Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter (cold)
- 1 tablespoon vinegar (apple cider, white, or lemon juice)
- 1 cup ice water
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour (300g)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Caramel Apple Filling
- 2 large apples (about 2 cups, peeled and diced finely, 225g)
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
- 8 soft caramels (Werther's original soft caramels recommended)
Eggwash and Assembly
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk (or cream)
- green and red food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Pie Crust: Ten minutes before starting, cut the cold butter into small ¼" cubes, spread in a single layer on a plate, and freeze. Mix vinegar into ice water and stir well.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together flour and sea salt to break up any lumps. Add the frozen butter cubes, then cut or pulse with a pastry cutter or food processor until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining.
- Add Liquid: Gradually add the vinegar water, a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well between additions. Stop adding once the dough starts to clump and form together, careful not to over-hydrate to keep the crust tender.
- Shape Dough: Quickly press the dough into a disk, fold in half, press again, fold one more time, then cut the dough in half. Press each half into smaller disks, wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Make Caramel Apple Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, flour, lemon juice, and butter. Cook over low heat for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and apples soften. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.
- Prepare Eggwash: Crack the egg into a small bowl, add heavy cream, and whisk together well. Set aside.
- Roll Out Dough: Lightly flour a clean surface. Roll out one chilled pie crust dough to about 1/8" thickness. Cut out eight 4-inch circles using a cookie cutter or a glass. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with second dough disk.
- Assemble Hand Pies: Slightly flatten one caramel candy and place it in the center of half of the dough circles. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the apple filling on top of each caramel. Brush edges of dough rounds with eggwash. Top with remaining dough circles, pressing edges together. Crimp edges with a fork or pie maker to seal.
- Freeze and Preheat Oven: Freeze assembled pies on the baking sheet for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Finish Pies: Brush tops with eggwash and sprinkle coarse sugar. Optionally, decorate with pie crust leaf cutouts and poke holes in the top crust to vent steam.
- Bake: Bake pies for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Avoid overbaking to prevent filling from leaking out. Let cool completely before glazing.
- Prepare Glaze: Mix powdered sugar with milk until smooth and pourable. Divide glaze to color part green and the rest red if desired.
- Glaze and Set: Spoon and paint glaze over cooled pies. Let glaze set for 15 minutes before serving. Pies are best enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- For quicker preparation, premade double pie crusts can be used.
- Be careful not to overwork the dough to keep the crust tender and flaky.
- Freeze hand pies before baking to help maintain shape during baking.
- Omitting coarse sugar on top if using glaze prevents the pies from becoming overly sweet.
- Glaze sets best after 1 hour but pies can be enjoyed earlier.
- Make sure to vent the tops to prevent bursting during baking.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American