CARAMEL APPLE HAND PIES

 

CARAMEL APPLE HAND PIES
DOUGH
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup cold sour cream

• Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
• Add the cubed butter to the bowl and use your fingers to work the butter into the flour until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
• Stir in the sour cream (the dough will be very wet), and then turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface.
• Knead the dough a few times until it comes together, adding more flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the dough is too sticky to handle.
• Roll the dough into an 8×10-inch rectangle and dust both sides with flour before folding it into thirds as if you were folding a letter.
• Rotate the dough 90º and roll it out again into an 8×10-inch rectangle.
• Fold the dough again into thirds then wrap it securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes while you make the filling.

FILLING
2 cups small peeled and SMALL diced Granny Smith apples (about corn kernel size)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon PURE vanilla
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• In a small bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar and flour, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.

ASSEMBLY
Egg wash – 1 egg lightly whisked with 1 Tablespoon water
LARGE flake sea salt
Crystal sanding sugar

• Preheat the oven to 425º.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unfold it onto a well-floured surface, rolling it out to a 14×14-inch square.
• Using a 3-inch circular cookie cutter or cup, cut out as many circles as possible. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting out circles until you run out of dough, ensuring you end up with an even number of circles.
• Place six of the dough circles on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Spoon a small portion of the apple filling into the center of each circle, leaving enough of a border around the filling.
• Top the apple filling with a pinch of sea salt.
• Place a second dough circle atop each filled circle then use a fork to crimp the edges together, sealing each pie.
• Brush each pie with the egg wash, and using a sharp knife, cut two or three vents on the top of each pie.
• Sprinkle the pies with crystal sanding sugar.
• Bake the pies until they’re golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• Remove the pies from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes before glazing.

GLAZE
Juice of 1 Large lemon
+/- 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• Blend together to desired consistency.

NOTES:

• I like to use a FULL wine bottle to roll the dough as the weight helps it stay smoother.
• I also roll the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper so I don’t need t add as much flour.
• Large flake sea salt is available in most specialty supermarkets.