With fresh diced apples mixed in a brown sugar sauce with warm spices and stuffed into mini pie crusts, these apple hand pies are sure to be a hit! Once baked until golden and flakey, top them off with homemade caramel for the perfect dessert or treat.
What are hand pies?
Hand pies are a type of pastry filled with cooked fruit, vegetables, or savory ingredients. The crust is made from either dough or puff pastry, and the pie filling is added to the center.
Hand pies can be eaten as individual servings and are often served with ice cream or other desserts! They’re great for picnics, parties, or any gathering where finger food is preferred.
They can also be served warm with a scoop of ice cream or even as a savory main course paired with mashed potatoes and gravy. It really just depends.
Today’s version is going to be on the sweeter side- apple pie style! A classic American staple.
Why this apple hand pie recipe works
- This recipe uses pre-made pie crusts, which saves you a lot of time and stress.
- The homemade caramel syrup is so tasty that you’ll find other ways to use it (like on top of ice cream).
- Cardamom brings out the spiciness in the nutmeg and cinnamon.
- These apple pie hand pies are easy to freeze and store for months.
What type of apples to use
With so many types of apples grown all over the world (over 7,000), it can be difficult to know which one to choose.
Apple picking season begins in late July and ends in early November, but the best time to pick them is from September to early October. This recipe will work with any apple, but my personal favorite is the honey crisp apple.
Some people prefer green apples – like Granny Smith – because they are less sweet and make for a tartier pie.
It’s really up to you!
Ingredients needed
There are two parts to this recipe – the pies and the homemade caramel syrup. Here’s what you’ll need from the store before you begin.
Hand pies
- Apples
- Unsalted butter
- Ground cinnamon
- Brown sugar
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cardamom
- Pre-made pie crusts (room temperature and rolled out)
- Egg
- Water
Caramel syrup
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter
- Kosher saltÂ
Tip:
If you don’t have time to do both parts of the recipe, I recommend focusing on the apple hand pies and picking up a nice caramel sauce from the store!
How to dice apples
- Peel and core the apples. Cutting the apple in half first makes peeling the apples easier.
- Remove the core and seeds with a small pairing knife.
- Dice apples into small cube pieces.
Dicing tip:
Since the apple filling will be going into small hand pies, you want the dice of the apple to be about ¼ inch.
How to cook apple pie filling
- The filling for the apple pie hand pies is: unsalted butter, brown sugar, diced apples, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom
- In a skillet, add unsalted butter. Once melted and frothy, add in the diced apples.
- Add in brown sugar and warm spices: ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cardamom.
- Mix until all the diced apples are coated in the spices and brown sugar. Allow the mixture to a gentle boil for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow the filling to cool.
Filling tip:
Because the apple slices are small, the filling will cook quickly. If you want them to still have a bite to them, don’t let them overcook. They will finish cooking in the oven.
Prepare the pie dough
In this recipe, I use store-bought pre-made pie dough because it is quick and easy to use. If you have your own pie dough recipe, please feel free to use it!
Pie crust tips:
- Allow the pie dough to come to room temperature before handling, or it will break as you unroll it and work with it.
- I use a rolling pin to gently roll out the pie dough so it isn’t as thick and results in more hand pies.
- You can lightly flour the rolling pin if it starts to stick.
How to cut the hand pie circles
- I used a 4-inch circular pie dough cutter to cut the hand pies. I would not advise using anything smaller than 3 ½ inches, or else you will not be able to get enough filling into the hand pies.
- Once you have cut out your hand pie circles, you can gently knead and roll out the additional dough for more hand pies.
- Count how many circles you made and divide by two. Half will be the bottoms of the apple hand pies, and half will be the tops.
- On the top halves, take a sharp pairing knife and cut a ‘+’ sign in the middle. This will allow the steam to escape while baking.
Fill the hand pies
- Spoon apple pie filling onto the bottom halves of the pie dough that you cut, leaving about a ¼-inch small border around the outside of each one.
- Gently lay the tops onto the pie filling and use your finger to gently press around the filling for the top pie dough to meet the bottom.
- Using a fork, crimp the edges, creating a seal for the apple pies to remain closed while they bake.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg and 1 tsp of water. Brush the tops of the apple hand pies with the egg wash, this will give them the delicious golden brown color once baked.
- You can sprinkle sugar on the top or skip and proceed to bake them without if you’re going to make the homemade caramel (recipe below).
- Bake in the oven at 375°F for 27-30 minutes until the apple pies are golden brown on top.
How to make homemade caramel
The ingredients I use to make my homemade caramel are granulated sugar, water, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and some optional kosher salt (for salted caramel).
- Over medium heat, add water and granulated sugar to the heavy-bottomed skillet and allow the sugar to dissolve and come to a boil.
- After about 15 minutes, the sugar will begin changing color. Once it becomes a golden amber, remove it from the heat.
- The heavy cream and vanilla extract should be warmed on the side while the caramel boils.
- Once the caramel is removed from the heat, carefully pour the vanilla cream while stirring. It will bubble and steam a lot, be aware and be careful! As you stir, it will settle and thicken into beautiful caramel.
