Nostalgia Food: Old Fashioned Apple Hand Pies

Who doesn't love a pie that you can eat with one hand while vacuuming, updating a resume, getting a child down for a nap, helping another child with a history report, and folding laundry with the other?  Clearly, only people who don't like pie, and this isn't for them.  This is for us: Pie People.

For me, the pocket pie obsession started in childhood with the iconic, mouth scalding  MacDonalds apple pies.  If you were around in the 1970s, you'll remember: crisp & flaky, buttery & slightly salty, with blistered crusts that concealed a molten center of perfect apple pie filling.  If you possessed the willpower to wait for the lava interior to cool, you were rewarded with the greatest American invention since the fast food burger AND the apple pie together, which in a weird sort of way, they were; after all, they were fried in beef fat.  Those things were pure magic (or at least that's what my 6-year old self thought).

These days, I'm not so into the fast food, and am really all about making great food for my family at home.  While I'll pull out all the stops and make homemade crusts for full size pies, I always like to keep a few boxes of the Pillsbury pre-made rolled pie crusts in the freezer for impromptu empanadas or hand pies.  This pre-made dough fries beautifully!  Any time I have a little extra fruit, breakfast potatoes, jambalaya, sloppy joe, chicken & dirty rice, I  whip up a few novelty pies.  Sometimes I bake them, other times I deep fry them.  It's a great way to use up leftovers.

It's pretty much a major tenet of the Cult of the Pocket Pie that this particular type has to be deep fried.  I made my homemade apple pie filling (which I think is good for about 3 dozen pocket pies), but you can use canned or your own recipe or really anything you want.  Like I said, I've fried up leftovers like Paella in these things and they're amazing!  Enough talking, let's get pie-ing...

Old Fashioned Apple Hand Pies

Yield: 36 pies

Author: Jenn Erickson

Prep time: Cook time: Total time:

With pre-made filling and pie crust, these incredible little pies are ready in a blink. Or, if you prefer to make your own crust and/or filling, I've included my recipe for Apple Pie filling that is quick, easy and will fill up to 36 pies.

Ingredients:

Apple Pie Filling (Enough for 36 pies)

• 3/4 pound peeled and chopped apples (about 1 pound before peeling) (1/2 inch pieces or smaller are best for these pies)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch kosher salt
• pinch nutmeg or cardamom

Other Ingredients

• Pie Crust:
• Option 1:  2 Pillsbury or Store Brand refrigerated pie crusts, thawed.   Each box contains 2 crusts, which should be rolled out on a lightly floured surface to 12" rounds.  Cut into 3 1/4 inch circles (a wide-mouth mason jar band works great.  You can get about 16 to a package
• Option 2:  Four 12" pie crusts, cut into 36 3-1/4" rounds
• Keep dough in the refrigerator when you're not working with it and between steps if it's a warm day in the kitchen.
• 1 egg, well beaten + a pastry brush
• Neutral Oil for Frying (Vegetable, Canola, Corn, etc.) for frying (depends on how many you want to fry at a time.  I do four at a time in a 3-qt. saucepan)
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 Tablespoons milk or water

Instructions:

Prepare the filling

1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and set aside.
2. Pour water into a Dutch oven and put on medium heat.
3. Add the sugar mixture to the water. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, and sauce has thickened (about 12 minutes).
5. Set filling aside to cool.  Once room temperature, proceed to roll out the dough.  Keep it in the refrigerator until this point.  

Assembly

1. Roll the dough out to 12" on a lightly floured surface. Use a 3 1/4" cutter to create dough circles. Arrange the circles in rows to create a filling area.
2. Use a pastry brush to brush some of the beaten egg on to each dough circle (only the face-up side).
3. Portion about 1 Tablespoon filling into the center each circle. Do not overfill. If you can't close the pastry without losing filling, you'll get blow-outs during frying.
4. Bring the edges of each circle together, over the filling. Lightly press to help seal the edges together.
5. Use the tines of a fork to seal the edge of each pie. Be sure there are no gaps or holes. The pie should be completely sealed. Arranged pies on parchment or wax paper lined baking sheets, then refrigerate while your oil is heating.

Frying and finishing

1. Create a frying station by setting a wire cooling rack on top of a baking pan to catch the oil drippings. Set this by your stove.
2. When oil reaches 365, fry a batch of pies, flipping periodically to check for even browning on both sides. Keep an eye on the heat. You don't want it to go too high or too low. 365 is ideal. When pies are golden brown on both sides, remove to the rack.
3. Repeat with remaining pies.
4. When all the pies are done, make the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar and milk (or water) till smooth and pourable. You may need to add a little more liquid or you can add a touch of vanilla. Move the rack (with the pies) on top of another baking sheet lined with foil. Pour the icing evenly over the pies. Allow the frosting to set, then enjoy the pies while still warm. The foil can be rolled up with all the leftover icing and discarded, leaving the pan below clean.

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