THE BEST EASY APPLE HAND PIES

These easy apple hand pies are a great way of serving an apple pie as an individual portion – no cutlery & no mess! They are a perfect ‘grab and go’ snack that can be eaten hot or cold. It’s a great recipe to make with children too. They can be made in advance and stored in the freezer, ready for the upcoming holiday season. Vegan, no refined sugar.  

We have a few big apple trees outside of my office (it’s set right in the middle of the beautiful and lusciously green New Forest), so I brought a big bag full of apples home the other day & was wondering what on earth I will be making with them! A few hours later, my daughter & I were making these super easy apple hand pies and we had so much fun doing it together! For quickness, I used ready-made shortcrust pastry, which is a great time saver and makes this recipe ready in no time at all.  

WHY SHOULD I MAKE APPLE HAND PIES?

• Individual serving = no cutlery & no mess!
• Perfect ‘grab and go’ snack
• Super easy to make
• Great for making ahead and storing in your freezer – super handy for being on top of the game for the upcoming holiday season!
• If you have little helpers in the house, it’s a good recipe to get them involved in
• The aroma of cooking apples and pies will make your house smell like a bakery!

WHICH APPLES TO USE?

You can you any apples of your choice (combining different types of apples works great too). I personally prefer using a sweeter variety like Braeburn, Gala or Pink Lady. If you’re using cooking apples or a sour variety like Granny Smith, you’ll want to add more sugar to the filling to balance out the sour taste.

APPLE PIE SHAPES

Although I’ve used apple cookie cutter, you can use any cookie cutters of your choice. Use a glass to cut out round circles if you haven’t got a cookie cutter to hand.

BAKING TIPS

• Be careful not to overfill your pies with too much filling, otherwise you’ll have trouble with the pastry slices sticking to each other.
• Make your apple chunks roughly the same size – it will ensure the pies cook evenly. The smaller you cut your apples, the more you can fit into each pie.
• Making a little hole or slit in the pie will allow the steam to escape, which will keep the pastry crisp.  
• To give your pies a nice glaze, brush them with a little maple syrup/agave nectar whilst they’re still warm.  

THE BEST VEGAN ‘EGG WASH’

Now let’s park here for a second. So many vegan recipes call for just dairy free milk for egg wash replacement. NOT TRUE!! I’ve used every type of plant milk you can think of and nothing has ever given me that seductive golden-brown look the pastry should have. The trick? Mixing the plant milk with maple syrup! I don’t know the science behind it but from personal experience, this is the best vegan egg wash replacement I’ve found so far. If you know if any other ones, I’d love to hear them!

HOW TO STORE

Store the pies in the fridge in an air tight container – they will keep for 3-4 days. Although you can eat them cold, they taste the best when warm. To reheat the pie, microwave it for a few seconds on full power or stick it in the hot oven for a few minutes.

CAN I FREEZE APPLE HAND PIES?

Yes! These hand pies are a perfect freezer-friendly recipe (extra bonus points for the upcoming holiday season!). I’d recommend freezing them uncooked. Once you’ve shaped your pies, put them on a tray and place in the freezer for a couple of hours until they’re firm. You can then transfer them into a zip-lock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To cook from frozen, place the frozen pies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, brush with the ‘egg wash’ and bake in the hot oven (*you’ll need to allow extra cooking time than stated on the recipe card).  

Looking for more dessert inspiration? Check out:

• Quick & easy nectarine tart
• Healthier raspberry & rhubarb crisp
• Plum & blackberry galette
• Chocolate & blood orange tart
• Vegan strawberry mousse cake

As always, if you recreate this recipe, I’d be delighted to read your comments and hear your feedback. Be sure to drop a comment here on the blog, tag me in your photos on Instagram @Fit Foodie Nutter, Facebook or Pinterest so I don’t miss them.

See you next week.

Healthfully yours,

Tania x

THE BEST EASY APPLE HAND PIES

Tania Pilcher | Fit Foodie Nutter

These easy apple hand pies are a great way of serving an apple pie as an individual portion – no cutlery & no mess! They are a perfect ‘grab and go’ snack that can be eaten hot or cold. It’s a great recipe to make with children too. They can be made in advance and stored in the freezer, ready for the upcoming holiday season. Vegan, no refined sugar.

4.64 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dessert, Snacks

Cuisine British

Servings 7

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the pies:

• 500 g vegan shortcrust pastry
• 3 apples (330g) peeled and diced into small pieces
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar or caster sugar plus more or sprinkling
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 whole star anise
• 3 tbsp water

For the vegan ‘egg wash’:

• 3 tbsp almond milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

 

• Remove the shortcrust pastry from the fridge at least half an hour before to get it to the room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6/392F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• In a saucepan, combine the apples, lemon juice, vanilla bean paste, coconut sugar, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, star anise and water and bring to a gentle boil. Cook on medium heat, covered, for 5-7 minutes or until the apples are just soft. Discard the cinnamon sticks and star anise and set aside to cool down.
• Roll out the pastry into a large 2cm thick circle. Using a 10cm cookie cutter (or a glass), cut out 14 shapes (use the pastry cut outs to make an extra circle to get more shapes). Spoon the apple filling into the centre, leaving the boarder of around 2cm. Cover with a plain pastry shape to encase the filling and seal the edges with a fork. Brush the hand pies with the ‘egg wash’ & sprinkle with coconut sugar. Using a straw, poke a steam hole on the top of the pie. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool down for a few minutes and if desired, brush with a little maple syrup whilst still warm for extra glaze. Serve on its own or with custard or ice cream!

Keyword Easy apple hand pies, apple pie, vegan apple pie, vegan recipes, quick and easy dessert, kid friendly, vegan baking

Making this? I’d love to see!Tag your snaps @Fit.Foodie.Nutter and #fitfoodienutter