Caramel Apple Hand Pies are easy-to-make, perfectly portioned, portable mini apple pie pouches that are filled with flavorful Fall ingredients.
This recipe simply packages the best parts of apple pie in a ready-made crust, eliminates the hard work, and delivers the most delicious, best-baked, fresh fruit dessert that you can pick up and hold in your hand.
Caramel Apple Hand Pies: Cute Finger-Food!
These Caramel Apple Hand Pies are my favorite way to showcase sweet, in-season apples and all the warm flavors of Fall. This easy recipe is a simple twist on the traditional apple pie, without the hours of beating, folding, and rolling the dough; it tastes every bit as homemade as the classic version but baked in a convenient, individually-portioned form.
These handheld treats ooze fresh fruit flavor and silky smooth caramel, all wrapped in a finger-friendly package–no forks or serving utensils required!
With a sweetly spiced apple filling that’s been tucked into pockets of tender, flaky crust, these mini apple pies taste just like a slice of pie that you don’t have to share. Ditch the forks in favor of your fingers this year because we’ve made it mini-sized so you can eat this goodie on the go!
Why We Love This Caramel Apple Hand Pies Recipe
- Quick and easy to make with simple ingredients.
- Delicious, individually-portioned, portable dessert.
- Irresistible pockets of apple pie filling tucked inside a flaky pre-made crust.
- Sweet and comforting recipe with warming flavors of Fall.
- Finger-friendly; no forks required!
Ingredients / Shopping List
- Apples: Make sure your apples are peeled, cored, and diced. I use Honeycrisp apples for this recipe but any type of baking apple will do.
- Caramel syrup
- Dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- Salted butter: Feel free to use unsalted butter instead, but add an extra pinch of salt for flavor.
- Allspice
- Packaged pre-made refrigerated pie crust (It should include 2 separate pie crusts): If you would like to make your own pie crust, go for it!
- Egg
- Heavy cream: You can switch this out for half and half, milk, or even water.
Substitutions and Additions
- Additional Apples: I use Honeycrisp apples for this recipe but any type of baking apple will taste great. Try a mix of firm, sweet-tart varieties such as Pink Lady, Fuji, Braeburn, or Granny Smith.
- Add Some Spice: Feel free to use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves instead of allspice. These cozy, warming spices are the perfect complement to the sweet apples.
- Top Your Treat: For additional sweetness, you can top your hand pie with a dusting of powdered sugar, a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk, caramel sauce, or creamy vanilla ice cream.
- Cut Your Crust: No cookie cutter? No problem! You can use a sharp knife or glass to cut out circles, squares, triangles or any other shape that you choose. Or, you can cut the crust into larger pieces and fold to make them look more like a turnover.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Two quarter sheet pans (Or one large sheet pan)
- Parchment paper (or cooking spray)
- Mixing bowl and tools
- Measuring tools
- Skillet
- 3 or 4-inch circular cookie cutter or sandwich sealer (I used this one)
- Knife
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
How to Make Caramel Apple Hand Pies
Caramel Apple Hand Pies come together in just a few simple steps! Make and bake in just about 40 minutes.
- Heat and cook apples, caramel syrup, brown sugar, butter, and allspice in a skillet and set aside to cool.
Pro Tip: Make sure to peel and core your apples before chopping them. Apples are done cooking when they are “fork tender.” Apples and sauce are finished cooling when they can be safely scooped and smoothed with a spoon. They will still be warm but not boiling hot. For a thicker filling, add 1-2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to the apple mixture while cooking it.
- Lay out the pie crusts and flatten with a rolling pin.
Pro Tip: You should be able to fit 8 circles in each crust using a large 3-4 inch cookie cutter or a sandwich sealer. - Make 8 indents into the bottom crust with a cookie cutter so that you know where to place the filling.
- Fill the 8 bottom pie crusts with apple pie filling.
- Place the other pie crust on top of the 8 filled circles, with enough extra that it can be pushed closed around each circle, and press along the edges to seal them.
- Cut and seal each hand pie with a sandwich sealer.
Pro Tip: You can also use a cookie cutter to cut each pie and seal it with a fork. Feel free to use a different cookie cutter or larger cutter for these hand pies. Remember to adjust the baking time slightly if needed. - Cut three slits at the center of each top crust for ventilation when baking.
- Whisk together egg and heavy cream to create an egg wash.
