Autumn Bliss: Apple Hand Pies

Fall is in the air. The leaves are starting to turn into beautiful warm shades of red and yellow. The air is cooler and much crisper. New York Fashion Week has left every fashionista dreaming of Spring collections. Boots and chunky sweaters are finally making their way out of dusty closets. Comfort food is replacing light and fresh salads and ice cream. Fall is finally here.

To be honest, Fall is my favorite season. The food and fashion make it a winner in my book. I love the warm spices of fall. Cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon can be found in almost every autumn treat. September is a month of transition. We move away from the hot weather of summer, and ease into the cool essence of Fall.

I figured since it is finally September, an apple dessert was much needed. I love any baked apple dessert, and I really love pastry desserts. I'm not going to lie. I used to love those little Hostess hand pies as a kid. How I liked them? I will never know, especially after seeing their calorie content.
I think we all used to love those little pies, until we were old enough to know better.

I decided to do a little play on those hand pies, with a much more gourmet and grown-up version. You can use any fruit you would like. Because of the season I chose apple. These are much more decadent and healthier than the kind you can find at gas stations.

Crust: (Recipe from Land O' Lakes)

2 cups pastry flour

1/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup cold butter

4 to 5 tbsp. cold water

combine flour and salt in a bowl 

Add 2/3 cup of cubed cold butter

Use a pastry blender to combine flour mixture and butter.
 Mix until it a crumbly mix forms. 

Add milk, and form dough into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap, and
refrigerate it until you are ready to roll it out. 

Apple Mixture:

2 to 3 peeled and cubed apple 

1 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp Nutmeg

1/8 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 

3 tbsp. cornstarch

 Peel and cube apples. Place 1 tbsp. butter in a pan, and cook apples
 on medium high heat 6-8 minutes until they soften.  

Add sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and corn starch. 

Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow mixture to cool. 

Recipe adapted from: http://www.fabulousfoods.com

Rollout dough and cut into discs using the outline of a small container

scoop a small amount of cooled apple mixture on each crust

Brush edges with egg wash (1 whisked egg and 1 tbsp water). Fold crust over and pinch the edges close. Use a pastry wheel to lightly seal edges. 

Brush top of hand pie with egg wash. Add finishing touches. ( I used crust
cutouts to make the little leaves) Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Glaze: 

1 tbsp butter

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp milk 

Combine melted butter salt powdered sugar, and vanilla. 

Add  milk and whisk until smooth. 

Allow pies to cool for 15 min. Brush with glaze, and server with whipped cream. 

Recipe from:www.thecookingphotographer.com

Enjoy