The Easiest Mini Apple Hand Pies

Yield 

6-8 mini pies

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

30-35 minutes

Ingredients 

For the Dough:
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 stick unsalted cold butter, cubed
1 beaten egg
4-5 tablespoons ice water
For the Apple Filling:
5 Starr Ranch Growers Granny Smith Apples peeled, cored and sliced
2 tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend - Trader Joes 
1.5 tbsp vanilla extract 
3 tbsp maple syrup

For the Dough:

Mix together dry ingredients – flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

Toss in cubes of cold butter and work into flour with a pastry cutter until small pebble-like pieces begin to form. Feel free to use your hands after using the pastry-cutter as well to break down butter into small mealy pieces.

Add beaten egg and begin to stir mixture with a wooden spoon.

Next, add cold water one tablespoon at a time as you shape the mixture into a ball of dough with your hands.

Cut the dough into 2 pieces, utilizing one half for your lattices, and the other for the bottoms of your pie. Cover with plastic-wrap and place both halves of dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes

Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour and roll one half of your dough ball out to about 1/8″ thickness. Using a extra large biscuit-cutter, cut out the bottoms of you mini pies into 3-4 inch circles – about 6-8 of them.

Roll out the second ball of dough until about 1/8″ thickness and slice your lattice strips with a pastry cutter to desired sizes – mine were kept thin and short for these mini pies -but feel free to get creative and have fun with it! Set aside will preparing filling.

For the Filling:

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin spice blend, maple syrup, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, lemon juice and the additional pumpkin pie spice blend. Gently add the apple slices in and toss by hand to coat them with the mixture.

Place pie rounds on parchment paper and scoop about 1-1.5 tablespoons of the mixture onto your mini pie rounds leaving enough empty space on the edges.

Add your alternating lattice strips over the pie one at a time – cinching those pieces together on the ends, and using the end of a fork to cinch the entire pie together enclosing the apple mixture. Lightly brush the dough with egg wash. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Place the cookie sheet with the mini pies in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes, while pre-heating the oven to 400 F in the meantime.

Bake the pies for about 30-35 minutes or until golden and firm.

Cool slightly before serving and enjoy with vanilla bean ice cream!