These apple hand pies capture everything you love about classic apple pie in a portable form, made with all-butter pie dough and a juicy, cinnamon-spiced apple filling that’s cooked ahead of time.

Baked apple hand pies, stacked on top of each other with a bite revealing the apple pie filling inside.

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get weekly updates from me!

If you love apple pie, you'll love these perfect Apple Hand Pies. They're filled with a juicy, cinnamon-laced apple filling that's cooked on the stove and they have the flakiest, most tender butter pie crust. What I love about hand pies is that they make a great, easy dessert option for parties. They are handheld, don't require cutting, and can be made and frozen ahead of time.

My daughter is now in her teens, but I still remember the very first time I made a version of this recipe for her 1st birthday. We went to a park for a small celebration, and I baked apple hand pies in lieu of cake. I mean, how perfect for a sweet treat to hand out to guests who are on the go? They were a hit, and made getting ready for the party easy since I made and froze them ahead of time.

Jump to:

What Kind of Apples to Use
Why the Filling Is Pre-Cooked
How to Assemble Apple Hand Pies
Baking the Apple Hand Pies
How to Serve, Store, and Freeze
Kelli's Best Tips
More Apple Recipes:
More Hand Pie Recipes:
Full Recipe

What Kind of Apples to Use

For just about any apple dessert, you want to have an apple that can hold its shape, has a nuanced flavor, and a slight tartness to break up the sweetness of the sugar. My two favorite apples for any recipe are Gala and Granny Smith. Check out this guide to baking apples if you are looking for further information on choosing the right type of apple for you.

A mixture of granny smith and gala apples.

Why the Filling Is Pre-Cooked

Hand pies bake quickly, so the filling needs to be made ahead of time because a raw filling will not fully cook in the crust during baking.

The filling is simple to make. Apples are cooked with sugar, spices, lemon juice, and cornstarch until tender and thickened. For this recipe, I use a halved version of my apple pie filling, and it yields about 1 pint. But the filling freezes well, so it’s worth making the full batch if you have a lot of apples on hand.

Sliced apples in a white pot with brown sugar, granulated sugar and spices.

A pot with apple pie filling being cooked.

How to Assemble Apple Hand Pies

There are a few steps needed to make the hand pies. Luckily, the steps can be broken down and spaced apart, so in the end, it will seem very easy.

Two hands pushing together a crumbly pile of a flour and butter mixture on a counter surface

Step 1: Make the pie dough. The dough needs to chill overnight. If you are new to making pie dough, check out this comprehensive guide on making butter pie dough

An apple pie filling cooked on the stovetop.

Step 2: Prepare the apple filling. It can be made up to 3 days ahead and should be fully chilled before assembling the pies.

Step 3: Roll out the pie dough and stamp out the dough circles.

Step 4: Brush on egg wash around the edges of one circle of pie dough (or just plain water is fine), and place 3-4 tablespoons of filling in the middle.

Closing the pastry for the apple hand pie.

Step 5: Place a second circle of dough over the filling and press the edges to seal. Crimp the bottom dough up over the top to fully seal the pie and add a decorative edge.

Assembled and unbaked apple hand pies on a sheet tray.

Step 6: Place all assembled hand pies on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and freeze while the oven preheats.

Baking the Apple Hand Pies

You may notice this recipe doesn’t call for venting the dough. Because the filling is precooked, there’s no need to poke holes to release steam. If you’d like to add vents for appearance, that’s fine.

Chill the assembled hand pies while the oven preheats. This helps them hold their shape as they bake. Preheat the oven to 400°F and set a rack to the second-lowest position to help ensure a crisp bottom crust. Egg wash the tops of the hand pies and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the dough is lightly golden all over. If baking from frozen (see below), plan to add about 10 minutes to the baking time.

Apple hand pies assembled and unbaked on a sheetpan.

How to Serve, Store, and Freeze

Hand pies are best served the day they are made, when the pastry is still crispy.

Store leftovers in a covered container at room temperature for 1-2 days. They can be stored in the refrigerator for a few more days, though they'll need to be warmed in a toaster oven before serving.

Assembled, unbaked hand pies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze them flat on a sheet pan for 24 hours, then transfer to a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible. The hand pies can be baked straight from the freezer. Follow the baking instructions as written, adding about 10 minutes to the total baking time.

Kelli's Best Tips

If the pie dough becomes too warm at any point, transfer it to the refrigerator or freezer and chill until it is firm and easy to work with.
Filling hand pies is a balance between too much and too little. If you’re having trouble sealing the pies without filling spilling out, use slightly less filling.
It’s best to chill the assembled hand pies briefly before baking, though they can also be refrigerated overnight and baked the next day. Hand pies can also be frozen unbaked and baked directly from the freezer.

