Mini Apple Hand Pies

Happy 4th of July!

Is there anything more American than apple pie? This Fourth of July, celebrate with a spin on the classic all-American dessert and bake these Mini Apple Hand Pies using apples from this week’s box! Perfectly portioned, portable, and so darn cute, this festive dessert looks fancy but couldn’t be simpler to prepare (and you can definitely use store-bought pie dough to save time).

Here are a few more ways to incorporate some of this week’s rescued produce into your picnic and BBQ menus this weekend:

Chop up the bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and radishes to make a light and fresh side dish, like Chopped Vegetable Orzo Salad, or a satisfying starter, like Loaded Vegetable Nachos.
Transform the cauliflower into party-pleasing appetizers, like Buffalo Cauliflower Dip or Cauliflower Wings, or slice it up and grill it like steak.
Grill the nectarines, plums, or apricots for a spin on these Grilled Peach Sundaes or make Stone Fruit Snack Cake.

What are you cooking or baking in celebration of July 4th? We’d love to see how you’re using your produce in entrees, side dishes, apps, and desserts! Don’t forget to snap a photo, share it to social media, and tag us @realfoodremedyrx!

Mini Apple Hand Pies

Active time: 30 Min.

Total time: 60 Min. (plus cooling time)

Yield: 12 mini hand pies

Ingredients:

2 Gala apples, peeled and diced small (about 2-2 ½ cups)

1 tablespoon flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

⅛ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste

1 pound chilled pie dough, halved

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk or water

Raw sugar, optional

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner.

Toss the apples with the flour, spices and salt; set aside.

Heat the butter over medium-low heat in a large nonstick skillet. Once it melts, continue to heat it until it becomes golden brown and smells nutty. This won’t take long so don’t walk away as it can burn quickly!

Whisk in the brown sugar, then fold in the apples and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, or until the mixture becomes syrupy. Fold in the lemon juice, starting with 2 teaspoons and adding more to taste. Set apples aside to cool for at least 30 minutes (speed this up by placing them in the fridge).

Starting with half of the chilled dough (keep the other half refrigerated), roll dough to ⅛” thickness on a floured surface. Use a 3-3 ½“ ring cookie cutter to cut out 12 circles, rolling out scraps as needed. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet (you can bake up to 8 at a time on a standard baking sheet). Repeat with the remaining half of the dough to make the hand pie “tops”. Cut a small star (or any shape) into the center using a small cookie cutter. (No cookie cutter, no problem. Alternate option below.) Set the tops aside.

Drop about 2 tablespoons of the cooled apple filling into the center of the circles on the baking sheet. Top with a star-cut circle. Press the edges together with your fingers, then seal with a fork to crimp the edges well. If you didn’t cut stars into the tops, use a paring knife to cut a few slits in the center. Whisk together the egg and milk or water and brush the tops of the hand pies, then sprinkle with the raw sugar.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Hand pies can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. For best results, reheat refrigerated or previously frozen and thawed hand pies in the oven.