Apple Hand Pies
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These apple hand pies are made with a buttery crust, and easy stovetop apple filling. I top with sugar and drizzle with caramel sauce before serving!
As much as I love making my homemade apple pie, or my Dutch apple pie recipe there are times when I want a smaller apple pie. These delicious apple hand pies everything you love about a classic apple pie just a tad smaller (like mini apple pies made in muffin tins!)
These hand-held apple pies start with my double pie crust recipe, and then I made an apple filling on the stovetop. I’ve used this apple filling for my puff pastry apple turnovers.
You can enjoy these adorable apple hand pies on their own, or serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!
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Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Everything you love about apple pie in mini form!
- Made with a tender pie crust
- Tart apple filling
- Great for enjoying now or freezing for later!
Ingredients Needed
- Pie crust – You need 2 pie crusts. You can use store-bought or make your own homemade double pie crust.
- Apples – I love using Honeycrisp apples or Granny Smith apples. Read more here about what apples are best for baking.
- Granulated Sugar – You could also use brown sugar.
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Nutmeg
- Lemon Juice
- Egg wash – This will help brown the crust. Read more here about what is an egg wash.
- Cinnamon Sugar – You can also use only white sugar, or coarse sugar. Check out my cinnamon ratio tutorial.
- Caramel – You can make a homemade caramel sauce or store-bought caramel sauce to drizzle on before eating.
How To Make Apple Hand Pies
Make the apple filling:
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add butter to melt. Stir in diced apples and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, flour and salt. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until apples are soft and caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Assemble hand pies:
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough with a rolling pin to about ¼-inch thickness.
Using a 3 ½-inch round cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible. Re roll scraps and roll back out cutting out more rounds.
Place 1-2 Tablespoons of apple filling into the center of a pie circle. Top with a second pie circle. Lightly press out any air at the seam.
Crimp edges with the tines of a fork. Cut 2-3 small slits in the top of each pie to vent the filling.
Place each pie onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Near the end of the chilling time, preheat the oven to 375oF (190oC).
Brush a little egg wash on top of each pie. Sprinkle with coarse sugar or cinnamon sugar if using.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool before glazing.
You can drizzle on with a little caramel sauce before serving if you’d like or serve as is.
Recipe Tips
- Chill the dough before rolling it out. This will make it easier to work with. I recommend chilling the cookie dough for an hour.
- Sticky Crust. If the pie crust is too sticky to roll out, lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Just don’t use too much!
- Cool the apple filling. You don’t want to add hot filling to the pie crust or the crust will get gummy and not bake up well.
Recipe Variations
- Use apple pie spice – Instead of cinnamon and nutmeg you can replace with using apple pie spice.
- Use store-bought pie dough instead of a homemade pie crust.
- Top the apple pies with coarse sugar or a sprinkle of granulated sugar before baking.
Storage Instructions
Store any leftover pies in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze any leftover baked pies for up to 3 months. Make sure they are cooled completely before freezing. Freeze in an airtight container. I also like to wrap each pie in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag for added protection. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
You can also assemble these pies and freeze unbaked for up to 3 months. Bake frozen (no need to thaw) and add on a few additional minutes of baking time.
Recipe FAQs
You want to use a similar pie crust you would use for a full-sized pie. I used my double pie crust recipe, but you could also use my 3 ingredient pie crust, or my all butter pie crust.
Make sure you use cold butter, and not add too much water. Also make sure to chill the mini pies before baking to help firm up the crust. And don’t skip the egg wash, which will help turn the crust golden brown!
I like to use Granny Smith apples because they are a tart apple that holds up well. But Honey Crisp apples work well too. I’d steer away from MacIntosh which can break down too much and get mushy.
More Recipes To Try
If you’re craving more mini desserts, try my mini blueberry pies made in a muffin tin! Or my mini chocolate cheesecakes topped with ganache.
And if it’s Fall, don’t forget to try my mini pumpkin cheesecakes!
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Apple Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts store-bought or homemade
Apple filling:
- 1 ¼ pound apples about 3 medium peeled, cored and diced into 1/3″ thick pieces
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Assembly and serving:
- 1 large egg+ 1 Tbsp water for egg wash
- Cinnamon sugar or coarse sugar for sprinkling on top
- Homemade caramel sauce or store-bought for serving
Instructions
Make the apple filling;
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add butter to melt. Stir in diced apples and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. 1 ¼ pound apples 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter
- Reduce heat to low and stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, flour and salt. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until apples are soft and caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour ⅛ teaspoon salt
Assemble hand pies:
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured counter. Roll out dough with a rolling pin to about ¼-inch thickness. 2 pie crusts
- Using a 3 ½-inch round cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible. Re roll scraps and roll back out cutting out more rounds.
- Place 1-2 Tablespoons of apple filling into the center of a pie circle. Top with a second pie circle. Lightly press out any air at the seam. Crimp edges with a fork. Cut 2-3 slits in the top of each pie to vent the filling.
- Place each pie onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Near the end of the chilling time, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Brush egg wash on top of each pie. Sprinkle with coarse sugar or cinnamon sugarif using. 1 large egg+ 1 Tbsp water for egg wash Cinnamon sugar
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool before serving. Drizzle with caramel sauce before serving.
Notes
- Storage: Store any leftover pies in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze any leftover baked pies for up to 3 months. Make sure they are cooled completely before freezing. Freeze in an airtight container. I also like to wrap each pie in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag for added protection. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. You can also assemble these pies and freeze unbaked for up to 3 months. Bake frozen (no need to thaw) and add on a few additional minutes of baking time.
- Apples – I love using Honeycrisp apples or Granny Smith apples. Read more here about what apples are best for baking.
So easy & yummy!🍏
So happy you enjoyed them! They’re one of my favorite easy fall treats too. Thanks for making them! 🍎😊
where is the 3 1/2″ cutter from?
Thank you
Tonya Ziese
Hi Tonya! Thanks for asking — I got mine from Amazon. Here’s the link to the exact one I use:
3.5-inch Round Cutter But any 3.5 round cutter will do!
Hope that helps! Happy baking! 😊🍎
I haven’t made your mini apple pies just yet (just now received the recipe). But I do have a question. Can puff pastry be used instead of pie dough? Thank you! Debbie
Hi Debbie! Great question 😊 Yes, you can absolutely use puff pastry — it will be flakier and richer than pie dough (and delicious!). Since the baking time and texture will be different, I’d recommend trying my Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers recipe, which uses this same apple filling but is tailored for puff pastry.