super cute mini apple hand pies

what do you do when you find yourself with 5 pounds of organic apples and a rainy monday morning- you make super cute mini hand pies, that's what you do!

super.

cute.

mini.

hand-pies.

yum. yum. yum.

a smaller version of apple pie, mini hand-pies are a perfect afternoon snack or a sweet breakfast treat.

grab n' go , super easy to make , no fork and plate required.

pate brise'e- fun to say isn't it. or you could just say pie crust, but that's not as fun as saying pate brise'e. yeah, i'm cool like that - i roll with the culinary terms.

go on say it a few times, say it while your making it, rolling it & crimping it.

did i hear you right- you have never made your own pie dough before? it is so easy once you get the feel for it. if you chicken out of making your own dough feel free to use your favorite store brand.

it only took 4 little ol' apples to make this recipe- plus a little mini apple pie for your favorite person to come home too; bonus!

peel em' & dice em', toss em' with some suga' n' spice

you have to work a little quickly to put these together- if you prefer to wear less flour than you used for the recipe go on and put the dough circles in the fridge to keep cold while you work on each individual pie. i kinda liked the flour look so i went with it.

add some pizazz with a little dusting sugar- it is like bedazzling for your pies. you don't want your pies to be dull you want them to be bedazzling!

super cute mini hand pies

you could fill the minis with what ever you are craving- strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, homemade preserves- you could get all savory and fill with feta & spinach, mushroom, shallots, peppers & steak tips. no really what ever you  have in the fridge that's not gonna run outta the pies when cooked will work.

these are definitely boyfriend worthy- if they already don't think you are the bestest these should seal the deal....if you don't have another half than these are great for dad's- actually now that i think of it everything is great to give to your dad because he would never tell you if it wasn't good- always deliciousness.

 you could always go stand on a street corner with these and try to lure a boy your way- for those of you that go this route let me know how it turns out. 

super cute mini apple hand pies

makes 10 along with a mini single serving pie

you will need:

for the pate brise'e

• 2 cups AP flour
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter; i used earth balance
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons ice water; more or less if needed

assembly:

• measure flour and place in a medium bowl
• add salt & sugar; stir
• cut each stick in half, then in 8 equal pieces. add one cut stick at a time tossing to coat with flour after each addition.
• with a pastry blender or 2 knives cut butter into flour until pea size clumps for
• add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time blending after each addition until the dough starts to come together. (this is where the "getting the feel for it" comes in. you can tell when the dough is ready, you don't want it too moist, but not falling apart & dry- in the middle somewhere)
• when the right consistency has been achieved turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface
• divide into 2 equal half's
• form each half into a disc by tightly wrapping in plastic wrap
• place in fridge for at least 1 hour

for the filling

• 4 small apples - small dice
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt 

assembly

• combine all ingredients in a bowl- toss to combine

assembly of the mini pies

• Preheat oven to 400*

• remove dough from the fridge- on a lightly floured surface roll dough into a thin disc, rotating as you roll to prevent dough from sticking. add more flour to pin & surface as needed.
• with a large biscuit cutter or any circle shape cut dough into circles. roll each circle out a bit more to enlarge
• add about 1 tablespoon of filling to one side of the dough
• fold the other half over the filling
• crimp the edges to seal
• place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
• with a pastry brush, brush each mini pie with almond milk
• sprinkle with  dusting sugar
• bake at 400* for 25-30 minutes until golden brown
• cool on a wire rack & enjoy!

with the left over dough & filling i made a mini pie- place filling in a heat safe 2 cup bowl & cover with remaining dough ( i got all fancy and latticed my top). bake with the mini pies for the same amount of time.

print this recipe

enjoy!