These apple hand pies taste JUST as delicious as homemade apple pie, without all the work. The filling is ready in 10 minutes using 6 simple ingredients, and the crust is made using store bought pie dough with a cinnamon sugar coating. In other words, they’re quick, easy, and ready in under an hour!
What makes these the BEST apple hand pies?
For starters, the flavor of these pies is so good that you would never even know they’re semi-homemade. The filling is perfectly spiced with tender apples and jammy texture, giving these pies a rich consistency just like a slice of apple pie.
They’re also very easy to make, especially compared to baking an entire apple pie from scratch. The filling comes together so fast, and the crust is made using store bought pie dough because sometimes we just need a shortcut! But to liven up the crust, an egg wash and cinnamon sugar are coated on the surface to give these pies a sweet and crunchy exterior.
Last but not least, they’re shaped like little apples! I took notes from my mini pumpkin pies and used a homemade apple stencil to cut out apple-shaped slices of pie dough. But you can also use an apple-shaped cookie cutter to make this recipe even easier.
How to make a quick and easy apple pie filling
The filling is made using only 6 ingredients and comes together in minutes. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 Apples (fuji or honeycrisp)
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Lemon Juice
- Cornstarch
Everything is combined in a saucepan, minus the cornstarch, over medium heat. After about 10 minutes, the apples will tenderize and release their juices. The mixture will seem a bit runny, which is why the cornstarch comes in. This immediately thickens up the filling to give it a perfect jammy texture.
But before mixing it in, the cornstarch is combined with a bit of water. This is so the cornstarch can seamlessly blend with the apples. If it’s tossed in my itself, you’d be left with bits of cornstarch all throughout the filling which would not look or taste very appetizing.
How to shape these mini apple hand pies
After the filling is prepped, itās time to cut out the tiny apples. For this recipe, weāre using store bought pie crust. One, because itās just as good as homemade and two, because I wanted this recipe to be quick and easy. This time of year can get so busy, and sometimes you just donāt have time to bake everything from scratch!
To cut out our tiny apples, start by thawing the crust just a bit. It should be refrigerated, so allow it to rest at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out and smooth for cutting.
For the apple shapes, you can either use an apple cookie cutter or make your own out of cardboard. For mine, I used the box that the pie crust came in. I made a rough outline of an apple thatās about 3.5ā³ wide by 3.75ā³ tall. Then I went back in and drew a harsher line as the true outline of the apple.
After cutting it out, just lay it on top of the rolled out crust and use a small paring knife to cut around it. Between the two crusts, you should get about 16 apples total.
CAN THESE APPLE HAND PIES BE MADE GLUTEN FREE?
If you can get your hands on a store bought gluten free crust, go for it! Otherwise, use my homemade gluten free pie crust used in my gluten free peanut butter and jelly pop tarts. My tip is to work with this dough when itās close to room temp. If itās too cold, it will break on you. Also use a spatula to help lift the apple cut outs, just to ensure they donāt crack!
Then, before baking, freeze the pies for about 10 minutes. This will firm up that butter again which will give you a delicious flaky crust. This dough also bakes at a lower temp, so bake the pies at 375F for about 15 minutes.
CAN THESE APPLE HAND PIES BE MADE VEGAN?
Yep! It’s luckily very easy to do. Simple swap the butter with vegan butter, and the pie dough with puff pastry dough. If you didn’t know, most store-bought puff pastry is naturally vegan. Follow all the same instructions, but bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. As for the egg wash, swap with a mixture of 2 tbsp milk alt with 1 tbsp maple syrup.
I also suggest just cutting out 3.5″ round slices of puff pastry rather than apple shapes. If you cut apples, they may lose their shape when baked so it won’t be worth the extra detail in the end.
CAN I MAKE THESE PIES AHEAD OF TIME AND BAKE LATER?
Yep! Fill and crimp the mini apple pies but leave off the egg wash. Store the bare pies in an air tight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for a couple days.
