Apple Hand Pies

Ingredients

• 2 cups (240g) chopped apples1
• 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter (melted)
• 1/4 cup (50g) firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves2
• 1 box (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry (thawed)
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15mL) water
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. 1

   --- FILLING ---

2. 2

   Place the chopped apples in a large bowl. Drizzle melted butter over apples and stir to coat.

3. 3

   In a small bowl, toss together the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Sprinkle mixture over buttered apples and stir until apples are evenly coated3 with the spices. Set aside.

4. 4

   --- CRUST ---

5. 5

   Preheat the oven to 400°F (204ºC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

6. 6

   On a lightly floured surface, roll out one pastry sheet. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the sheet evenly into 12 rectangles. These will be the bottoms of your pies. Place 6 pie bottoms on one baking sheet and 6 on the other.

7. 7

   Spoon 1 to 2 Tablespoons of apple mixture onto each of the 12 bottom rectangles. You may have a little bit of filling leftover, but can certainly use it all up by overfilling the crusts.

8. 8

   Roll out the second sheet of puff pastry. Cut into 12 rectangles. Place the top rectangles over the filled bottoms, slightly stretching the top layer if necessary (puff pastry is very sturdy and forgiving). Crimp the edges with a fork to seal.

9. 9

   Cut two small slits in the top of each hand pie, then brush with egg wash and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

10. 10

    Place baking sheets side-by-side in the oven. If they can't fit, bake one at a time, allowing the other to chill in the refrigerator. Bake pies for 20 minutes, or until the tops are desired golden brown color. Rotate the baking sheets once during bake time. Remove pies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet until safe to handle and serve. Leftover hand pies can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, up to 5 days. Reheat in microwave or in a 300°F (149ºC) oven for 10-15 minutes.

11. 11

    Make ahead: you can prepare the hand pies up to 12 hours in advance. After cutting slits into the tops of the pies, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture before baking.