How To Make Hand Apple Pies {Skinny Recipe}

Hand apple pies. The smell of cinnamon and sugar sautéing on the stove and pie crust browning in the oven. It makes me think of my grandmother’s kitchen in Alabama.

When I was a little girl she fried hand apple pies most every Sunday. They were crispy and amazing. And although I loved the yummy goodness of those pies, I prefer a little lighter recipe for my boys. Don’t worry, my southern roots won’t let me stray too far. I promise, with this recipe you’re not sacrificing the flavor. {grin}

Plus, with a little semi-homemade ingenuity, you can whip these up on a school night!

Ingredients for filling:

• 5 cups apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter (I use a vegan butter so my little one can eat them too, plus it has less fat)
• 1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (reserve for sprinkling on tops)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (+ a smidge to sprinkle on tops)
• 1 pkg chilled pie crust (my grandmother’s buttermilk recipe is amazing… I’ll share it next time… but for the sake of only 4 grams of fat per mini pie)
• 2 tbsp. Mazola corn oil (cholesterol free and 0 trans fats)

Make:

Filling: Heat a skillet over medium-heat. Add the diced apples, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to the pan and stir. Cook until the butter is melted and the apples are soft, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to make them mushy or to burn them and lose all the juice. Remove from the heat, and transfer the apple filling to a mixing bowl to cool. Set aside and let come to room temperature.

Pies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Remove dough disks from the refrigerator (work with one at a time to keep your dough chilled and in shape). Using a 3-inch-diameter cookie cutter or saucer, cut out six circles. Re-roll the dough as necessary to achieve all 12. Dough should be 1/8 thick.
3. Lay the pastry circles on one of the sheet pans and top with half of the apple mixture, being sure to reserve as much of the apple liquid as possible. Adding too much liquid to the pies will get messy, quickly.
4. Brush another round with Mazola oil. Using the back of a fork, gently press down to create a fluted seal along the edge. (Note: If not sticking well, put a little more Mazola along the inside of the seam to help it seal. You don’t want those yummy apples to escape.
5. Sprinkle tops of mini hand pies with granulated sugar and a pinch of cinnamon rubbed between your hands to give it a light dusting. shaped slit in the top of each pie.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes (depending on your oven), until the pies are golden brown and cooked through. Let cool for 10 minutes on a baking rack.

I like to serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla yogurt. {wink}

You can find more amazing and heart healthy recipes on Mazola.com. A new study shows Mazola Corn Oil lowers cholesterol more than extra virgin olive oil! Wow! Try it today for sautéing, stir frying and baking. I’m actually making parmesan encrusted zucchini fries for the kids this weekend. Can’t wait!!

As always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake, create and celebrate!

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Compensation was provided by Mazola via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Mazola.

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