These small batch apple brown sugar hand pies are everything you love about apple pie delivered in a handheld treat! Flaky all-butter pie crust rounds are filled with brown sugar and caramelized apples, then finished with brown butter cinnamon glaze. Delicious hand pies that are cozy enough for fall, and nostalgic enough for summer!
You’ll Love These Apple Brown Sugar Hand Pies Too!
Fall or summer, these apple hand pies are sure to please! This small batch apple recipe transforms the beloved apple pie into a convenient, hard-to-put-down, handheld dessert. And if that wasn’t reason enough to fall in love with these mini pies, I have a few more!
- All-butter flaky pie crust – This is the same pie crust I use in my pumpkin mini pie and popular caramel apple galette for two.
- Seasoned apple filling – Warm fall spices perfume the apples.
- Plus brown sugar – Yes, there is also brown sugar in the filling to make it extra bubbly.
- Adapts to the season – This recipe can span summer to winter by simply changing out the spices.
- A small batch recipe that is easily doubled – And, you may want to because they are that good!
I originally published this recipe in 2019. I have given it a makeover with new and improved finished photos, step-by-step pictures, updated helpful tips, and FAQ’s.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour – Flour is in the pie dough and a little to mix with the brown sugar for the filling. If you want to make gluten free hand pies, swap in my small batch gluten free pie dough recipe!
- Apples – Use a firm variety apple like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, or Pink Lady.
- Granulated Sugar – To add a little more flavor to the dough.
- Salt – For an exceptionally delicious pie crust, I must insist on salt! It will enhance all the flavors in the dough.
- Unsalted Butter – Since we add our own salt, unsalted butter is best. And the butter must be cold to make the pie crust super flaky.
- Vanilla – For even more flavor in the dough and the apple filling.
- Vinegar – A little apple cider or white distilled vinegar yields a tender pie crust.
- Ice Water – To support the flakiness of the pie crust, ice water keeps the temperature cold while mixing the dough.
- Brown Sugar – Light or dark brown sugar will work for the filling.
- Cinnamon & Allspice – Hallmark fall spices for the filling.
How To Make Small Apple Hand Pies
1. Make The Dough
Whisk together the butter, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the cold butter cubes.
Using your fingers, press the butter cubes into small flat, flaky discs, and make sure they are all coated with flour. These butter chunks will make the pie crust incredibly flaky.
Make a well in the center of the flour. Add the vanilla, vinegar, and a few tablespoons of water. Fluff the flour around the liquids to mix and incorporate.
Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a moistened dough. You will know you have added enough water if you press the dough in your hand and it sticks together. If it crumbles, keep adding water a little at a time.
Tip! The dough should be rough and scrappy. We don’t want to overwork the dough or add too much water, otherwise it will be tough. It will hydrate and come together as it chills in the refrigerator.
2. Refrigerate The Dough
Pour the dough onto plastic wrap, form it into a disc, and wrap it tightly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Tip! All those visible butter chunks are what we want to see in a good, flaky pie dough!
3. Make The Apple Filling
When the dough is chilling, make the apple filling.
Add the apples, cinnamon, juice (or water), butter, and vanilla to a small skillet. Cook until the apples start to get tender and the juices are mostly evaporatd.
Tip! Don’t overcook the apples! We want to retain some texture and they will continue to soften as they bake.
4. Roll And Shape The Pie Dough
Roll the dough into a rough 15-inch rectangle or square. Use a large biscuit cutter to make the hand pie rounds, and place them on a baking sheet.
Cut a couple of slits on 4 of the rounds to provide ventilation as the hand pies bake. Now, refrigerate the dough rounds for 15 minutes so the butter stays cold!
Tip! The slits in the pie dough tops provide ventilation for the apples to bake, and will help with the filling from bursting out the sides.
5. Assemble And Bake
Spoon equal amounts of brown sugar and apple filling on the (non-cut) dough rounds. Brush the edges with egg wash.
Put the tops on, crimp with a fork to seal, and brush the hand pies with more egg wash. Top with pie decorations (optional) and some coarse sugar.
Refrigerate the assembled hand pies for another 15 minutes to ensure the dough is cold and the hand pies bake into flaky, round pies!
Bake for about 30 minutes and let cool so you can drizzle the apple hand pies with the yummy glaze!
Recipe FAQ
Can I make the hand pies into a small pie?
Yes! For a 6-inch pie, this recipe is slightly larger than my other small batch pie recipes, but you can use the extra dough to make more decorations for the top of the pie.
I recommend firm varieties to keep a little texture when they bake. Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Pink Lady are great options.
The hand pies will be ok at room temperature for about 1 day. Then I recommend covering and refrigerating the pies for up to 5 days.
