It’s countdown to Thanksgiving in less than two weeks. I know, seems crazy, and a little bittersweet as we all try and figure out just how we can celebrate one of our most beloved holidays that usually includes gathering with family and friends. We still don’t know exactly how that will look for us ourselves, but one thing is for sure, there will be lots of fabulous food one way or another. And that most definitely means treats a plenty. Love me some turkey and stuffing and all the trimmings, but the dessert, it’s gotta be about the dessert too. After all, the morning after Thanksgiving is all about digging into that cold pie, right?
Today’s recipe is filled with all the flavors of the season in cute little individual package form. Which, I think could be really handy for all the holiday lunch, brunch, or dinners we attempt to have in the most pandemic-friendly style. After all, there’s no slices to cut and serve or plates and forks to deal with for these adorable little beauties. And, that oh-so-flaky and tender crust paired with the sweet and slightly puckered cranberry apple filling is absolutely delicious. These Cranberry Apple Hand Pies are a 2020 holiday winner in every way.
So, how do we make these delicious little autumn morsels of goodness? If pies intimidate you, like I know they do a lot of people, stay with me, these are totally do-able.
We start with one of my favorite crust recipes which really is simple to make and very forgiving. A little flour, granulated and confectioner’s sugars, salt and cinnamon get a quick blitz in the food processor. Then COLD, cubed butter gets pulsed in until it forms a mealy texture. And a little cold milk brings it all together. Then it gets formed into two discs on the counter and chilled while you make the filling.
And the filiing is easy peasy. You cook down some fresh cranberries with a little water, sugar, cinnamon and orange juice until the berries are bubbly sweet. That gets set aside and then tossed with some small diced apples when it’s cool.
My favorite method is to roll the chilled dough in between two pieces of parchment to keep it the most tender and not incorporate any more flour. With that being said, if you’re more comfortable rolling it in a little dusting of flour, go right ahead. Then once about an 1/8th of an inch thick, you can cut circles any size you want, mine are about 3 1/2 inches, using a round cookie cutter or a bowl or a glass and a pairing knife. Add about two tablespoons of the filling to half the circles, a dot of butter, a brush of egg wash, then the tops get placed on and crimped down to seal.
I chose to decorate the tops of these with a little leaf that I cut with some scraps of dough, but that’s optional or you can use another desired shape. Then it’s important to make a few small slits in the top of each pie to release the steam. And a quick brushing of cream or more egg wash goes on the tops and a little sprinkling of sugar for some pretty sparkle and a dash more sweet goes a long way too. And to keep the best shape, it really is helpful to chill them about 15 minutes once assembled before baking.
Then into a 400 degree oven they go for about 20 minutes until golden brown and a little of the crimson filling bubbles out of the cracks and seams. And voila. Donezo.
One of my favorite things about these, is their adaptability and portability. If you don’t love cranberries, you can just do apples or another flavor. And since these can be served warm, room temp, or even cold (my fav,) you can make them ahead, and serve later or easily bring wherever you need to go. And the best part, you can completely assemble these in advance, chill them and bake them the next day or even freeze them now and bake on Thanksgiving or for any upcoming holiday fete. How fabulous it that.
I hope you’ll give these a whirl. I think you and your family will find them to be just as lovely as I do. And of course, I’d be so grateful to hear how it goes.
Hope everyone is having a warm and cozy weekend with your loved ones and baking or enjoying something delicious.
Cranberry Apple Hand Pies
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 1/4 cups (288g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsps granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 6 oz cold butter, cubed
- 3 tbsps cold milk
For the Cranberry Apple Filling:
- 2 cups(8oz) fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsps water
- 1 tsp orange juice
- 2 lg apples, peeled, cored & diced small
- 1 tbsp (14g) butter, cubed into small pieces
- 1 lg egg, whisked
- 1 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsps heavy cream
- granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
Instructions
For the Crust:
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Add the flour, sugars, salt and cinnamon to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
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Then add the cold, cubed butter and process until the butter is pea-sized and the mixture resemble a course meal. Add the milk and pulse until the dough just starts to come together. It's ok if it's a tad shaggy.
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Pour the dough out onto a clean counter and form into a round. Then divide the round in half and form each into a disc. Wrap each disc tightly with plastic wrap and place into the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then start the filling.
For the filling:
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In a saucepan combine the cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, water and orange juice over medium-low heat. Bring to a bubble and simmer for about 5-10 minutes until the liquid in the pan starts to thicken and the cranberries start to break down. (If needed, you can add a dash more water.) Then transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Once cool, gently toss with the diced apples.
To assemble:
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Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 204°C. Line 1 to 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
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Remove each chilled dough disc from the fridge. Working with one disc at a time. roll the pie crust to about 1/8-inch thick. Using a 3.5-inch circle cookie cutter (or cup/ bowl) cut out as many circles from the pie crusts as you can, reroll any scrap pieces of dough as needed. You should get at least 16 circles. Transfer the cut-out pie crust circles to the baking sheets and set in the the fridge to chill a bit.
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Make an egg wash by whisking the egg and tablespoon of milk together.
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To fill the pies, start with one sheet pan and place about 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of 1/2 of the circles, being sure to leave the edges empty for sealing. (The other 1/2 of the circles will be the top crust.) Add one small cube of butter to the tops of the filling.
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Brush the edges of the circles with a little egg wash. Place the top crust on top. Press your fingers all around the edges to seal, then crimp with a fork. It’s OK if some filling juice leaks out. Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the heavy cream (or more egg wash if desired.) Sprinkle the tops with coarse or granulated sugar. (If placing a little leaf or other decoration on top, do this before sprinkling the sugar.) Cut 2 to 3 slits in the top of each pie for venting.
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You can bake the pies immediately, though I recommend popping them in the freezer for a few minutes as they'll hold their shapes better when baking if they're cold.
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Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the pies are golden brown and the filling is bubbling a little. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Baked pies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
*Assembled and unbaked hand pies can be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, no need to thaw before baking, just add an extra couple minutes of bake time.
*Baked hand pies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
*Granny Smith and Honeycrisp or a combo of any other slightly tart/ sweet apples are my favorite to use for these.
*I recommend fresh over frozen cranberries. But if you use frozen, cook the juice downa little more.
