My husband absolutely loves those little Apple Hand Pies you can get from McDonalds. I always thought he was crazy until I tried a warm one in the middle of a snowstorm, and now I’m HOOKED.
They only require a few ingredients. I am all about shortcuts so I used apple filling, but you could easily make your own.
We also use a pre-made pastry crust for this recipe. You could easily make your own, but if you are in a time crunch, this is the perfect way to whip up a fast pastry or dessert.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Apple Hand Pies, you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 lb Granny Smith Apples
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons water, divided
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 puff pastry sheets, thawed
- 1 egg white
- 1 Tablespoon cold water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Apple Hand Pies
- Peel, core, and cut apples into ½ inch pieces.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine apples, sugar, butter and cinnamon until butter is melted. Add 2 Tablespoons water, stir to combine, then cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until apples reach desired softness.
- In a small bowl, mix together 2 Tablespoons water and cornstarch, then add to saucepan. Stir and cover for an additional 1-2 minutes, until apple mixture starts to thicken.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Roll out both puff pastry sheets, and cut each sheet into six 3×6 inch rectangles.
- Evenly split the apple mixture down the middle of half the rectangles.
- In the other six sheets, make 3-5 cuts in the puff pastry.
- Take each puff pastry sheet with apples and top with a puff pastry sheet that has been cut.
- Press the seams together using the tines of a fork.
- In small bowl, mix together egg white and water.
- Brush over the top of each hand pie.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over the top of each pie.
- Cook for 15-18 minutes, until pastry starts to brown.
Storing and Other Tips
Store any leftover Apple Hand Pies in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can reheat in the Air Fryer or Microwave.
To store the Apple Pie Filling, let the apples cool and place the mixture into glass jars or containers. Let it refrigerate overnight. It will thicken as it is refrigerated.
Enjoy More Delicious Apple Pie Recipes
Pies and tarts are perfect for any occasion. Check out our comprehensive list of pie and tart recipes!
- Apple Pie Filling
- Classic Apple Pie
- Disney’s Apple Caramel Pie Recipe
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Slow Cooker Cake Mix Apple Cobbler
Apple Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 1 pound granny smith apples
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons water, divided
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 frozen pastry puff sheet, thawed
- 1 egg white
- 1 Tablespoon cold water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel, core, and cut apples into ½ inch pieces.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine apples, sugar, butter and cinnamon until butter is melted. Add 2 Tablespoons water, stir to combine, then cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until apples reach desired softness.
- In a small bowl, mix together 2 Tablespoons water and cornstarch, then add to saucepan. Stir and cover for an additional 1-2 minutes, until apple mixture starts to thicken.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Roll out both puff pastry sheets, and cut each sheet into six 3×6 inch rectangles.
- Evenly split the apple mixture down the middle of half the rectangles.
- In the other six sheets, make 3-5 cuts in the puff pastry.
- Take each puff pastry sheet with apples and top with a puff pastry sheet that has been cut.
- Press the seams together using the tines of a fork.
- In small bowl, mix together egg white and water.
- Brush over the top of each hand pie.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over the top of each pie.
- Cook for 15-18 minutes, until pastry starts to brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Love this recipe ideal for family and easy and simple dessert thank you
Rosemary wightman
Hi Rosemary, Thanks for taking the time to leave us such a nice comment on our apple hand pies. They are one of our favorites. Have a great week!
Do you think you could freeze these?
These will freeze just fine!
Would you freeze before or after baking?
We bake up a bunch and then freeze. Thaw and eat, or you can reheat them.
It’s really frustrating that the recipe part at the bottom with the instructions is completely different than the instructions at the top.
The instructions at the top are if you are interested in making your own apple pie filling. Hope this helps. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
I loved this, so much! It was so delicious! It was jus right for me and my family LOVED it; I can’t wait to try more recipes like these! Thank you so much!
We are so glad to hear that you liked the Apple Hand Pies!
Looking forward to trying this… I too love McDonald’s, apple pies! Which tastes closer to it, the premade pie filling or making it from scratch? And if so, how much pie filling do I need for this recipe?
The flavor really depends on which brand of pre-made filling you buy and we always prefer making it from scratch. But that’s a personal preference. As for pie filling, this recipe makes 6 pies, and we would recommend filling each one with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling, so I would be sure to have 2 cups of filling to be safe.