More Small Batch Pie Recipes
Small Batch Apple Brown Sugar Hand Pies
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
Pie Crust
- 1 ¼ cups (156.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons (16 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons (98 g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or white distilled vinegar)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
- 1 large egg, beaten (for brushing crust)
- turbinado sugar (for sprinkling crust)
Brown Sugar Apple Filling
- 1 cup (125 g) apples, chopped (1 firm apple; I use a combo of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider, apple juice, or water
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
INSTRUCTIONS
Pie Crust
- Note – The butter needs to be cold. Before you start making the dough, cut the butter into cubes and place in the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes ahead of time.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter cubes to the flour and press the butter cubes into small flat, flaky discs (about the size of a nickel) – making sure they are all coated with flour.1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- Fill a small liquid measuring cup with ice water – as long as you have at least 1/2 cup of water. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the vinegar, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of ice water to the well. Using a fork or spatula, stir the flour around the water, and continue to add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you start to get larger clumps of dough. To check if you have added enough water, grab some of the dough in your hand and squeeze it. If it sticks together without crumbling apart, you have added enough water. If it still crumbles apart, add another tablespoon of water, and check again. Note – The dough is supposed to be rough and not overly moist. Adding too much water will likely result in a tough dough. So will overmixing the dough. Work the dough gently when mixing in the water.1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Note – Weather and humidity can impact how much water you need to bring the dough together. You may find you need more water than the recipe states.
- Pour the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball, then flatten into a small disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Brown Sugar Apple Filling
- Make the apple filling when you are close to removing the pie dough from the refrigerator.
- In a small skillet, add the chopped apples, juice (or water), butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook over medium heat until the apples start to get tender and most of the liquid evaporates – about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook as the apples will continue to soften when baked. Remove the apples from the skillet and set aside. Tip – Use the same skillet to make the glaze!1 cup apples, chopped, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 2 tablespoons apple cider, apple juice, or water
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and flour. Set aside.2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg for the egg wash.
- Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Roll and shape the pie dough – Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator, and let it come to room temperature for about 5 to 10 minutes so it is easier to roll. Lightly flour your work surface. Roll the dough into a rough 15-inch square or rectangle. Using a 4.5-inch biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out 8 circles. Tip – I like to use a baking mat (linked above) to roll the pie dough. It has measurements, and makes clean up easier!
- Transfer the dough circles to the prepared baking sheet and space at least 2 inches apart. Cut a couple of slits on 4 of the circles – these will be the tops of the hand pies. Refrigerate the dough circles for 15 minutes.
- Pie dough scraps – Re-roll the pie dough scraps and use shaped cookie cutters to make decorations to top the hand pies. This is optional. Place the cut-outs on the baking sheet you have in the refrigerator to keep them cool.
- Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
- Assemble the hand pies – On the 4 non-cut circles, spoon equal amounts of the brown sugar mix onto the center, then top with equal amounts of the apple mix – leaving at least a 1/4-inch border. Brust the border with the egg wash.1 large egg, beaten
- Place the tops on the hand pies, and crimp the edges together with a fork to seal. Brush the hand pies with egg wash. If using decorations, place on top and also brush with egg wash. Sprinkle the hand pies with coarse sugar.turbinado sugar
- Important – If the dough doesn't feel cool to the touch anymore, refrigerate (or freeze) the assembled hand pies for 10 to 15 minutes before baking. The colder they are before baking, the more flaky the crust will be and the better they will hold their shape.
- Bake for 30 to 32 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the pies are golden. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Allow the hand pies to cool before glazing, so the glaze sticks.
Cinnamon Brown Butter Glaze
- While the hand pies are cooling, make the glaze.
- The hand pies are best enjoyed the day they are baked. Leftovers can be covered and kept at room temperature for up to 8 hours, then refrigerated for 3 to 5 days.
RECIPE NOTES
- Serving Size – This is a small batch recipe that is easily doubled. You may want to use 2 baking sheets for a larger batch, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
- Best Apples – I like to use a combination of firm apples for the hand pies for a variety of flavor and texture – though this is not necessary. Honeycrisp and Granny Smith are what I use. Pink Lady and Fuji apples are also great.
- Hand Pie Shape – This is a versatile recipe. Feel free to make the hand pies in any shape or size. Keep in mind the small border around the edge of the filling to properly seal the pies.
- Storage – The hand pies are best enjoyed the day they are baked. Leftovers can be covered at room temperature for up to 8 hours. After that, refrigerate for 3 to 5 days.
- Freezing – Baked, cooled, and un-glazed hand pies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature to serve.
- Make Ahead – There are a few ways to make the hand pies ahead of time: 1. Prepare and refrigerate the pie dough and filling, at most, 3 days before. 2. Prepare and freeze the pie dough and filling for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. 3. Assembled, un-baked hand pies can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, no need to thaw before baking, just add a few more minutes to the baking time.
- Special Equipment – The baking equipment I use for this recipe is linked at the top of the recipe card. For baking in small batches, items like odd-size measuring spoons (affiliate link) are very helpful!
NUTRITION ESTIMATES
about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
I've tested, written, and photographed hundreds of recipes on my website. Here you'll find the tastiest small batch desserts - all homemade, all simple, and all for you! Click here to learn more about me!