Apple Hand Pies!

 I stepped outside this morning to a beautiful crisp fall morning. The smell of leaves and the hint of smoke from somewhere nearby. Leaves slapped me in the face as they raced down from their trees. It's finally time for sweaters, tea, and most importantly: Apple p
ie. 

 These pies are on-the-go, perfectly sweet, satisfyingly tart, and all around the perfect Autumn treat. Great with ice cream or whipped topping, or just like a cookie. You can make these hand-held pies any flavor, but apples are finally in season so I went with that.
 Although, it seems not everyone is ready for fall. As I was taking pictures of these pies I realized the pictures would look much more lively with some apples from our big apple tree. So I slung my camera over my shoulder and went outside. As I picked some apples off the tree, something dropped on me from above, and I had a major freak-out thinking a huge spider was clutching onto my hair. But alas, it was only a harmless tree frog.
 He sat on my finger but as I reached for my camera he leaped off in annoyance and perched on a branch to resume his last of the summer sun-bathing. I don't think he'll be hibernating anytime soon. Way too much energy. 

 But I filled my apron with apples and the pictures turned out quite nicely. Although I quickly ran out of subjects as my siblings continued to grab samples of my work...

 My brother complained that there was too much crust and not enough filling. That's HIS opinion, and I suppose he's entitled to it. I happened to like more crust than filling. But the great thing about this recipe, you can put as much filling as you want in and they'll turn out basically the same. So if you're a filling person, go ahead and ignore my instructions. I'm sure you're not the only one who ignores my directions ;) In baking, directions are only guidelines and only meant to be followed strictly if you are just learning how to master a particular art. Adding more or less filling is not going to compromise the chemistry of these pies, though, so you have some freedom. 

 If you're into making cutesy little things like this heart shape, pie is a really a good dessert for you because this crust is pretty sturdy and open to creativity. For the lattice top (Weaved) I just cut slits in the rolled out dough and then use my circle cookie cutter and cut the slices into a circle. Then weave them over the pie.
  I'd love to see your designs so be sure to post pictures in the comments if you try out the recipe!

 Well, I hope you enjoy my recipe, and enjoy your beautiful Autumn day! (I know it's not technically fall yet. Jeesh. Go sit on that branch with Mr. Frog. Just let me enjoy my fluffy sweaters.)

Apple Hand Pies

What you will need...

Crust:
2 Cups Flour
2 sticks (1 Cup) Cold Butter
1/4 Cup Caramel Whiskey (Or water)

Filling:
3 Cups Skinned and Diced Apples (I use a variety of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp)
4 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Pinch Salt

Egg wash:
1 Egg
A sprinkle of cinnamon

What you will do...

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut butter into flour with a fork or pastry blender.
Add whiskey or water JUST until you can clench a fist of dough and it stays in its form.
Wrap in a ball with Saran Wrap, freeze.

Skin and dice about 3-4 apples until you have about 3 cups. I like to dice them into tiny pieces, but that's just my preference.
Add sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Make sure apples are evenly coated with mixture.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Take crust dough out of freezer. Roll it out to about a half a centimeter thick. Use a circle cookie cutter or a lid to peanut butter or other round lid (It doesn't really matter how big). Place one circle on prepared cookie sheet. Place about a fourth a cup of filling into center.
Cut out a second circle of crust and cut a slit through the middle so your pastry does not expload. OPTIONAL: Cut in a small design in the place of a slit
Press second circle of crust onto first and press edges to seal.
Use a food brush to thinly coat top with egg and cinnamon. Sprinkle on sugar and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or just like a cookie. Enjoy!