More Apple Recipes:

More Hand Pie Recipes:

I am so honored when you make a recipe from my site! If you make these Apple Hand Pies, please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating with your experience! If you have any questions about this recipe, feel free to comment here, and tag me on instagram!

Full Recipe

Apple Hand Pies

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

These apple hand pies take the familiar flavors of classic apple pie and turn them into an easy, handheld dessert, with juicy, cinnamon-spiced apples baked in flaky, buttery pie dough. Cooking the apples ahead of time concentrates their flavor and creates a thick filling that stays neatly sealed inside the crust. Chilling the assembled pies before baking helps them hold their shape and bake evenly, and they can also be frozen unbaked for an easy make-ahead treat.

Author: Kelli Avila
Prep Time: 00:25
Cook Time: 00:45
Total Time: 01:20
Yield: About 8
Category: Sweet Pies
Method: Bake

Ingredients

For the Pie Dough:

2¾ cups (330 grams) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (14 grams) cornstarch
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt (see note)
18 tablespoons (250 grams) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1” pieces
1 tablespoon (15 grams) apple cider vinegar
⅓ to ½ cup (80 to 120 grams) ice water

For the Apple Pie Filling:

1½ pounds (about 3-4 large) baking apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
⅓ cup (80 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) fresh apple cider juice, divided
¼ cup (50 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
big pinch coarse kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon (10 grams) cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For Assembling:

Egg Wash
¼ cup raw sugar

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Make the Pie Dough by Hand: (see here for instructions for making it in a food processor)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add the butter and toss to coat it in the flour. Using your fingers, squeeze and work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks shaggy, with a mix of flat pieces and irregular chunks. Some larger pieces can remain, up to about marble size.
In a liquid measuring cup, stir the vinegar into the ice water. Drizzle about three-quarters of the liquid over the flour mixture, tossing gently with your fingers to distribute it evenly. Squeeze the dough lightly to check hydration. It should hold together easily when pressed. Add more water, a small drizzle at a time, until the dough comes together, switching to a spatula if needed to moisten any dry pockets.
Using your hands, gently bring the dough together into a single mass. Transfer it to a work surface and divide it into two portions, each weighing about 12 ounces. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it reaches the edges of the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Make the Apple Filling:

In a large pot, mix together the apples, lemon juice, ⅓ cup (80 grams) of apple cider juice, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, allowing the apples to release some of their juices.
Cook the apples over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. The apples should be tender but still hold their shape, with visible liquid remaining in the pot.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of apple cider juice to make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the pot and stir to combine. Continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, until the filling thickens and coats the apples. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and butter. Transfer the filling to a shallow container and let it cool completely, preferably overnight.
When ready to assemble, whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl to make the egg wash. Line a 12-by-18-inch sheet pan with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to about ⅛ inch thickness. Cut out 4-inch circles, rerolling the scraps one time to get additional rounds. Repeat with the second disk to yield about 16 to 18 circles.
Brush egg wash around the edges of one dough circle. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of cooled apple filling into the center, keeping it slightly mounded but away from the edges. Place a second dough circle over the filling and press the edges together to seal, pushing out any air pockets. Crimp the bottom edges to the top to further seal the pie and add a decorative touch.
Once all the pies are assembled, place the sheet pan in the freezer while the oven preheats.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and set a rack to the second-lowest position. Remove the pies from the freezer, brush the tops with an egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the pie dough is lightly golden all over.

Notes

This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If using Morton’s kosher salt or fine salt, you’ll need less by volume, so start with half and adjust to taste.

The apple pie filling can be made up to 5 days ahead of time.

If at any point your pie dough is getting too warm, simply place it in the refrigerator or freezer to chill until it is easy to work with again

Filling the hand pies is a delicate balance between not overfilling and not underfilling. If you find that you are having trouble closing the hand pies, then use less filling.

It's best to chill the hand pies briefly before baking as the instructions direct, or you can chill them overnight and bake the next day!

These can be frozen, unbaked, for up to 3 months. Freeze them flat on a sheet tray for 24 hours. Then, transfer to a bag with as much air removed as possible. The pies can be baked from frozen. Follow the instructions, but the total baking time will increase by about 10 minutes.

Store any leftover apple pie filling in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can serve it over ice cream, or with yogurt.

Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. Everyday Pie is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.