales, snacks, or lunchboxes. Portable and crowd-pleasing, they’re a fun twist on classic apple pie with no slicing required.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6–8 tablespoons ice water
- 2 medium apples (about 1 1/4 cups diced), peeled, cored, and diced small
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch salt
- 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar (optional, for sprinkling)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold butter cubes and cut in with a pastry cutter or forks until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces.
- Drizzle 6 tablespoons ice water over the mixture and stir gently. Add more water if needed until dough starts to clump. Press into a ball, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Peel, core, and dice apples into small cubes. In a medium bowl, toss apples with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
- On a floured surface, roll dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out circles about 4-5 inches wide. Re-roll scraps as needed.
- Place about 1 tablespoon apple filling in the center of each dough circle. Brush edges lightly with beaten egg. Fold over to make a half-moon and press edges firmly with a fork to seal.
- Arrange pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut a small slit or poke holes in each pie for steam to escape. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
- Bake at 400°F for 18-22 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Rotate pan halfway through if needed.
- Let pies cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Keep ingredients and equipment cold for the flakiest pastry. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes. Don’t overfill pies to prevent leaking. Seal edges well and vent pies before baking. For gluten-free or vegan adaptations, use appropriate substitutes. Pies can be frozen and reheated for later enjoyment.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 hand pie
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 90
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 6
- Carbohydrates: 28
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 2
Keywords: apple hand pies, bake sale, apple pie, portable dessert, snack, easy pastry, kid-friendly, homemade, fall baking, lunchbox treat