Apple Mini-Hand Pies

Although I love to bake and cook from scratch, there’s nothing wrong with taking shortcuts when you can – especially when pressed for time. These little mini-hand pies can be whipped up in no time and made with any filling of your choice – pie filling, marmalade, nutella, s’mores, etc. The fun possibilities are endless! All you need is filling, pre-made pie crust, a large biscuit cutter, a little all-purpose flour for dusting, an egg wash and water.

Lightly flour your board/counter-top and roll out the pre-made pie crust. Gently roll it with a rolling pin just so the edges are flat. Using the biscuit cutter, cut out as many circles as you can get. Do the same with the second pie crust. Combine all the scraps into a ball and roll it out on a floured board. Cut out more circles and continue this step until you’ve used up all the pie crusts. I was able to get 26 rounds.

Note: I used about 1/2 cup of apple pie filling and sprinkled a little cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, pinch of salt and a little lemon juice for brightness.

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Place no more than a teaspoon size of filling in the center of the round. Any more will seep out when you close it. Wet your finger with water and moisten the edges all around. Fold over and seal the edges of the pie with a fork and prick the top so they release steam when baking.

Note: At this point, you can refrigerate or freeze the mini-pies. Make sure you separate them with parchment paper.

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Place the pies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and give each one a little egg wash (1 beaten egg with a little water). In a small cup, mix about 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar and a few dashes of cinnamon powder. Mix well and sprinkle over the egg wash.
Note: If you look closely, not all have the sugar-cinnamon topping. I wanted to have some plain pies as well.

Finally, bake in a 350° preheated oven until the pies are golden – about 20 minutes, depending on your oven.

I served this with Spiced Rum Sauce on the side.

Here are a few ideas for other fillings:
any other fruit pie filling, any jam, brie and cranberry or fig jam, cream cheese and guava, nutella, goat cheese and caramelized onions, etc. Do you see where I’m going here? The Pillsbury Pie Crust is a great store bought item to always have in your freezer. Oh, you can also garnish an ice cream sundae with the Apple Mini-Hand Pies and drizzle some Spiced Rum Sauce on top!