- You can also add some kosher salt if you want salted caramel. Keep warm until apple hand pies are done baking.
Caramel tip:
Making homemade caramel is easier than you think! My biggest tip is to use a heavy-bottomed saucepan, which is thicker on the bottom for more evenly distributed heat (for example, an enameled cast iron saucepan or thicker nonstick saucepans).
Serve and enjoy!
Once the apple hand pies are golden and done baking, remove them from the oven and cool them for 10 minutes. You can enjoy them as is or drizzle the homemade caramel over the top once they are cooled.
If you are going to drizzle the caramel over the top, you want them cooled, or else the caramel will melt right off. You can also serve it with additional caramel on the side to dip in.
How to store
The apple pie hand pies are best enjoyed fresh from the oven, but you can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If enjoying later, you can warm it in the microwave for 10 seconds.
If you’re looking for the perfect fall recipe that celebrates the apple-picking season, look no further than these yummy hand pies! The best part is they come with a delectable caramel sauce on top. Enjoy!
Looking for more fall treats?
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Apple Pie Hand Pies
Equipment
Ingredients
Apple Pie Hand Pies
- 2 apples choice, peeled, cored, and diced into ¼ inch cubes (about 2 ½ cups)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 pre-made pie crusts room temperature, rolled out
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
Homemade Caramel
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt optional for salted caramel
Instructions
Apple Pie Hand Pies
- In a skillet, add 4 tbsp unsalted butter. Once melted and frothy, add in the diced apples, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Mix until all the diced apples are coated. Allow to come to a gentle boil for 2 minutes, stir, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Roll your pie dough out so that it is thin. Using a 4 inch circular cutter, cut pie dough into 10 circles. If you cannot get 10 circles from each pie dough, use excess and roll out to cut additional circles.
- Count how many circles you made and divide by two. Half will be the bottoms of the apple hand pies and half will be the tops. On the top halves, take a sharp pairing knife and cut a ‘+’ sign in the middle. This will allow the steam to escape while baking.
- Spoon apple pie filling onto the bottom halves of pie dough that you cut, leaving about a ¼ inch small border around the outside of each one. Gently lay the tops onto the pie filling and use your finger to gently press around the filling for the top pie dough to meet the bottom. Using a fork, crimp the edges creating a seal for the apple pies to remain closed while they bake.
- In a small bowl whisk 1 large egg and 1 tsp of water. Brush the tops of the apple hand pies with the egg wash.
- You can sprinkle sugar on the top or skip and proceed to the baking them without if you’re going to make the homemade caramel (recipe below).
- Bake in the oven at 375F for 25-30 minutes until the apple pies are golden brown on top.
- Once the hand pies are done baking, remove and allow them to cool on a rack. Wait for them to cool prior to drizzling caramel, or else it will melt off.
Homemade Caramel
- In a small sauce pan, warm heavy cream and vanilla extract.
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, over medium heat, add water and granulated sugar and allow the sugar to dissolve and come to a boil. After about 15-20 minutes, the sugar will begin changing color. Once it becomes a golden amber, remove it from the heat.
- Once the caramel is removed from the heat, carefully and slowly pour the vanilla cream while whisking. It will bubble and steam a lot, be aware and be careful! Add in the butter and as you whisk, it will settle and thicken into beautiful caramel. If you want salted caramel, you can stir in the kosher salt to taste at this point.
- Keep the caramel warm on the side until the hand pies are done baking.
Notes
Apples:
- This recipe works with any type of apple, but my favorite has always been honey crisp apples.
- Since the apple filling will be going into small hand pies, you want the dice of the apple to be about ¼ inch.
- See in-post for steps on how to dice apples with photos.
Pie dough:
- In this recipe I use store bought pre-made pie dough, because it is quick and easy to use. If you have your own pie dough recipe, please feel free to use it!
- Allow the pie dough to come to room temperature prior to handling or it will break as you unroll it and work with it.
- I use a rolling pin to gently roll out the pie dough, so it isn’t as thick and results in more hand pies. You can lightly flour the rolling pin if it starts to stick.
- Pie dough cutter: I used a 4 inch circular pie dough cutter to cut the hand pies. I would not advise using anything smaller than 3 ½ inches or else you will not be able to get enough filling into the hand pies.
Caramel:
- Use a heavy bottomed saucepan, which is thicker on the bottom for more evenly distributed heat (for example: an enameled cast iron saucepan or thicker non stick saucepans).
- The sugar will crystalize and harden on the inside rim of the saucepan as it cooks. Soak in warm soapy water when cleaning to remove.
Storage:
- The apple pie hand pies are best enjoyed fresh from the oven, but you can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If enjoying later, you can warm in the microwave for 10 seconds.
Nikki
Looks terrific! Can these be frozen and baked later? I mean sure why not, right?!
Stephanie
Hi Nikki, I haven’t done it myself, but I don’t see why not either! I would freeze after assembling and allow them to defrost in the refrigerator and then do the egg wash prior to baking. I hope you enjoy them!