By Erin Jeanne McDowell
- Total Time
- About 1¼ hours, plus chilling
- Rating
- 4(209)
- Notes
- Read community notes
These little pies are filled to the brim with juicy caramel apple filling, fried, then tossed in cinnamon sugar. You may need to adjust the temperature as you fry them: If the oil is too hot, they’ll look golden on the outside, but the dough may not fully cook through. If the oil is too cool, they may be greasy. If you don’t have a thermometer, use a piece of scrap dough to test the oil for frying; it should rise to the top immediately.
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Ingredients
Yield:14 individual pies
- 2½cups/320 grams all-purpose flour
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1cup/225 grams cold unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into ½-inch cubes
- ½cup/120 milliliters ice water, plus more as needed
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3medium apples (about 1 pound), such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith or Gala, peeled, cored and cut into ½- inch dice (about 3 cups/375 grams)
- 1tablespoon lemon juice
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½cup/110 grams light or dark brown sugar
- 1½teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
- About 2 to 3 quarts vegetable or canola oil, as needed, for frying (see Tip)
- ½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
- 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Pinch of fine sea salt
For the Dough
For the Filling
For Finishing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)
292 calories; 13 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 21 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 181 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the pie dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour and salt to combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the butter is well distributed throughout, and the largest pieces are no larger than a pea. (You can also do this by hand with a pastry cutter in a large bowl.)
Step
2
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the ice water and toss the mixture with your hands to distribute the water throughout the flour. Once the mixture is very fine, press and knead it a few times until it comes together. If there are portions of the dough that are more hydrated, use your hands to break them up, then incorporate the drier portions of the dough. The dough should not be totally smooth, or overly wet. If needed, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture comes together easily in a ball.
Step
3
Divide the dough in half and form each into a disk about ½-inch thick. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
Step
4
Make the filling: In a medium pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add apples, tossing to coat in the butter. Add lemon juice, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt and stir to combine. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the apples start to soften, 5 to 6 minutes.
Step
5
In a small bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and flour. Add to the pot and stir well to combine. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. (If you’d like to make it ahead of time, the filling will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
Step
6
When the dough is chilled, and using a lightly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk about ¼-inch thick. Use a 4-inch round biscuit cutter or cup to cut about five circles from the dough. (You can also use a plate or stencil as a guide and use a knife to cut.) Wrap the scraps in plastic wrap and chill while you fill the dough.
Step
7
Use a fork or small slotted spoon to transfer about 1 heaping tablespoon filling into the center of each circle. (Try to scoop just the apples, leaving behind most of the syrup.) Brush the outside edge of one half of the dough with cool water, then fold the circle in half to encase the filling. Press the edges firmly to seal, then crimp with a fork. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate, uncovered, while you shape the remaining pies. Repeat this process with the other disk of dough and combine the dough scraps with the others in the refrigerator.
Step
8
Re-roll the combined scraps to create about another 4 circles of dough and repeat the process with the remaining filling.
Step
9
Pour 3 to 4 inches oil in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. When the oil reaches 350 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, you’re ready to fry. (You can also test the temperature with a scrap piece of dough; it should immediately rise to the surface.) Line a baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels.
Step
10
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Remove the pies from the refrigerator.
Step
11
Fry 3 to 4 pieces at a time (or fewer if necessary to avoid crowding) until evenly golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Watch the temperature of the oil. You may need to adjust the heat as you work. When the hand pies are evenly browned, use a spider or slotted spoon to remove them from the oil and transfer to the towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
Step
12
After about 1 minute, while the pies are still warm, toss them in the cinnamon sugar to coat, then set on a serving platter. Repeat the frying and coating process with the remaining pies. Serve immediately.
Tip
- The oil can be reserved for future frying. Let it cool completely in the pot, then strain (preferably through cheesecloth). Store it in the same bottle it came in, tightly sealed, for up to 3 months. It can be reused 2 to 3 more times after the initial fry.
Ratings
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Cooking Notes
Daria
Decided to become my own test kitchen and tried cooking this recipe three different ways: deep fry, oven, and air fryer. I will say, all versions turned out great! I found deep fryer to be a little crispier and oven more flaky kind of crust and air fryer was an in-between? Not a huge difference, in my opinion!(Brushed egg wash first)Air fryer: @365, ~8min (flip/check half way)Oven: @375, ~30minTossed them in the cin/sugar while they were warm but maybe butter first might help stickage!
lynda
These fried goodies have a special place in the history of our family. Our Aunt Letty grew her own apples, cut them, laid them to dry in the sun between sheets of mesh wire and, when it was time for a family gathering, used them for fried pies. She used lard, not butter, and fried the batches of pies atop her beautiful wood-fired stove. She had no recipes but there was magic in the process. Though the tables were filled with all manner of delectable food, the most prized bites were Letty’s pies.
