Hand-Held Apple Pies

Name: Hand-Held Apple Pies
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 2 dozen.
Ingredients: 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened; 1 cup unsalted butter, softened; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon salt; FILLING:; 1/4 cup sugar; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice; 2 cups finely chopped peeled tart apples; 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter; FINISHING:; 1 large egg yolk; 2 tablespoons water; Coarse sugar and cinnamon-sugar

When I was in high school, my best friend's mother baked this mini apple pie recipe every year. I was thrilled when she shared it with me—I finally felt like an adult! —Katie Ferrier, Houston, Texas

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
FILLING:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups finely chopped peeled tart apples
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
FINISHING:
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons water
Coarse sugar and cinnamon-sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture until well blended. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Combine the sugar, cinnamon and allspice; set aside. Divide each portion of dough into 12 balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 4-in. circle. Place a tablespoonful of chopped apples on one side. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sugar mixture; dot with 1/4 teaspoon butter.
In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and water. Brush edges of pastry with egg wash; fold pastry over filling and seal edges well with a fork. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Brush remaining egg wash over tops. Cut slits in pastry. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and cinnamon-sugar.
Bake at 425° for 11-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Test Kitchen Tips

Don't worry if your dough looks a little dry and crumbly before you pop it in the fridge. It will come together beautifully after it rests.

Avoid blowouts! Cutting slits in pastry allows steam to escape.

This dough isn't sweetened, so it works well with savory fillings, too. Use about a tablespoon of filling per pie, and finish with a grind of coarse pepper instead of sugar. Try it with these mini meat pies.

Make the pastry ahead! It can be prepared and rolled out a day in advance. Stack pastry rounds between floured sheets of waxed paper.

Nutrition Facts

1 pie: 162 calories, 12g fat (7g saturated fat), 40mg cholesterol, 56mg sodium, 12g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 0 fiber), 2g protein.

Originally published as Apple Hand Pies in Taste of Home Christmas Annual 2013

Reviews

My Review

Click stars to rate

Average Rating:

clhrwh

Oct 26, 2018

While time consuming to make, the crust is easy to work with. The little pies are very tasty too. A better recipe than any I've tried in the past for hand-held pies.
Dianne93101

Oct 5, 2018

So very good and I’ll be using the crust recipe for other pie recipes for sure!
MirandaFlamel

Jul 6, 2018

I absolutely love the pie crust, as it's very easy to work with and turns out so flaky!
walkerjo

Feb 25, 2018

Sorry, cheated & used ready made pie crust. But they are so good. Freeze well, too.
Ann

Jan 22, 2018

Dough was a bit difficult to work with on my first try, and of course they didn't look like the picture, but wowsa ~ these are really good! Yes, I used parchment paper in the cookie sheets. At my house we judge a recipe by if it's a keeper or not, and this one is! Well worth the time and effort ~ my husband is a big pie lover and he loved these!
Terri

Jan 15, 2018

Mary, have you tried Greek Yogurt to replace cream cheese? I've used it to replace sour cream and cream cheese before with no probs.
Robyn

Nov 23, 2017

Made this and they were so delicious. A big hit with all.
No_Time_To_Cook

Oct 12, 2017

Four stars for flavor. A little more time consuming than I thought. Mine did not come looking as pretty as the picture, and I definitely needed to grease cookie sheet or use parchment paper, as they stuck to the pan.
Mary

Jul 16, 2017

What could I use instead f cream cheese as I am very Lactaid intolerant? Thanks for any help!
tnea

Feb 24, 2017

Very good and easy to make. I do not keep allspice so I used a little more cinnamon. Used Granny Smith Apples as I love the tartness. Will make a double batch next time.