Gluten Free Brown Butter Apple Hand Pies Recipes

APPLE HAND PIES

Steps:

• Prepare my pie crust recipe through step 5. The dough must chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator. You can make pie dough ahead, see instructions below.
• Combine the diced apples, granulated sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice together in a medium saucepan or skillet over low-medium heat. While occasionally stirring, bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can make filling ahead, see instructions below.
• See my video above as a visual guide for the next few steps. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls. At any sign of sticking, sprinkle some flour underneath then keep rolling. Roll out until it's about 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8th - 1/4th inch thick. Using your cookie cutter, cut into circles. Re-roll any scraps and cut into circles. Place cut circles in the refrigerator to keep cold. The colder the shaped dough, the easier it is to work with. Repeat with 2nd pie dough and refrigerate cut circles for at least 15 minutes before filling the hand pies.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Arrange half of the circles about 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. These are the bottom crusts. Using a sharp knife, cut slits into the remaining circles. These are the top crusts. The slits act as vents so that steam can escape as the hand pies bake. Place about 2 Tablespoons of filling in the center of each bottom crust. (Or however much fits while leaving the edges bare.) Place top crust on top. Press your fingers all around the edges to seal, then crimp with a fork. If the hand pies lost some shape, use your hands to form a round circle again. It's OK if some filling juice is leaking out. Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with egg wash mixture. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
• At this point the hand pies can be baked, but if they don't feel cool to touch anymore, freeze for 10 minutes before baking. The colder they are going into the oven, the better they'll hold their shape.
• Bake for about 28-32 minutes or until they're golden brown on top and around the edges. Rotate pans halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and allow the hand pies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool until ready to handle. You can serve warm or at room temperature. If desired, serve with a drizzle of warm salted caramel.
• Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

GLUTEN-FREE APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For the dough: Put the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor and whirl it up until the flour is fully aerated and fluffy.
• Add the butter and cream cheese and pulse several times, until the butter and cream cheese are roughly broken down into pieces the size of lima beans. (They won't all be the same size.)
• Add 4 tablespoons cold water to the flour mixture and pulse several times again. The flour should be starting to clump up with the butter and cream cheese, which will look more distinct in the mixture now. Pinch a bit of the flour and fats together in your fingers. If they stick together, the dough is ready. Most of the time, it might take a couple more tablespoons of water to make the dough cohere. (The mixture should look like cheese curds. Don't add so much water that the dough comes together in one clump.)
• Dump the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, taking care to remove the blade of the food processor. Using the heel of your hand, press the curds of dough together to form a coherent pie dough. Fold the dough onto itself several times, like turning the pages of a book. This will make the final dough flakier. Shape the dough into one large ball, then cut it into 2 pieces and flatten each piece into a small disc. Wrap the discs of dough in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• For the pie: Meanwhile, put the apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg into a large bowl and toss them together. Let the filling sit while the pie dough is chilling.
• Pull one of the discs of dough out of the refrigerator and put it on a piece of parchment paper. Gently flatten it just a touch. Put another piece of parchment paper on top and roll out the dough, moving the rolling pin in small increments, like moving around the face of a clock. When the dough is large enough to be just bigger than a 9-inch pie pan, peel off the top piece of parchment paper and flip the dough onto a pie pan. Peel off the parchment paper. If any pieces stick to the paper, don't worry; simply peel them off and pat them in place.
• Tumble the apple filling into the pie shell. Roll out the remaining disc of dough the same way and put it on top of the pie. Tuck the edges together and crimp them. Make 3 slits in the top of the pie for steam vents. Put the pie into the freezer, 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Put the pie onto the prepared baking sheet and bake 15 minutes, then drop the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the crust is warm and browned and the juices from the apples are oozing out of the pie, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Allow the pie to cool to room temperature before slicing into it, about 1 hour.