Then to bake, apply the egg wash and cinnamon sugar and bake as usual. I also recommend this route if youāre only baking these pies for a couple people. Bake what you need, and chill the bare pies until you want another fresh batch.
HOW TO STORE APPLE HAND PIES
Store the apple hand pies in an air tight container at room temperature where they’ll keep for about 4 days. To last even longer, store in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
For more apple recipes, check out my:
- Caramel Apple Muffins
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Apple Butter Spice Cake
- Cinnamon Sugar Apple Butter Pie
- BEST EVER Apple Pie
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and leave a review below if you make these apple hand pies. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
PrintMini Apple Hand Pies
- Total Time: 52 minutes
- Yield: 8 pies
Description
These delicious apple hand pies take all the work out of making apple pie. The filling is just 6 simple ingredients, and the crust is store bought pie dough with a coating of cinnamon sugar – baked and ready in under an hour!
Ingredients
Pie Filling
- 1 box store bought pie dough, containing 2 sheets *see notes for GF option
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (reg or plant-based)
- 2 1/2 cups finely chopped fuji or honeycrisp apples (about 2 large apples)
- 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch, mixed with 1 tbsp water
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and allow the sheets to come to room temp while you make the filling.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt down the butter.
- Once melted, mix in the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Heat for about 10 minutes, or until the apples are tender and swimming in its juices.
- Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small dish and pour into the pot with the apples. Stir and heat for about 30 seconds and watch as the filling begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow the filling to cool while we prep the pie dough.
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly dust your surface with flour and unroll one of the pie sheets. Use a rolling pin to gently smooth the surface, just enough to smooth out any wrinkles and ridges.Ā
- Using anĀ apple-shaped cookie cutter or a homemade apple template (I made mine out of the box the pie dough came in – see notes for details), cut out your apples. Roll out the scraps to cut out a few more apples. You should be able to get about 8 apples per sheet.
- Transfer these apples to the refrigerator while you cut out the other sheet.Ā
- Now place half of the apples on the baking sheet, spaced evenly apart. If you can’t fit all 8 apples, leave the excess in the refrigerator and bake after the first batch is done.Ā
- Fill the center of each apple with a tablespoon of the filling, leaving a small border around the edge.
- Beat the egg with about 2 teaspoons of water. Brush the bare border of each filled apple with the egg wash.
- To the other half of the apples, cut 4 slits in the center as shown in the photos.
- Place the vented apples on top of the filled apples and gently press down on the seems to seal the pies shut. Then crimp the edges with a fork and brush the surface of each apple with the egg wash.
- In a small dish, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar on top of each apple.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow the apples to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.Ā
- Now they’re ready to enjoy!
Notes
GLUTEN FREEĀ – Use the pie dough recipe from myĀ gluten free peanut butter and jelly pop tarts. Make sure you let the dough chill before use. Then when rolling, if it’s breaking apart, let it rest for a few minutes. It’s much easier to work with when it’s closer to room temp. Then once the pies are formed, freeze them for about 10 minutes before baking. Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes.
VEGAN – Swap the butter with vegan butter, and the pie dough with puff pastry dough. If you didn’t know, most store-bought puff pastry is naturally vegan. As for the egg wash, swap with 2 tbsp milk alt mixed with 1 tbsp maple syrup. Follow all the same instructions, but bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. I also suggest just cutting out 3.5″ round slices of puff pastry rather than apple shapes. If you cut apples, they may lose their shape when baked so it won’t be worth the extra detail in the end.
APPLE TEMPLATEĀ – The size of the template I made is 3.5″ wide by 3.75″ tall. I recommend cutting a template out of something thick like cardboard as this makes it much easier to work with. Otherwise, I suggest thisĀ apple cookie cutter. It’s slightly larger than the template I used, so you may only be able to get about 6 apples per pie dough sheet.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
Keywords: apple hand pies, mini apple pies, apple pie, cinnamon apple pie, cinnamon apples
Kristel says
Could I make these ahead of time and store in the fridge for a day or so before baking? Excited to try!
