Apple Hand Pies

Hand pies. Apple Hand Pies. To me apple pie is totally a patriotic food. I think our country was founded on it. Little known fact, Martha Washington fed it to George every night for dessert. It is the reason we seceded from the British. They didn't have apple pie and we were ticked. So we left them and their tea and crumpets and came to the land of apple pie.

And it is a proven fact that the Indians fed apple pie to the pilgrims on Thanksgiving.

So there. Eat it or you're a terrorist.

Apple Hand Pies

Apple Pie Filling

·         1/4 cup light brown sugar

·         1 1/2 TBS all-purpose flour

·         1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

·         Dash of ground nutmeg, to taste

·         2 medium apples (I use pink lady), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

·         ½ very small lemon, zested and juiced

·         3 TBS butter, cut into squares

The Perfect Pie Crust

Cut in together with a pastry cutter:

·         1 cup flour

·         1/2 cup shortening

·         1/2 tsp salt

Stir in with fork:

·         1/4 cup cold water

Stir to blend. Set aside.

Directions

Mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. In another bowl, sprinkle apples with the juice of ½ a lemon and toss. Stir in the sugar mixture to evenly coat the apples.

Divide dough into 6-8 balls. Roll out on a floury surface. Fill one half of the circle with apple filling leaving room to seal the edges of the hand pies. Place ½ tbs of butter (cut up or crumbled) onto each pile of filling. Fold the dough in half and seal the edges by pinching both the sides of the dough in your fingers and turning it slightly. Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a silomat. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Top with whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy.

Honest Abe would endorse this post.