Weslie
I am almost ashamed to contribute this....but here goes. Due to my laziness, I used a frozen pie crust. I thawed it, cut up the circles, chilled them, and made the apple filling. I then put my oven to 330. F convection, and put the filled half circles in on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. I used turbinando sugar sprinkled on top in lieu of the cinnamon mix. They took about 20 minutes to be ready. They are delicious! The left over apples we are putting on top of vanilla cream tonight.
Amazing!
This recipe is fantastic. The pie crust dough is so flaky and fried up perfectly. Only thing - couldn’t fit a full tablespoon into each one - was more like a teaspoon. Was worried they would be dry, but that was not the case. Worth the time - decadent and fabulous.
Win
Has anyone tried baking these?
Ceola
Would you bake them at 350? Any idea for how long?
H
We are trying to make a dessert for my son's spaghetti dinner. They require individual dessert that does not need cutting. We worked all day (including chilling time) tried fry and air fry. I Have to say the end results are disappointing. Only the ones air fried is a little resemble to Mcdonard's apple pie. The fried and cinnamon sugar powdered ones are more like apple donuts with some unwanted apple filling. I won't want to serve those to anybody but my always hungry husband.
Elie
Nice earthiness achieved by using a white flour/whole wheat ratio of 3:1, as well as adding a pinch of red chile to the cinnamon sugar. #NMproud
Carol
My Aunt Nonnie lived in North Carolina where Fried Apple Pies were referred to as Apple Jacks. Whenever we piled in the car to drive to the country for a visit, she would have dinner ready for us. (On the farm, lunch was referred to as dinner.) Cabbage, fried chicken, cornbread and potatoes were usually on the menu. Then came the highlight of the meal: Apple Jacks! I still make them for my sons and grandkids. This recipe is fantastic. Thanks for the memories.
Bolympia
Brilliant ideas for that yummy leftover apple syrup?
Nisha
I'm surprised that this recipe has such few reviews! These hand pies are amazing and festive. They take a little work, but not that much more than a regular pie. Make them for the holidays, you won't regret it!
Nercon5
These are bloody marvelous. I had extra dough and just enough filling for 14 pies. I diced the apples into 1/4” pieces, cooked filling for way longer than recipe indicated. Working with chilled dough and chilled filling made assembly and frying a breeze. Dark brown sugar yields a darkly luscious bite.
ali
you know Drake's cakes the little wax paper wrapped pies? These are better.
ali
also add some powdered sugar to the leftover apple glaze goo in the bowl and toss the warm pies in the glaze it'll create a shell once it dries!
KM
My review disappeared! I baked these for T-Day 2020 as per another reviewer's awesome test-kitchen note! I reduced the white sugar by half and included allspice. The crust is absolutely delicious!
Liz N.
These pies are FANTASTIC. The pie crust when fried gets an amazing texture. The filling is also perfectly gooey. Definitely make sure your filling is super chilled before using. Mine wasn't and I had some leakage issues while folding the crescents. I made them Thanksgiving morning and froze them until it was time for dessert and it was great. Served these with Melissa Clark's ginger ice cream!
Drew R
These were lots of work but ended up tasting almost exactly like McDonald’s apple pies, which I think are delicious and cost approximately 1 dollar and no work on my part besides getting in a car. Next time I’ll just head to the drive thru.
DadInReston
Lots of work, but very tasty — family & friends loved it!A couple of observations:—either 1/4” thick dough is too thick or 3-4 minutes cook time is too short: first couple of batches the dough wasn’t cooked through even though I kept the oil at 350 & cooked only three at a time.—lots of leftover filling, maybe 1/3 - 1/2 of the batch.
Weslie
I am almost ashamed to contribute this....but here goes. Due to my laziness, I used a frozen pie crust. I thawed it, cut up the circles, chilled them, and made the apple filling. I then put my oven to 330. F convection, and put the filled half circles in on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. I used turbinando sugar sprinkled on top in lieu of the cinnamon mix. They took about 20 minutes to be ready. They are delicious! The left over apples we are putting on top of vanilla cream tonight.
Daria
Decided to become my own test kitchen and tried cooking this recipe three different ways: deep fry, oven, and air fryer. I will say, all versions turned out great! I found deep fryer to be a little crispier and oven more flaky kind of crust and air fryer was an in-between? Not a huge difference, in my opinion!(Brushed egg wash first)Air fryer: @365, ~8min (flip/check half way)Oven: @375, ~30minTossed them in the cin/sugar while they were warm but maybe butter first might help stickage!
Rolnrn
Looks like an Air Fryer candidate to this kitchen disaster artist!
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