Howdy folks, happy Thursday! I know I said I was done with apple recipes but I had to share this last one. You all know by now that I had about 30 lbs of apples to get creative with so after making a pie, a crisp, applesauce, and apple butter I finally had room in my fridge for other fruit :)
So last week I had about two small jars of apple butter left so I thought I would make these cute little hand pies. We were having guests over for dinner and I wanted to make something light and fruity so these little pies were perfect, small enough to not feel quilty about eating dessert and just sweet enough to top off the meal.
You could use all sorts of various fruit butters or fillings and you can even mix up the flours in for the crust. I used a mixture of all purpose (made from unbleached winter red wheat), whole wheat flour and spelt. You can of course make the whole thing with AP but I thought I would try mixing things up a bit. In the end they turned out deliciously simple and sweet.
Apple Butter Hand Pies
(makes 14, you can alwasy cut the recipe in half)
- 1 stick of butter (8 TBSP)
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 ounces of cream cheese
- 2 TBSP buttermilk (if you dont have any add two tablespoons of lemon juice to one cup of whole milk or cream and let it sit for 5 minutes, viola....you have buttermilk)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour (I used a mix of AP, wheat, and spelt)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups apple butter
- cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and 1 cup sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg to the sugar-butter mixture, and beat until just blended.
Add cream cheese, buttermilk, and vanilla extract, and beat until well combined. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt, and add to the cream-cheese mixture. Beat until completely blended. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap, and using your hands, press the dough into a 1-inch-thick patty, wrap well, and refrigerate for at least one hour (your dough will seem very wet and sticky, dont worry it will firm up in the fridge). If preparing ahead of time, the dough can be stored at this point for up to one month in the freezer.
Divide the refrigerated dough in half. On a floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness (if your dough is sticking keep adding flour until it is workable). Using a 4 1/2-inch-round biscuit cutter (I didnt have one so I just used a glass of this width), cut seven circles out of the rolled dough. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting, and chilling process with the remaining half of dough.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature until just pliable, 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon about 2 tablespoons apple butter onto one half of each circle of dough. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, spread out apple butter. Keep apple butter on half the circle, and spread until it is about 1/2 inch from the edge, making sure apple butter is not completely flattened. Quickly brush a little cold water around the circumference of the dough, and fold it in half so the other side comes down over the apple butter, creating a semicircle. Seal the hand pie, and make a decorative edge by pressing the edges of the dough together with the back of a fork. Repeat process with remaining dough. Place the hand pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and return to the refrigerator to chill for another 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix some sugar and the cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Remove the chilled hand pies from the refrigerator, and lightly brush with cold water. Sprinkle a generous amount of the cinnamon sugar over the pies, and place pies in the oven to bake. Bake until the hand pies are golden brown and just slightly cracked, about 20 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven, and let stand to cool slightly before serving.
Crafts
