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Mini Apple Hand Pies

Homemade Mini Apple Pies

This recipe is for a batch of delicious home-made mini apple pies. The pastry is buttery and crumbly and the pies contain a delicious apple filling which includes cinnamon and nutmeg.
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Chilling Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 383kcal

Ingredients

For the Pie Crust 

  • 400g plain flour
  • 60g caster sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 110g unsalted butter
  • 95g shortening (I use Trex or Crisco)
  • 75ml cold water (with 2 ice-cubes and 1 tablespoon lemon juice)

For the Apple Pie Filling

  • 4 medium apples (I use gala apples)
  • 25g unsalted butter
  • 30g caster sugar (or any other sugar)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)

For the Egg Wash

  • 1 medium egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

  • Make the dough: Start by adding the flour sugar and salt to a mixing bowl then combine them together. To the flour, add the cold cubed butter and chopped shortening. Using your fingers, coat the butter and shortening with the flour then use your fingers to press and flatten the pieces of fat . Once all the pieces of fat are flat, break up the fat even further until you have small but slightly larger than peas size pieces of fat throughout the mixture. It is ok to have a few larger pieces. You can also use a pastry cutter for this step.
  • To a jug, add the cold water, ice cubes and lemon juice. Make a well in the centre of the mixture then pour around half of the water into the centre. Using both hands, begin to toss the flour and water to help the pastry come together. Continue to add more water in tablespoon increments while still bringing the dough together to form a ball. If bits of dough are falling off. Dip your fingers into the water and slightly wet the area you want to attach it to rather than pouring more water in and ending up with too much water. At this point the dough should not be sticky but not dry either. If it is dry, add more water. If sticky and moist then add more flour.
  • Once you form a rough ball, flour a clean surface and begin to gently knead the dough. Don’t overdo the kneading just enough to keep the dough together. Split the dough into 2 equal pieces then flatten and shape both pieces of dough into disk shapes. Wrap them separately in cling film/plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  • Make the apple pie filling: While the dough is in the fridge, you can begin to make the apple pie filling. Add all the pie filling ingredients to a saucepan and heat on medium while occasionally stirring. Once the butter has melted, stir again and allow the filling to simmer for around 5 - 6 minutes. The sauce around the apple should have thicken and the apples should be soft but not mushy. Remove from the heat and allow the filling to completely cool.
  • Roll out and cut the dough: Once the dough has rested in the fridge for at least an hour, remove one of the plastic wrapped doughs from the fridge. Roll it out to around ½ cm thick and turn the dough between each roll to avoid it sticking. If it begins to stick lightly dust the surface again with more flour. Cut as many circles as you can using a cookie cutter. 
  • Re-roll the scraps and cut more circles.  One piece of the dough should make around 10 circles. Stack the cut pastry with a piece of parchment paper between each circle then wrap all the cut pastry circles in cling film/plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Repeat the previous process with the second piece of dough, refrigerate the second set of cut pastry.
  • Arrange the pies: Preheat the oven to gas mark 5/375oF/190oC and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Make the egg wash by combining the egg and milk. Remove the first set of cut pastry from the fridge and spread them out on a floured surface. Add around 2 tablespoons of the cooled filling to the centre of each pastry circle then use a pastry brush and brush around the edges of the pastry with the egg wash.
  • Remove the second set of cut pastry which with be the top of the pies. Remove one circle from the pile then make two small slits in the middle of the circle. Place it on top of the pie filling and press the edges with your fingers to seal it with the bottom crust. Use a fork to crimp the edges then brush the top with the egg wash and sprinkle some sugar on top.
  • Repeat the previous step to complete all the pies. Use a turner spatula to lift the pies and carefully transfer them to the baking tray. I usually bake 6 then place the rest of the pies in the fridge and bake them after. Bake the pies for 25 – 30 minutes until golden brown. Leave the pies to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes then transfer each pie to a cooling rack and allow to cool until you’re ready to eat.