Homemade Apple Hand Pies Food

EASY HOMEMADE APPLE HAND PIES

Steps:

• Add flour, sugar, salt and butter into a food processor. Pulse on and off until flour mixture forms into small pieces of dough, approximately 1 minute.
• Drizzle ice water into the mixture (ice water is the key). Close the lid and continue to pulse on and off for another 1 minute, until the dough turns into a breadcrumb consistency.
• Transfer dough (breadcrumbs consistency) on a work surface. Use your hands to squeeze all the pieces together until it forms into a dough. Shape it into a smooth disc. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Peel, core and cut the apples into 1/2-inch cubes. Place apples into a large bowl filled with water (to prevent browning).
• In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in apples, sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt. Cover and stir occasionally for 5 minutes or until apples are slightly softened. Stir in flour and continue to cook until apples are soft and tender (but not mushy), and the filling has thickened. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness (or the thickness of a cardboard box). Cut out dough into 6-inch circles.
• Place 1/3 cup of apple filling at the centre of each circle. Fold over the dough, leaving 1/2-inch overlap. Push down to seal the filling. Fold over the overlap and press down to seal the edge.
• Crimp the edges using a your fingers or a fork (see photos above in post). Transfer turnovers onto a parchment-lined baking tray.
• Brush egg generously on the top surface and sprinkle some sugar on top (optional). Cut out three small ventilation holes on top of the turnover. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until pastry is lightly browned.

FRIED APPLE HAND PIES

Steps:

• For the pie dough: Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the shortening and butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add in the ice water and vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the mixture just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press into a large disc. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and then saute the apples, stirring, until just starting to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar and stir. Add the cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until some of the apples start to break apart (but most are still whole), about 4 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Fill a deep pot halfway with oil and heat to 365 degrees F. Roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick on a lightly-floured surface. Cut out eighteen 4 1/2-inch-diameter circles, gathering and re-rolling the dough if necessary. Beat the egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water. Place about 1 heaping tablespoon of the apple filling into the center of each dough round. Brush the edge with some egg mixture and fold the dough over to make a half-moon shape. Press out the air and seal the edges with a fork. Repeat with the remaining filling and dough.
• Place 4 to 6 pies at a time into the hot oil and cook until golden brown, flipping as needed, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Cook's Note: The pies can be frozen for up to 6 months before frying. Frozen pies will take about 8 minutes to fry. You can also refrigerate the pies for up to 2 hours before frying.

APPLE HAND PIES

Steps:

• Tip the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter into a saucepan set over a medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 6-8 mins until the apples are soft. Tip the mixture into a bowl and leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, unroll the pastry with a short side facing you. Cut in half lengthways so you have two long rectangles, then cut each into five smaller rectangles, so you have 10 in total (they should be 12 x 7cm).
• Once the spiced apple mixture has cooled, toss with the cornflour. Spoon into the middle of half the pastry rectangles, leaving the remaining five empty. Brush some of the beaten egg over the exposed pastry around the apples, then carefully place the plain pastry rectangles on top of the filling. Press down around the sides so the filling is encased. Crimp the edges using a fork to seal, then use the tip of a knife to lightly cut three lines across the top of the pies so that steam can escape during cooking.
• Arrange the pies on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and brush all over with more of the beaten egg. Chill for at least 30 mins in the fridge or 10 mins in the freezer. At this stage, the pies can be chilled for up to 24 hrs or individually covered and kept frozen for two months.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush with more of the beaten egg, sprinkle with the demerara sugar and bake for 15-20 mins, or until the pastry is golden (add another 10 mins if baking from frozen). Once baked and cooled, will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.