These apple hand pies with puff pastry are perfectly flaky and stuffed with juicy apple filling. The apples are chopped into small cubes so that when they cook, they soften nicely in the oven, but not so much that they lose their texture.
2mediumapples320–340 g peeled and cored, diced 1/4" (5mm) small
50gsoft brown sugar
2tspall-purpose flour
1tsplemon juice
3/4tspground cinnamon
1/8tspnutmegoptional
1/8tspsalt
Egg wash
1egg
1Tbspwater
turbinado sugarfor sprinkling on top
Glaze
60gpowdered sugar
1/2-1Tbspmilkor water
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first puff pastry sheet to about 27 x 27 cm (10.5 x 10.5 in) and cut it into a 3 x 3 grid so you have 9 squares. These will be the bottoms. 480 g puff pastry
Roll out the second sheet of puff pastry to the same size, 27 x 27 cm (10.5 x 10.5 in), and cut it into another 9 squares. These will be the tops.
Place the 9 bottoms on one or two baking trays, leaving space between each one.
In a bowl, mix the diced apples with the sugar, flour, lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until the apples are evenly coated. 50 g soft brown sugar, 2 tsp all-purpose flour, 1 tsp lemon juice, 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp salt
Mix an egg with a tablespoon of water and use a pastry brush to brush the edges of the bottom 9 squares. 1 egg, 1 Tbsp water
Spoon 2–3 tablespoons of filling into the center of each bottom square.
Place a top square over each bottom. Press the edges together and crimp with a fork to seal.
Brush egg wash over the tops. Cut a small slit or two in the top of each pie to let steam escape. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar if you like. turbinado sugar
Bake for 20–25 minutes until puffed and deep golden.
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth and pourable. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled pies before serving. 60 g powdered sugar, 1/2-1 Tbsp milk
Notes
Freezing
Assemble the hand pies up to the point of crimping and sealing. Place them on a tray and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen at 200°C (400°F), adding 3–4 minutes to the baking time.