Apple Hand Pies with Fresh and Dried Apples

4.92 from 12 votes

Apple Hand Pies with Fresh and Dried Apples

To amp of the flavors of this apple hand pie, I combined dried and fresh apples and cooked the dried apples in orange to add tartness and roasted the fresh apples to bring out the natural sweetness.

Prep Time40

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: pies

Calories: 436kcal

Author: Cheryl Norris

Ingredients

Flaky Pie Dough

3-1/4 cups (400 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon (13 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (454 grams) unsalted butter cold
1/2 cup (120 ml) ice cold water

Apple Filling

2 cups (227 grams) dried apples
2 cups (480 ml) orange juice
1/2 cinnamon stick
3 (530 grams) chopped Granny Smith apples cut into small dice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (100 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter melted

Egg Wash

1 large (50 grams) egg
1 teaspoon water

Pie Topping

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

Make the Pie Dough

The pie dough can be made 2 days in advance and refrigerated.
Place the flour and the salt in a large stainless steel or glass bowl and whisk to combine. Cut the butter into small chunks and with your fingers toss the butter with the flour to coat the butter. With your fingers, smush the butter into flat pieces. Continue smushing the until all the butter is flattened but none of the pieces are larger than a quarter. The flour will look like course cornmeal.
Add half the water and quickly fold it into the flour/butter mixture with a wooden spoon to distribute the moisture. If the dough appears dry stir in the water 2 tablespoons at a time until the appears shaggy. Use your knuckles or your palm to smear the dough up the sides of the bowl.
Once you’ve gone all the around the bowl, fold the dough a few times to pick up dry bits. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll to an 8 x 10 rectangle. Fold the dough into letter fold and roll the dough again to an 8 x 10 rectangle. Repeat two more times. The last time fold the dough using a letter fold. Pat it into a rectangle and cut it into two pieces.
Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. The dough can be refrigerated up to 1 week and frozen for up to 1 month.

Make the Apple Filling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
Combine the dried apples, orange juice and cinnamon stick in a 3-quart sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to o a simmer. Cook until the orange juice reduces to thick syrup, about 30 minutes. There should just be a little syrup coating the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Line a half sheet pan and line with parchment paper.
While the dried apples cook, peel the apples and cut them into a small dice. You should have a little over 4 cups of chopped apples. Melted the butter. ombine sugar, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, orange zest and whisk to combine. Add the apples and toss to coat the apples. Spread the apples into a single layer. Cut the butter into about 8 pieces and dot the apples. Bake for 20 minutes and stir the apples. Stir the apples every 10 minutes until the sugar mixture has turned into a syrup, about 40 minutes.
Zest the orange into the brown sugar and rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers. Add the salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg to the sugar mixture and whisk together. Pour the melted butter over the apples and toss the mixture together.
Spread the apples into a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the apples for about 20 minutes or until the sugar and butter start to bubble and looks thicker. Stir the apples every 10 minutes.
Scrape the apples into a large bowl, add the cooked dried apples and stir to combine. Cool the mixture to room temperature. The mixture can also be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Assemble the Hand Pies

Remove one piece of oue dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Divide the dough into 6 pieces about 80 grams each. Roll out each piece into a rough circle slightly larger than 6 inches and then use a 6-inch pastry cutter to cut out a circle. Place about 1/4 cup of filling in the center. Brush the edges with the egg wash. Fold the dough in half. Seal the edges with a fork or crimp the edges. Chill the hand pies for 30 minutes. Repeat with the other dough half.

Bake the Hand Pies

While the hand pies are chilling preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make the egg wash by combining the egg and water and whisk together with a fork.
Remove 6 pies from the refrigerator. Place them on the baking sheet, brush with egg wash and cut three slits across the top of the pies. Sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mixture on top.
Bake the pies for 15-17 minutes until the top of the hand pies are golden brown and the pies have risen. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack. Serve the pies warm or at room temperature.

Store the Pies

The apple hand pies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. For longer storage wrap each hand pie in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

Make Ahead: Assemble the apple hand pies, but don't bake them. Lay them on a parchment-lined board or sheet pan in a single layer and place them in the freezer. Freeze for 24 hours, then store them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. To bake the frozen pies, preheat the oven. Place the frozen pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush them with the egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake. Add a few minutes to the baking time.

Apple Filling: The apple filling can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Nutrition