Easy Apple Hand Pies

These easy apple hand pies are filled with warm baked apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar. These mini pies are easy to make and are in and out of the oven in 30 minutes. This recipe can easily be made gluten-free, vegan, or refined sugar-free.

This apple hand pie recipe is the perfect fall dessert! Make this recipe for friendsgiving, Thanksgiving or for your next gathering.

This recipe is a great way to use up leftover apples if you recently went apple picking or picked up fresh apples from the grocery store! Keep things simple by using a storebought pie crust or make one from scratch if you're feeling fancy.

These hand pies are not overly sweet and are delicious on their own or served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The crunchy sugar on top is a delicious finishing touch!

Jump to:

• Easy Apple Hand Pies, A Simple and Festive Fall Treat!
• Why Hand Pies Are Better Than Regular Old Pies!
• How To Make Easy Apple Hand Pies:
• Everything You'll Need
• Need to make a substitution?
• More Easy Dessert Recipes:
• Recipe
• Easy Apple Hand Pies

If you're looking for more apple recipes, try this amazing sour cream apple cake. This apple cake is super moist and is topped with a streusel crumble and maple glaze.

For a healthier option, make this baked apple oatmeal recipe for breakfast. This baked oatmeal is made with diced apples, raisins, and chopped walnuts. This recipe is also refined sugar-free and is sweetened with pure maple syrup.

For more eggless desserts that are perfect for fall and the holidays, check out this roundup post of the best eggless Thanksgiving desserts.

Easy Apple Hand Pies, A Simple and Festive Fall Treat!

And... drumroll, please! I'd like to welcome these delicious apple hand pies to the blog. These easy hand-held apple pies are made with warm cinnamon apples and a golden flaky pie crust with festive pie crust decorations on top.

This recipe is healthy enough for breakfast and sweet enough to be enjoyed as dessert. Recipes that double as a tasty breakfast and a special dessert are always winners in my book!

Why Hand Pies Are Better Than Regular Old Pies!

My love for hand pies is a new one, but I think it will stick around for some time. I've always made traditional pies in the past and enjoyed a slice of apple or pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. However, this year I wanted to create individual hand pies to mix things up!

After making these sweet apple-filled treats, I realized how convenient they are to pack for breakfast or for lunch! A slice of pie gets messy and the filling slides out, but these homemade apple hand pies stay fresh and neat for days! I love that they are already a personal serving size and the pie crust leaves for decoration add the sweetest fall touch.

My boyfriend Evan and I actually packed two of these hand pies for a bike ride and picnic day recently and we were so pleased with our choice of snack! You can eat these with your hands and make little mess, except for a few crumbs of buttery pie crust.

How To Make Easy Apple Hand Pies:

Let's make these easy caramel apple hand pies in 5 easy steps! 

Step 1: Dice about four small apples into small cubes. In a small mixing bowl, stir together diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and cornstarch. Add two pats of butter, about two tablespoons to the apple mixture. This helps us achieve the caramel-like consistency we're going for.

Step 2: Heat the apple mixture in a small pot over low to medium heat. Stir the pot with a rubber spatula frequently so the brown sugar doesn't burn. Continue stirring for about 15 minutes or until the apples begin to soften.

Step 3: Roll out three circular pie crusts. Use a pizza cutter to slice each pie crust down the middle, creating two halves. You should have 6 halves. Set aside one half to dedicate to cutting out the leaf pie crust decorations. Use a spoon to add about 3 heaping tablespoons of filling to one side of each pie crust half.

Step 4: Use a brush to paint a little egg wash around the edges of each pie crust half. This acts as the glue when we pinch the sides of the crust together. Fold the pie crust to cover the apple filling. Use a fork to score/pinch the edges together to create a sealed edge so no filling escapes while baking. Take a sharp knife to cut two or three small slits into the tops of each hand pie to air can escape while they're in the oven.

Step 5: Brush the tops of each hand pie with egg wash. Now you can add a few leaf pie crust decorations if you'd like! I used these leaf pie crust cutters to make cute leaf decorations.

Step 6: Sprinkle each hand pie with coarse turbinado sugar or granulated sugar for added color, sweetness, and a little crunch! This recipe makes 5 personal-sized apple pies.

Once you've completed all five steps, it's time to pop those cutie hand pies into the oven! Bake until the pie crusts are perfectly golden brown. Let them cool for a bit and enjoy while they are still warm.

Everything You'll Need

• Apples: Use any variety of apples you have at home. I recommend Gala, Honey Crisp,  Pink Lady or Granny Smith apples.
• Brown Sugar: A little brown sugar helps sweeten the apple filling and creates a caramel-like flavor in this recipe.
• Cinnamon: The combination of cinnamon and sweet apples is so delicate and delicious. And your kitchen will smell amazing!
• Lemon Juice: A squeeze of lemon juice brightens up the filling and adds a subtle tartness.
• Cornstarch: Don't forget to add the cornstarch to thicken our baked apple filling.
• Salted Butter: I found that adding a little butter to the apple filling creates a better consistency and flavor in the end.
• Pie Crusts: Whether you opt for homemade pie crust or storebought, a flaky, buttery pie crust is necessary for these hand held apple pies.
• Eggs: Brushing an egg wash over the pie crust before baking gives you the perfect golden color on the tops of the hand pies.
• Turbinado Sugar: Sprinkle some turbinado sugar over each hand pie to enhance the golden color, sweetness and texture.

Need to make a substitution?

Apple varieties?

I'm always a work with what you've got kinda person, so any apples you have on hand should work!  Gala, Honey Crisp,  Pink Lady or Granny Smith apples are some of my favorites.

No Turbinado Sugar?

If you don't have turbinado sugar, sprinkle the hand pies with regular granulated sugar instead.

Gluten-free?

Look for a gluten-free pie crust recipe like this one from The Spruce Eats or this one from King Arthur Baking. Each of these pie crust recipes call for gluten-free all-purpose flour.

More Easy Dessert Recipes:

• Healthy Blueberry Crisp for Two
• Perfectly Chewy Iced Lemon Cookies
• Healthy 4 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Better Than Grandma's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

If you make these easy apple hand pies, be sure to tag #bakedabundance on Instagram. We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below and rate the recipe. We appreciate you! 

Print

Recipe