There Is something to be said about moving across country with kids… twice. I’ve made four cross country moves in my lifetime, all of which, have been for career moves. (Either for myself; or now, for my husband) But now, I can honestly say that packing up little kids' toys has got to be the absolute most annoying thing EVER. Holy cow. The boxes. The small boxes. The medium boxes. The large boxes. And somehow it never fits. It's mind blowing. And then, when you think you’re all done… you walk into the garage and see more toys. More crafts! More tiny little things that don’t go with anything or that belong to a toy you threw away 6 months ago!!
I write this on the heels of a very long last 3 months… of packing, more packing, downsizing, driving, seeing all the sites and feeling all the feels. Living with grandparents. Moving in and out of cars. Storage Units. And Garages. It's been a minute for me. The Play on Project has been put on hold on purpose. Trying to process the last three months, transitioning from Washington to Texas is / was hard. Not only for me, but for my little ones too. I haven’t really had a kitchen of my own to try new recipes!! But now that we’re entering a whole new season (FALL), my favorite sites and smells of delicious foods are surrounding me. I had to dig through some boxes to find my mixer so I could make this beautiful fall dessert for you! If you know anything about me, pies are my specialty. But these are a special treat that I only make for special times!!! And this is one of them… HAND PIES. They take a wee bit more time than a regular pie but they are so worth it!
APPLE HAND PIES
Ingredients
Homemade Pie Crust – Click this for the link to her pie crust recipe
3 medium apples, peeled and diced into small bite-size pieces (about 2 and 1/2 cups, or 300g, diced)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk
Instructions
1. The crust: Prepare her pie crust recipe through step 5. The dough must chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator. You can make pie dough ahead, see instructions below.
2. The filling: Combine the diced apples, granulated sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice together in a medium saucepan or skillet over low-medium heat. While occasionally stirring, bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can make filling ahead, see instructions below.
3. Roll out the pie dough: See my video above as a visual guide for the next few steps. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls. At any sign of sticking, sprinkle some flour underneath then keep rolling. Roll out until it’s about 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8–1/4-inch thick. Using your cookie cutter, cut into circles. Re-roll any scraps and cut into circles. Place cut circles in the refrigerator to keep cold. The colder the shaped dough, the easier it is to work with. Repeat with 2nd pie dough and refrigerate cut circles for at least 15 minutes before filling the hand pies.
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
5. Fill the hand pies: Arrange half of the circles about 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. These are the bottom crusts. Using a sharp knife, cut slits into the remaining circles. These are the top crusts. The slits act as vents so that steam can escape as the hand pies bake. Place about 2 Tablespoons of filling in the center of each bottom crust. (Or however much fits while leaving the edges bare.) Place top crust on top. Press your fingers all around the edges to seal, then crimp the pie crust edges with a fork. If the hand pies lost some shape, use your hands to form a round circle again. It’s OK if some filling juice is leaking out. Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with egg wash mixture. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
6. At this point the hand pies can be baked, but if they don’t feel cool to touch anymore, freeze for 10 minutes before baking. The colder they are going into the oven, the better they’ll hold their shape.
7. Bake for about 28–32 minutes or until they’re golden brown on top and around the edges. Rotate pans halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and allow the hand pies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool until ready to handle.
There is so much that goes into making a pie, but even more goes into making a Hand Pie. I can honestly say that I spent my afternoon in baking heaven while I took my time rolling out the dough and forming the small circular pie crusts with apple filling. And throughout, I listened to my new favorite artist, Chappell Roan!! Shes a Queen! I recently watched an interview of her on Jimmy Fallon and she was dressed up like a bird. Feathers on her fingers, eye brows, the whole thing. In her interview, she said the theatre inspires her wardrobe. That’s my girl!! The song I’m pairing these beautiful Apple Hand Pies with is one of my daughters favorites, Pink Pony Club. I don’t need to say much about it except that its fun and one that you can sing at the top of your lungs in the car, or In the kitchen. Chappell Roan Is a new artist and I encourage you all to take a listen @ChappellRoan
There is really no clear connection between Chappell’s song Pink Pony Club and my Apple Hand Pies… except that it made me very happy in the kitchen and it makes my daughter happy in the car. I spent this summer without a garden and without much cooking or baking. I did not like it one bit...But I did create some pretty incredible memories with my kids, my parents, my husband and his parents too. There is one thing that is certain… my family is SO LOVED. Absolutely loved. Loved by friends. Loved by family. And loved by each other. And the rest of the stress… just doesn’t matter.
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