Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies

If you had to choose between pie and cake for dessert, what would you choose?

I always find it hard to choose. I love cake, especially a good layer cake slathered with thick frosting. But I also love pie, especially pie with fruit and a crumbly crust.

I think for me the best way to answer that question is to choose cake for dessert, and then save a slice of pie for breakfast the next day.

And you can easily trick yourself into eating these Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies for breakfast – after all, I intentionally made them to resemble breakfast pastries like turn overs and pop tarts.

These individual pies fit nicely in your hand, although I do recommend serving them on a plate with a dollop of extra salted caramel sauce. Which takes them away from breakfast territory and places them right smack in the middle of holiday extravagance.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I did go the semi-homemade route again, using pre-made pie crust and jarred salted caramel sauce.

But I am ashamed to admit that after making these pies, I went on a date and I didn’t realize I had caramel in my hair. (And no, I don’t mean caramel highlights, although I do pay a pretty price for that. I mean legit salted caramel sauce on a big chunk of my hair.)

You are right in assuming that 1) it was my date who discovered the caramel, 2) I was horrified, and 3) I fought the urge to lick my own hair.

But back to these hand pies. They didn’t turn out perfect – some looked lumpy, some of the edges were a little too brown, some of the caramel oozed out while baking, and they were uneven in size.  But they tasted pretty darn good. I wanted to test-drive these for Thanksgiving, and gave away this batch to some friends. In return, I got tight hugs, beaming smiles, and mouthfuls of buttery and sticky thank you’s as they gobbled these up.

I think for now, cake does not stand a chance against these salted caramel apple hand pies. And for that I am thankful.

Yield: 9 hand pies

Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies

Ingredients

2 pre-made pie crusts, thawed according to package directions (I used Trader Joe's frozen pie crusts)
2 cups small diced Granny Smith apples (you can also use Fuji, Braeburn, or Pink Lady appples, which are sweet-tart apples that are best for baking)
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 cup salted caramel sauce (I used Trader Joe's Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce)
1 tablespoon sanding sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
  2. Unwrap one pie crust and form into a large ball. Using a rolling pin, roll out and shape into a square (tip: sprinkle some flour on the surface first so the crust doesn't stick). Cut into 9 squares. Do the same with the other pie crust, set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the chopped apples, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Spoon a small portion of the apples in the center of each square. Top with about a tablespoon of caramel sauce. Continue until all 9 squares from the first pie crust are filled.
  4. Place a second square of pie crust on top, and use a fork to crimp and seal the edges. Cut three incisions on top of each pie. Place hand pies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the tops and edges are golden brown. Cool for at least 10 minutes.

 

I hope these little hand pies can be a simple reminder to be grateful for all the blessing we have, both big and small – whether it’s a table filled with your loved ones, laughing out loud, caramel in your hair, or an extra slice of pie for breakfast the next day.

   

26 Responses to “Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies”