I spend more time than I would like to admit pinning ridiculous-looking recipes that I know I will never get around to making. Pinterest makes every recipe look not only insanely delicious, but also effortless. My food board of Pinterest is stocked with dessert recipes, so for my challenge I decided to take on Carmel Apple Hand Pies. The only ingredient I omitted was the salt (my roomies weren’t into the idea), and the results were (surprisingly) decent.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 pies (to make more, make the pie dough thinner!)
Ingredients: 1 box store-bought refrigerated pie crust (2 rolls)
2 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples (about 2 apples, diced small)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
6 store-bought soft caramels, cubed
½ lemon juice
Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water)
Photo by Adam H. Weiss
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a bowl, combine the apple, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar and flour, mixing until the apples are coated.
Photo by Adam H. Weiss
3. Unroll the pie dough on a floured surface. I didn’t have a rolling pin, so I used a can of beans.
Photo by Adam H. Weiss
4. Using a circular, three-inch glass, cut as many circles as possible. Continue to re-roll the dough and cut until you have used it all.
Photo by Adam H. Weiss
5. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the apple filling into the center of pie circle. Top with a caramel. (Be careful not to over-stuff!)
Photo by Adam H. Weiss
6. Brush the edges with egg wash (I just used my finger). Place another circle of dough on top.
Photo by Adam H. Weiss
7. Use a fork to crimp the edges and seal the two pieces of dough together. Cut two slits in the top of the pie with a knife.
Photo by Adam H. Weiss
8. Brush entire pie with egg wash and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Photo by Adam H. Weiss
Did my hand pies look as perfect as the ones on Pinterest? Definitely not, but I still think they turned out fine. And more importantly … they tasted great.