Jenna says
Absolutely! Just leave off the egg wash and brush it on right before baking.
Erin says
Absolutely amazing! Made them in my college apartment for my roommates and me. For one of them, it was their first time ever having apple pie! Definitely did it justice. I will be making these again for sure!
★★★★★
Lara says
I originally saw this recipe on TikTok, and had to try it! I made these, and the pumpkin ones, and they are awesome! We didnāt have a pumpkin cookie cutter, and I didnāt feel like using a template so I used a ghost cookie cutter and a plain circle cookie cutter. Everything turned out perfect. I did add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the apples mixture after cooking. The topping could be reduced by half, I had plenty of large cinnamon/sugar mixture leftover. I only did one batch of it, and it was enough for both batches of pies, plus more. Super creative recipe. Thank you!
★★★★★
April says
Delish! I like these much more than actual apple pie.
★★★★★
Rebecca says
Would it be ok to use this recipe with a triple berry mix?
Jenna says
As long as it isn’t too thin!
Allison says
So delicious! Super easy to make and great ratio of crust to filling. I will definitely be making again.
★★★★★
Donna says
Can I use puff pastry sheets instead of pie crust sheets?š¤
Jenna says
Sure! It will need to bake a bit different though.
Amber says
I made these and not only were they the most delicious apple pies Iāve ever had they were so easy to make! Best recipe hands down!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Yay! Thanks for sharing!
Leah says
Great for holidays!!
★★★★★
Elisama says
How long would I bake them for?
★★★★★
Jenna says
It’s in the recipe š 12-15 minutes
Alonna says
Can you freeze any leftover pies?
★★★★★
Jenna says
I haven’t tried it but I’m sure it would be fine! Just make sure they’re well sealed in a freezer bag.
katie says
I want to make my own dough for this but idk how much to make, how much dough is in one of those store bough pie dough things?
★★★★★
Jenna says
A standard recipe for a bottom and top crust pie dough should be sufficient!
Ariadne says
It’s a amazing recipe. I loved making it. It’s not as complicated as most pie recipes.
★★★★★
Alexandrea says
Hi!
I saw this recipe on Tiktok last night and had to give it a try! Your recipe is grandmother approved and now a staple in our fall recipe home cook book ideas. Totally love it will be recommending!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Yay! Thank you!!
Yuliya says
all the recipes are awesome! you are a true master of your craft! I tried to do it, everything came out the first time and everyone liked it. and all the recipes are so right!))I advise everyone to try at least one recipe from this site, because it is very tasty!!!ššš
p.s. also subscribe to her instagram, as there are always short videos on how to cook these desserts.
thank you very much!!!šš
★★★★★
Jenna says
Thank you so much!
Nazia says
My sister hates apple pies but she said she’ll pay me to make them again! It’s an amazing recipe for young teens like me and very yum! ššš¤¤ā„ļøā¤ļøšš»
★★★★★
Faye says
Hi, I saw this on tiktok and it was a hit for my family! Would it be possible to make this into a big pie? Like the pumpkin pie size?
Jenna says
I haven’t tried it but it could be possible! Otherwise I have an apple pie recipe you could use š Feel free to swap in ready made pie dough to make it super easy!
Naya says
How should I store these and how long will they last?
★★★★★
Jenna says
Keep them in a container at room temp for in the fridge for a couple days! I’d say they keep for around 4 days.
Lily says
These are so cute, delicious, and surprisingly easy to make! They turned out perfect.
★★★★★
Rachel says
I had to bake mine for almost twice as long and at a higher temp. 400 convection would have been probably better or 425 regular for 15 or so. I altered slightly by adding more spices and pinch of salt and just used a round thing as template but size was about the same. Just my notes, but filling is delicious, thanks for the recipe!