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Cozy Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies: Easy Fall Baking

Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies - featured image
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These salted caramel apple hand pies are the perfect fall treat—flaky pastry filled with tender apples and gooey salted caramel. They’re quick, easy, and guaranteed to disappear at any gathering.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
  • 6–8 tablespoons ice water
  • 3 medium apples, peeled and diced into ¼-inch pieces (Honeycrisp or Granny Smith recommended)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
  • 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
  • Turbinado or coarse sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Make the pastry dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar. Add cold butter cubes and toss to coat. Using a pastry cutter or fingertips, work butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized butter pieces. Drizzle 6 tablespoons ice water over mixture and stir with a fork until dough just comes together. Add remaining water if needed. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Make the salted caramel: Place granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Swirl pan gently until sugar melts and turns deep golden (5-7 minutes). Remove from heat, whisk in softened butter until smooth. Slowly drizzle in heavy cream while whisking constantly. Whisk in flaky sea salt. Let cool slightly.
  3. Cook the apple filling: In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves (if using), and a pinch of salt. Cook 5-6 minutes until apples soften slightly. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
  4. Assemble the hand pies: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll out chilled dough to ⅛-inch thickness. Cut into rectangles (about 4×5 inches). Spoon about 2 tablespoons cooled apple filling onto one half of each rectangle, leaving a ½-inch border. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon salted caramel over apples. Fold empty half over filling, press edges to seal, and crimp with a fork. Cut 2-3 small slits in top of each pie. Place on prepared baki…
  5. Bake: Brush each hand pie with egg wash, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

Keep all ingredients cold for flaky pastry. Don’t skip chilling the dough. Watch caramel carefully to avoid burning. Seal edges well to prevent leaking. Work in batches if kitchen is warm. Hand pies can be frozen unbaked for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: apple hand pies, salted caramel, fall baking, hand pies, apple dessert, easy pie recipe

Find it online: https://prismtaste.com/cozy-salted-caramel-apple-hand-pies-easy-fall-baking/