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These Apple Hand Pies are filled with warm cinnamon-spiced apples wrapped in flaky puff pastry and baked until deeply golden and crisp. A buttery cinnamon-sugar topping caramelizes over the pastry, giving these easy little pies the look and texture of a classic fried apple pie without any frying!
I remember going to McDonald’s when I was a kid and always having to get a warm apple hand pie. They were my favorite! I knew that I must attempt to make a homemade copycat version and loved the way it turned out! Honestly, these are even better and incredibly simple to make.
I love how easy these are compared to making a whole apple pie. The homemade apple pie filling is thick and sticky with tender pieces of apple, while store-bought puff pastry keeps the recipe simple. They’re especially good served warm when the pastry is crisp and flaky and the apple filling is still gooey inside.
If you love classic apple pie like I do, you’ll also want to check out these other unique apple pie desserts: apple pie cookies, apple pie wontons, apple turnovers, caramel apple empanadas, apple pie dip and apple pie tacos.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Hand Pie Recipe
- Flaky and crisp. Puff pastry gives the outside tons of light, buttery layers.
- Homemade apple filling. A combination of tart and sweet apples creates the perfect filling.
- No frying. A special baking method gives the pastry a deeply golden, blistered appearance without a pot of oil.
- Easy shortcut. Store-bought puff pastry eliminates the work of making homemade pie dough.
- Ready in under an hour. From start to finish, these take about 55 minutes.
- Perfect for fall. They’re great for apple season, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or anytime you’re craving apple pie.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These Apple Hand Pies use simple ingredients and store-bought puff pastry to keep the prep easy. See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Granny Smith apple. The tart flavor balances the sweetness of the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Dazzle apple. Adds sweetness and another layer of apple flavor. Honeycrisp can be substituted if you can’t find Dazzle apples.
- Butter. The apples cook in unsalted butter, which makes the filling rich and flavorful.
- Brown sugar. Sweetens the apples and creates a warm caramel-like flavor.
- Cinnamon. Gives the filling that classic apple pie flavor.
- Salt. Just a pinch balances the sweetness.
- Lemon juice. Brightens the apple flavor and balances the brown sugar.
- Vanilla. Stirred in at the end for extra flavor.
- Cornstarch. Thickens the juices so you get a sticky apple filling instead of a runny one.
- Puff pastry. You’ll need one package containing two sheets. Thaw according to the package directions before getting started.
- Egg. Combined with water to make an egg wash that helps the pastry turn beautifully golden.
Melted butter. A very light layer is brushed over the tops before adding the cinnamon sugar.
How To Make Apple Hand Pies
These homemade Apple Hand Pies are easier than they look! The apple filling is cooked first and cooled before assembling the puff pastry.
- Make The Apple Pie Filling. Add the diced apples to a skillet with the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until the apples begin to soften. Stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Pour the mixture into the skillet and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Prepare The Puff Pastry. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Unfold both thawed puff pastry sheets onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll each sheet just enough to smooth out the seams. Cut each sheet into 8 equal rectangles.
- Fill The Hand Pies. Arrange 8 pastry rectangles on your work surface. Spoon about 1½ tablespoons of apple filling into the center of each one.
- Seal The Pies. Place the remaining 8 puff pastry rectangles over the filling. Press the edges together, then use the tines of a fork to firmly crimp and seal all four sides. Transfer the pies to the prepared baking sheet. Cut 2-3 small slits into the top of each pie.
- Chill. Place the Apple Hand Pies in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. Don’t skip this step! Keeping the puff pastry cold before it hits the hot oven helps create the crisp, flaky layers and blistered exterior that make these hand pies look so good.
- Add The Cinnamon Sugar. Lightly brush the chilled hand pies with the egg wash. Brush a very light layer of melted butter over the tops. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over each pie.
- Bake. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 400°F and continue baking for another 9-12 minutes. The Apple Hand Pies are ready when they’re puffed, blistered, crisp, and deeply golden brown crust. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips
- Use two types of apples. Granny Smith and Dazzle give you a great balance of tartness and sweetness. Honeycrisp is a good substitute for Dazzle.