- Brush the tops of the hand pies with egg wash mixture and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 13-16 minutes or until the tops turn golden brown.
Pro-Tip: Parchment paper is ideal to use for this recipe because the filling likes to stick to the sheet pan. However, if you don’t have any, you can use cooking spray or aluminum foil. - Cool, serve, and enjoy!
Storage Tips
- To Store: Leftover hand pies will last 2-3 days at room temperature if covered, and another 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
- To Freeze: Wait until the pies are completely cooled, individually wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze them in a freezer storage bag for up to 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can absolutely make your own pie dough for this recipe. Any all-around, flexible dough that holds its shape through baking is perfect!
You can choose your favorite variety of apples for this recipe. You will want a crisp, sweet and tart apple that holds up during baking. Some ideas include Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Jonagold, or even better, a combination!
The amount of egg wash you use will affect the look of the hand pies. The more egg wash you use, the shinier, slightly crustier, and browner your hand pies will be. With too much egg wash, they will brown too much and get too crusty, which can make them less pleasant to eat. If you use only a little egg wash, you won’t get that shiny finish, but more of a soft pie crust. Use the amount of egg wash you feel is best for the effect you want.
The more liquid in your filling the better! I like a nice, moist inside for my apple hand pies, and that comes from extra filling and liquid, so I try to add extra filling and keep the liquid from spilling out as much as I can. However, this extra filling makes it difficult to close the hand pies, so be wary of that.
Yes, you can make and assemble the hand pies in advance, and freeze them just before baking. Bake from frozen, and add a few minutes to the baking time.
Other Easy Apple Recipes
- Caramel Apple Pie Cookies
- Homemade Apple Cider
- Apple Cider Doughnut Holes
- Air Fryer Caramel Apple Dump Cake
- Campfire Apple Crisp Foil Packets
- Hasselback Apples
- Instant Pot Applesauce
- Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars
Caramel Apple Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 2 small Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored, and diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- ⅓ cup caramel syrup
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar lightly packed
- ¼ cup (½ stick) salted butter
- ½ tsp allspice
- 14.1 ounce package premade refrigerated pie crust (It should include 2 separate pie crusts)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized skillet combine the Honeycrisp apples, caramel syrup, brown sugar, butter, and allspice.
- Heat over medium high heat and cook until the apples are fork tender (about five minutes) and then remove from heat.
- Set aside to let cool for about ten minutes, until the apples and sauce can be safely scooped and smoothed with a spoon. They will still be warm but not boiling hot.
- Lay out the pie crusts on a floured surface and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough just slightly. You should be able to fit 8 circles in each crust using a large 3-4 inch cookie cutter or a sandwich sealer.
- Gently make 8 indents into the bottom pie crust with the cookie cutter so that you know where to place the filling.
- Fill the bottom pie crust circles with about 1 ½ Tablespoons of the apple filling.
- Take the other pie crust and make sure that it will fit on top of the 8 circles, with enough extra that it can be pushed closed around each circle. Gently press around the filling of each circle to seal it.
- Cut and seal each hand pie with a sandwich sealer. You can also use a cookie cutter to cut each pie and seal it with a fork.
- Cut three slits at the center of the top crust circles for ventilation when baking.
- Whisk the egg and heavy cream together in a bowl to create an egg wash.
- Brush the tops of the apple hand pies with the egg wash mixture and then bake in the oven for 13-16 minutes or until the tops turn golden brown.
- Let the apple hand pies cool before removing from the sheet pan and serving.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Leftover hand pies will last 2-3 days at room temperature if covered, and another 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
- To Freeze: Wait until the pies are completely cooled, individually wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze them in a freezer storage bag for up to 2 months.
- Make sure to peel and core your apples before chopping them.
- Feel free to use a different cookie cutter or larger cutter for these hand pies. Remember to adjust the baking time slightly if needed.
- For a thicker filling, add 1-2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to the apple mixture while cooking it.
- Parchment paper is ideal to use for this recipe because the filling likes to stick to the sheet pan. However, if you don’t have any, you can use cooking spray or aluminum foil.
What kind of caramel syrup is needed?
Hi Anita, You will use something like you would top on ice cream.
Where do you get ring cutter? would to get one
Here you go https://amzn.to/3yEgmnU
I read you recipe, and tools and i got it off Amazon, than you, and Merry Christmas