Apple Hand Pies

I'm not sure why apple pie has been on my mind lately.  Well we had some company coming for the NASCAR race this past weekend and I was looking for some all American dessert to serve them.  I initially made an apple pie, it looked beautiful and I was full of hope for it....but sadly it didn't taste very old fashioned.  So out of panic I quickly found a couple of recipes online that I decided to make and I'm very happy with how it turned out.  Not only does it have a old fashioned taste, it is also portable.  It's a win win!

The filling was perfectly simple, apples, cinnamon and sugar that are sautéed in a pan with some butter before being added to a little round of crust and made into these cute little hand pies.

Old Fashioned All-American Apple Pie Filling
Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and diced
• About 1/2 cup granulated sugar, depends on the sweetness of the apples
• ground cinnamon
• 5 or 6 tsp all-purpose flour
• 1 - 2 Tbsp butter

Cooking Directions

1. In a large frying pan add the butter and let melt over medium heat.
2. Add the diced apples and let cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the sauce begins to thicken slightly.
4. Remove from the heat.

Perfect Pie Crust
The Pioneer Woman

• Make the pie crust as instructed above with the link.  Refrigerate so it is very cold. 
• Roll out 1/3 of the dough and cut into round shapes, I used a 3" round cutter. 
• Use about 1 Tbsp filling for the middle. 
• Make some egg wash using 1 egg and 1 Tbsp of water and put some on the lower 1/2 of the round so the edges will seal better. 
• Fold over the other half of the round and crimp the edges with either a fork or your hands. 
• Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. 
• Bake at 350º for 30 minutes.