- Finely dice the apples. Small pieces soften quickly and make the hand pies easier to fill.
- Cook off the liquid. The filling should be thick, glossy, and sticky before removing it from the heat.
- Cool the filling. Warm filling will soften the puff pastry and make assembly more difficult.
- Don’t overfill. About 1½ tablespoons per pie is plenty.
- Seal the edges firmly. Press them together and then crimp with a fork to help prevent leaks.
- Keep the puff pastry cold. The 10-15 minute chill before baking is important for a flaky, blistered crust.
- Use only a little butter. You’re brushing a very light coating over the egg wash rather than soaking the pastry.
- Be generous with cinnamon sugar. It creates that beautiful caramelized coating you see on top.
- Let them get dark. Deeply golden pastry gives these pies more of that classic fried-hand-pie appearance.
Easy Variations
- Caramel Apple Hand Pies. Drizzle caramel sauce over the finished pies for an easy caramel apple version.
- Mix in some nuts. Add a small amount of finely chopped pecans or walnuts to the filling.
- Add a glaze. Skip the cinnamon-sugar topping and drizzle the cooled pies with a simple powdered sugar glaze.
- Use pie crust instead. You can replace the puff pastry with store-bought or homemade pie crust.
- Serve à la mode. Warm one up and serve it with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Are My Apple Hand Pies Soggy?
The apple filling may have contained too much liquid or been too warm when you assembled the pies. Cook it until thick and sticky, then allow it to cool before spooning it onto the puff pastry.
Why Did My Apple Hand Pies Leak?
They may have been overfilled or not sealed firmly enough. Use about 1½ tablespoons of filling and leave a ½-inch border so you have plenty of pastry to seal.
What’s The Best Apple For Apple Hand Pies?
This recipe uses a combination of Granny Smith and Dazzle apples for tartness, sweetness, and texture. Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, SugarBee or Pink Lady can replace the Dazzle apple if needed.
Storing
- Room Temperature: Store completely cooled Apple Hand Pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Keep them refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The pastry will naturally soften a little during storage, but it’s easy to crisp back up.
- Reheat leftover hand pies in a 350°F oven for a few minutes. This warms the apple filling while helping the puff pastry become crisp again. I prefer the toaster oven over the microwave because microwaving makes puff pastry softer.
Apple Hand Pies
These Apple Hand Pies are filled with warm cinnamon-spiced apples wrapped in flaky puff pastry and baked until deeply golden and crisp. A buttery cinnamon-sugar topping caramelizes over the pastry, giving these easy little pies the look and texture of a classic fried apple pie without any frying!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 Granny Smith apple peeled and finely diced
- 1 Dazzle apple peeled and finely diced
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon water
Crust
- 1 package frozen puff pastry 2 sheets, thawed according to package directions
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the diced Granny Smith and Dazzle apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice to a medium skillet.
- Cook over medium heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring often, until the apples begin to soften and release their juices.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Pour into the apple mixture and cook for another 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the filling becomes thick, glossy, and sticky.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer the filling to a bowl and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.
Assembly
- Unfold the thawed puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Gently roll each sheet just enough to smooth the seams.
- Cut each sheet into 8 equal rectangles, for a total of 16 rectangles.
- Spoon about 1½ tablespoons apple filling into the center of 8 pastry rectangles, leaving about a ½-inch border around the edges.
- Place the remaining pastry rectangles over the filling. Press the edges together, then seal firmly with the tines of a fork.
- Transfer the hand pies to the prepared baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut 2–3 small slits in the top of each pie.
- Refrigerate the assembled hand pies for 10–15 minutes.
- Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the tops of the chilled hand pies lightly with the egg wash.
- Very lightly brush the tops with the melted butter.
- Stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle generously over each hand pie.
Bake
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes.
- Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 400°F and continue baking for 9–12 minutes, or until the hand pies are puffed, blistered, and deeply golden brown.
- Allow the hand pies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Last Step:
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Nutrition
Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 179IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
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