Savory Cheddar Apple Hand Pies Recipes

APPLE HAND PIES

Steps:

• Place flour, salt, and freshly grated cheese into a large bowl. Mix to combine. Cut butter into chunks, and add to the flour. Toss lightly to coat.
• Working quickly, using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until there are only large pea-sized chunks left. You want a few lumps of butter remaining to keep the pastry nice and tender.
• Combine ice, water and cider vinegar in a bowl. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the ice water into the flour and butter mixture, and using a stiff spatula or your hands, mix in well. Continue adding water a tablespoon at a time ( I usually start with about 180g liquid, mix that in, then go from there and add additional liquid as needed) until you have a dough that holds together well, but is not too wet.
• Squeeze together with your fingertips to make a homogenous dough. Shape into a rectangle, Rest in the fridge for one hour.
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a rectangle, fold it in thirds like a letter, then roll again and repeat the folding. Repeat this process one more time. Shape into a rectangle.
• Wrap tightly in plastic, then leave to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
• Place the butter into a medium pan. Add the apple, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the butter and sugar has melted. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes until the apple has softened slightly.
• Combine the sugar and flour in a bowl. Add to the apple mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened up.
• Transfer to a sheet pan and leave to cool uncovered at room temperature.
• Remove the pie dough from the fridge and divide into two pieces. Wrap one piece up and place back into the fridge until ready to use.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the other piece of pie dough into a large rectangle, approximately 25cmx40cm (10x15"). This ensures you have enough room to cleanly cut out 10 rectangles.
• Using a ruler and a pastry wheel, cut out 10 rectangles, each measuring 7cmx10cm (3"x4"). Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in the fridge until ready to use.
• Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a large rectangle (or you can do this in sections if that is easier). Aim for about the same thickness as the first piece. Cut lattice strips as desired - you want to make sure that some of them are at least 15cm long if you are making an angled lattice like I did, to ensure they are long enough to fit. Place your prepared lattice strips onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan and place into the fridge.
• Squish any scraps back together and place into the fridge until ready to use.
• To assemble the hand pies, I find that it is easiest to work with one at a time. Take a rectangle of pie dough and place it on your work surface (you can lightly flour it or use a piece of parchment). Spread with a little of the apple filling, leaving a space around edges (see image in blog post).
• Top with strips of dough all going the same direction (see images), then lattice with the strips going in the opposite direction. Lattice however you like. I find that if there is a lot of overhang on a strip, I can cut it and use it in a different part of the hand pie where a shorter strip of dough is needed.
• To finish, take a sharp knife and carefully cut around the border of the pie so that the lattice is flush with the bottom piece of dough. This should create enough of a seal.
• Carefully lift up your hand pie and place it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in the fridge.
• Repeat the process with the rest of the pies until you have latticed them all. Use scrap dough to make more lattices if needed. You may have a little filling and pastry left over - feel free to make this into a few more hand pies!
• Once all the pies are done, leave them to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the pastry to firm up. While the pies are chilling, preheat the oven to 375°f /190°c.
• Brush the tops of the pies with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake the hand pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Serve at room temperature or slightly warm. Store leftovers lightly covered at room temperature. Refresh briefly before eating if desired.

FRIED APPLE HAND PIES

Steps:

• For the pie dough: Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the shortening and butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add in the ice water and vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the mixture just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press into a large disc. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and then saute the apples, stirring, until just starting to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar and stir. Add the cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until some of the apples start to break apart (but most are still whole), about 4 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Fill a deep pot halfway with oil and heat to 365 degrees F. Roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick on a lightly-floured surface. Cut out eighteen 4 1/2-inch-diameter circles, gathering and re-rolling the dough if necessary. Beat the egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water. Place about 1 heaping tablespoon of the apple filling into the center of each dough round. Brush the edge with some egg mixture and fold the dough over to make a half-moon shape. Press out the air and seal the edges with a fork. Repeat with the remaining filling and dough.
• Place 4 to 6 pies at a time into the hot oil and cook until golden brown, flipping as needed, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Cook's Note: The pies can be frozen for up to 6 months before frying. Frozen pies will take about 8 minutes to fry. You can also refrigerate the pies for up to 2 hours before frying.

APPLE PIE WITH CHEDDAR CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide dough into two pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each to a 13-inch circle.
• Fit one circle into a 10-inch pie plate; transfer plate to a baking sheet. Put other circle on another baking sheet. Refrigerate dough until cold, at least 30 minutes.
• Stir together apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Spoon into bottom pie crust. Dot filling with butter. Cover with top crust. Fold edges over; crimp decoratively to seal. Cut a steam vent. Chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Brush with egg. Bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Tent with foil; bake until juices are bubbling, about 45 minutes more. Let cool at least 1 1/2 hours before serving.

APPLE PIE WITH CHEDDAR CRUST

Steps:

• Make pastry dough:
• Stir together flour, salt, and cheese in a large bowl (or pulse in a food processor). Add butter and shortening and blend with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 6 tablespoon ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful: If dough doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.
• Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide in half, then form each half into a 5-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make filling and bake pie:
• Put a foil-lined large baking sheet in middle of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
• Peel and core apples, then slice 1/4 inch thick. Toss apples with sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt until evenly coated.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining disk chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out remaining piece of dough into an 11-inch round.
• Transfer filling to shell. Dot with butter, then cover with pastry round. Trim edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Press edges together to seal, then fold under. Lightly brush top crust with milk, then cut 5 (1-inch-long) vents.
• Bake on hot baking sheet 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 375°F and bake until crust is golden-brown and filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes more. Cool to warm or room temperature, 2 to 3 hours.

BEEF AND CHEDDAR HAND PIES

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over high. Add beef, garlic, and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire and Dijon; season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Stir in cheese.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 14-inch square. Cut into four 7-inch squares; place a quarter of beef mixture on each. Brush edges with egg, then fold one corner of each pie over, forming a triangle. Press edges to seal.
• Place pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with more egg. Cut 2 vents in each top; freeze 10 minutes. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve with broccoli rabe.