Caramel Apple Hand Pies a.k.a. Nature's Candy. Tart apples with melty caramel bits baked into buttery flaky crust, no forks needed!
Author: Portlandia Pie Lady
Ingredients
Apple Hand Pie Filling
5cupschopped tart apples (Gala, Northern Spy, Granny Smith, Orondo Rose)
3/4 cup pure cane sugar
1/2 cup food starch (Clear JelĀ®)** or 1/4 cup tapioca starch
1teaspoon cinnamon
1/4teaspoon nutmeg
3/4cupapple cider
2tablespoonslemon juice
Dash ofsalt
1bagKraft Caramel bits (11 oz.)
1egg+ 1 Tablespoon water, beaten
1/4 cuplarge granule sugar
BigBatchGrandma's Pie Crust Pastry (will make about 16 hand pies, 3-1/2 inch round)Recipe for big batch is below
Big Batch Grandma's Pie Crust
4cupsall purpose flour(may use gluten free flour)
2cupsvegetable shortening (or 1 cup each butter and vegetable shortening, cut butter into very small pieces if cold)
2teaspoonssalt
1/4 cuppure cane sugar
1/4teaspoonbaking powder
1 cup cold water
Instructions
Apple Hand Pie Filling
Peel & chop apples and place into a large bowl of water with 1 tablespoon of salt (stops oxidation).
In a saucepan combine sugar, food starch, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple cider, lemon juice, and salt; cook and stir constantly over medium to high heat, until mixture begins to bubble and loses the opaque color and thickens (it will look a little like melted caramel). Remove from heat.
Drain apples and fold into hot filling, set aside.
Pie Crust
In very large bowl stir all dry ingredients together.
Add the shortening (or butter if using) to the dry ingredients. Using a large serving fork, cut into the dry ingredients until crumbly.
Add the cold water all at once and mix just until forms a ball (do not kneed or over mix). Set aside with plastic wrap on top until ready to form hand pies.
Assembly
Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
In small bowl, beat the egg with the water for the egg wash, set aside.
Roll out one-fourth of the pie crust dough on a heavily floured surface to about 10 to 11 inches around.
Use a 3-1/2 inch cookie cutter to cut circles (2 for each hand pie).
Place the bottoms on parchment lined or silicone lined baking sheet about 1 inch a part. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of filling on to each bottom crust. Top with 1 tablespoon caramel bits.
If desired, cut out stars (or other shapes) in each top crust before placing them on the hand pies.
Wet the bottom crust with the egg wash around the edge. Gently stretch the top crust over filling to edges of bottom, press firmly with finger tips to seal, then crimp with fork.
Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle large granule sugar on top.