APPLE HAND PIE RECIPE (2024)

Published by Jessica on May 5, 2021

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Easy Apple Hand Pies made with fried cinnamon apples, a buttery crust & topped with a simple glaze. These adorable apple hand pies are pure comfort food & taste just like individual apple pies.

Making this apple hand pie recipe is even easier than you may think thanks to premade store-bought ingredients. We just need 4 ingredients and a few minutes of actual work for every batch. Each batch makes about 10 hand pies for the perfect Fall treat.

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What is a hand pie?

A hand pie, also commonly called a “pocket pie” is a small and portable pie about a few inches in diameter. It’s a closed crust mini pie often filled with sweet pie filling. They’re less work than traditional apple pies as these don’t require homemade pie crust, rolling out dough circles, etc. Hand pies are very similar to apple turnovers.

Are Little Apple Hand Pies Baked or Fried?

These sweet glazed apple hand pies can be baked in the oven for a traditional taste but if you have an air fryer handy, check out the recipe card below for a few steps on how to bake them in there. Trust me when I say that air fryer mini apple hand pies will change your world, they’re so incredible!

You can also deep fry them as well, if you prefer. I heat oil up to 375 and drop them in 3 at a time, frying until golden brown on each side.

Apple Pie Filling

Traditional apple pie uses a homemade filling made with Granny Smith apples, sugar and butter. You can also use canned apple pie filling as an easier, less time consuming option. You choose what works for you! We love using our Brown Sugar Fried apples in this recipe as a delicious filling.

Homemade Apple Hand Pies Ingredients

-Apple filling: We need a 21 ounce can of prepared canned apple pie filling. You could also use 1 cup of our Brown Sugar Fried apples instead like we did. Yum!

-Pie crust: Using a package of double crust (the store bought box of 2) we can save time and effort, but you can make own pie crust if desired.

-Egg wash: We will make an egg wash using one egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water. Brushing this on our pastries will give them a nice golden brown color once baked.

Glaze Ingredients

-Powdered sugar: We need 1/2 cup of powdered sugar for our glaze to be sweet and sticky.

-Water: 2 Tablespoons of water will help us to turn our powdered sugar into a decent glaze.

How to make apple hand pies

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray and setting it aside.

Remove pie crust from packaging and let sit for about 15 minutes before use.

Unroll the crust onto a sheet of parchment paper or on a lightly floured surface. The crust must be thick to hold in the filling so do not roll it out thinner.

Use a 5 inch diameter small bowl or a cookie cutter and place it upside down on the pie crust. Cut out 2-3 circles from the dough. You may be able to get more or fewer pie crust circles depending on the size of biscuit cutter that you use.

Glazed Apple Hand Pies

Easy Apple Hand Pies made with a sweet apple filling, wrapped in a flaky crust & topped with a simple glaze. These hand pies are made with basic ingredients & are a great way to use your favorite apples.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy Apple Hand Pies

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 hand pies

Ingredients

21 oz apple pie filling or 1 cup Fried Apples
1 pkg refrigerated pie crust double crust, thawed for 15 mins
1 egg yolk slightly beaten
1 Tbsp water

Glaze Ingredients:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp warm water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Unroll one crust onto a sheet of parchment paper or a lightly floured surface. The crusts must be thick enough to hold the pie filling, so there is no need to roll the crusts out any thinner than they came in the package.
Use a bowl (5-inch diameter used here) or biscuit cutter, placed upside down, to cut out 2-3 circles from the dough. Depending on which size bowl you use, you will be able to get up to a few circles out of the one layer.
Gently gather together the scraps, roll out just enough to cut additional circles. I was able to get 5 total circles from each crust (10 hand pies from the double crust total).
Use a fork to beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush a bit of the egg yolk wash around the edge of the circle to help the sides seal. (Work on just 2-3 hand pies at a time so the yolk wash doesn’t dry up).
Place a scoop of the fried apples or apple pie filling into the center of the circle. Each hand pie will really only accommodate a few slices of apple. You don’t want to overfill them.
Fold the pie crust in half to form a crescent shape. Press down (work from the outer edge in) and then crimp with your fingers or a fork to seal the edges.
Brush the exposed sides of the hand pie with the egg wash and transfer each pie to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the pies are golden brown and the crust is crispy. (The filling does not need to be cooked so monitor doneness based on the color of the crust.
Remove baked pies from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by stirring together ½ cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of warm water. Stir until the powdered sugar is fully dissolved in the water.
Use a pastry brush to spread 1-3 layers of glaze over each hand pie. Allow glaze to dry (about 15 minutes). Serve & enjoy!

Air Fryer Instructions:

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
Prepare hand pies according to the instructions above, but DO NOT use egg wash on the outside of the crust.
Place 2-3 hand pies at a time into the basket of the air fryer.
Cook for 6-8 minutes or until the hand pies have browned to desired color.
Allow hand pies to cool for a few minutes before removing from the basket to a cooling rack.
Continue with glazing instructions per the recipe above.

Notes

The crust will be too cold straight from the refrigerator so set it out a bit in advance to warm to room temperature. This makes it more pliable and easier to work with. You do not want the pie crusts too warm either so simply take them from the refrigerator as you are beginning to set up and they should be ready to unroll after about 15 minutes.

The egg wash will give the hand pies a nice golden sheen. It is also helpful to seal the edges together. For best seal, be sure that the filling and/or any excess flour is away from the edge of the dough. For different sheens, try an egg white wash, an egg yolk+ a teaspoon of water wash, brush with milk, or brush with vodka.

Only a few slices of apple will fit in the pie. Do not overfill or the filling with ooze into where you’re trying to seal the crust and will leak out during baking.

Thinner crusts may split or crack during baking. A good gauge for if the pie will hold up during baking is if you can lift and handle the pie before baking! If the pie is too flimsy to transfer to the baking sheet, it will probably fall apart during baking. Tiny cracks during baking are just fine and will usually seal up with a coat or two of glaze.

Use a blunt fork to crimp the edges so that the tines don’t accidentally poke holes into the hand pies - the filling will ooze out during baking.

The glaze can be added to warm or cold hand pies. I added several layers of glaze, allowing layers to dry between, to get that nostalgic hand pie look.

Nutrition

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How to store apple hand pies

These apple pies are best if eaten right away. Leftover hand pies can be stored in an airtight container on the countertop or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. They can also be reheated in the oven or a toaster oven if desired.

Can I freeze apple pies?

Yes, these apple pies can be frozen and they do quite well in the freezer too. You can glaze them beforehand or after they have thawed. Just note that if you glaze beforehand the glaze may sweat as the apple pies come to room temperature and that this is normal. Freeze the pies in an airtight container for up to 6 months and thaw at room temperature or in the fridge until ready to eat.

More easy recipes made with fresh apples:

SNICKERDOODLE APPLE PIE
HOW TO MAKE APPLE PIE FILLING
CRUNCHY CARAMEL APPLE PIE
APPLE PIE QUICK BREAD
APPLE PIE BARS
MINI APPLE PIES
SNICKERDOODLE APPLE PIE COOKIE CUPS
APPLE PIE FRIES
APPLE PIE MILKSHAKES
CARAMEL PECAN APPLE PIE
HOT APPLE PIE SIPPER

ABOUT US

I began Butter, with a Side of Bread to delve deeper into my fascination with food! I love cooking easy, delicious recipes and trying out new products. Welcome and I hope you stick around!