September → Apples → Caramel Apples → Salted Caramel → Ice Cream → Pie → I Hate Sharing Dessert → Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies.
And there you have it—a glimpse into the thought process behind this recipe. The critical link in the above chain is “I Hate Sharing Dessert,” which is what inspired me to transform a pie for 10 people into 10 personal pies. While sharing may be caring, it also happens to be impairing … to satisfying my sweet tooth.
The dough enveloping this mix of tart apples and sweet, salted caramel is part puff pastry, part pie dough. So while there’s just enough butter to form flaky layers of pastry, there’s also a bit of sour cream to guarantee moisture.
Best of all, the recipe yields a puff pastry-like equivalent sans the hours of beating, folding and rolling required of the real deal.
These apple hand pies can be as rustic or refined as you desire. No cookie cutter? No problem! Use a sharp knife or glass to cut out precise (or not-so-precise) circles, squares, triangles or any other shape that suits your fancy.
A pinch of sea salt lends a savory balance to these handheld treats that ooze fresh fruit flavor and silky smooth caramel. It’s the dynamic dessert duo, and it’s all wrapped up in finger-friendly package. No forks, no plates, no sharing required!
Ingredients
For the 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
For the filling:
- 2 cups small diced (peeled) Granny Smith apples (See Kelly's Notes)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 8 store-bought soft caramels, roughly chopped
Finishing Touches:
- Egg wash (1 egg lightly whisked with 1 Tablespoon water)
- Large flake sea salt (See Kelly's Notes)
- Crystal sanding sugar (optional)
Instructions
Make the dough:
- 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 8x10-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 8x10-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.
Make the filling:
- In a small bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar and flour, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
Assemble the pies:
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unfold it onto a well-floured surface, rolling it out to a 14x14-inch square. (See Kelly's Notes.)
- 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. (You should have approximately 20 3-inch 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 portion of the chopped caramels and 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 (optional).
- Bake the pies for about 15 minutes, or until they're golden brown.
- Remove the pies from the oven and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Repeat the filling and baking process with the remaining dough circles.
Kelly's Notes:
- The cubed apples should be no larger than the size of corn kernels to ensure they become tender during the quick 15-minute bake time.
- Large flake sea salt is available in most supermarkets. My preferred brand is Maldon Salt.
- If the dough is too firm to work with after refrigerating, allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting out the circular shapes.
- If the sour cream in the dough makes it too sticky at any point in the rolling out process, just simply sprinkle a pinch of flour atop the wet areas and continue rolling.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
Shoutout
Did you try this recipe?
Share it with the world! Mention @justataste or tag #justatasterecipes!
This post may contain affiliate links.
Dough recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.
My son’s favorite dessert
I’m so happy to hear that your son enjoys the recipe, Lisa!
Hello – How and for how long can these be stored? I am making desserts for about 170 and thought these would be a fun addition, but I really need a recipe to make ahead!
Thanks,
Hi Renee – I’ve never made these hand pies that far in advance, so I’m not sure how they would taste.
Kelly,
Your recipes always look so good! Can’t wait to start baking pies for the 4th of July. Thanks for sharing.
You are so welcome, Gayle! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying Just a Taste :)
Is there somewhere on your recipe site to change to quantities of ingredients to metric? I like weighing my ingredients when baking and find I really get better results in my baked goods.
Hi Diane! I don’t provide metric conversions for my recipes, as I cannot guarantee they would be 100% accurate without being tested. However, you are welcome to use an online converter. :)
So easy to make and so delicious. The whole family loved them
I’m so happy to read this, Kita!
I love these! I usually make them with store-bought caramels, but I currently have home-made caramel sauce. Do you think it will work if I use that?
Hi Loris – It’d most likely be too runny, especially after baking the pies.
I am looking forward to making these tomorrow. If I had spare homemade caramel sauce, I would probably just omit the caramel in the pies and serve them topped with the homemade sauce. Yum.
YUM! I hope you enjoy the recipe, Jennifer!
The flaky-ness and the layering of the pastry is fantastic in this recipe! So surprised! I also made half-moon pies instead of 2 full circles on top of each other, using a 4 inch circle. A double recipe made 33 half moons. I also used Werther’s original chewy caramels, and it did so well. I made them the night before, cooled them completely, and stored in an airtight container. They warm up in the microwave well, too! Caramel did not get too hard either.
I made a double recipe. I had a ton of apple mixture left over though, so I think I might make a pie with it. Thanks for the recipe!
You are so welcome, AC Jones! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi! I’ve made these and absolutely love them. Now I just ran into your muffin tin mini apple pies and want to try that presentation! Can I use this recipe but bake them in the muffin tins?
Absolutely, Loris! I’m not certain what the yield would be on the crust in terms of mini pies (it depends what you do with the lattice on top), but this recipe will definitely work in muffin tins. Enjoy!
Amazing I love it so much.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Charlotte!
I love the dough its different from reg pie crust dough. Overall easy to make
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kathy!
I loved making them for my family.
I’m so happy to read this, Charlotte!
Can you make these ahead (unbaked)before and bake before serving? Or bake ahead and reward? I’d like to make for thanksgiving and serve warm.
Absolutely! You can make them in the morning then bake right before serving. I worry if you make them and fully assemble them any sooner, the apple filling may start to release liquid and the crust will get soggy.
Very delicious fall dessert very easy to make.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
wish there was a print option
Hi Angela – There is a purple print button on the recipe card above. :)
My favorite Apple pie recipe. I always make it. The caramel adds a great taste
So glad you are enjoying it, Sofie!
This recipe is AMAZING! I made them as a Saturday afternoon challenge a few weeks ago and they were an instant hit. I am getting ready to make them again for Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing such a great and easy to share treat!
You are so welcome, Julia! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Can the dough be made by pulsing in the food processor?
Hi Becky – I haven’t tried that, but I’m concerned it might be a bit wet because of the sour cream. You could also pulse it up through adding the butter and then stir in the sour cream by hand.
Have you ever tried freezing this dough? I’ve made the hand pies a few times (SO good!) and have used the dough for pull size pies. Always a winner among guests. With Thanksgiving coming I’ll, I’d love to make the dough a week ahead and freeze.
Hi Sydney! The dough should freeze well as long as you seal it securely with several layers of plastic wrap. I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
Hi! I made those pies and they were awesome! Thank you for the recipe!
Have you ever try to make them with pumpkin?
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Geri! And I’ve never made this recipe with pumpkin so unfortunately, I can’t offer any tips.
I have housed your recipe quite a few times and love it. However, can I make a 9 inch pie with the listed dough recipe??
Hi Tammy! I have never tried making this as a large pie so I’m not sure how the ratios/amount of dough and filling would work out. You could always cut off any excess dough and add/subtract filling based on the size of your pie plate. Would love to hear your results if you give it a shot!
I’m an advanced cook and I rarely leave comments. But I have to thank you for this dough recipe. It’s delicious, flaky and very forgiving. Thanks so much for sharing!!!!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it, Gwene!
Delicious and easy to make!!!
Thrilled you enjoyed it!
Hi! Those look so delicious. Is it a good option to serve them with ice cream?
Absolutely!
I would like to freeze these (to use 5 days later). Is this possible, and should I bake (or 1/2 bake them) before freezing or freeze them unbaked?
Oh my, there’s a lot in there—help!
Thank you.
Hi Terri! I’ve never tried freezing these so I’m not entirely certain the best approach, but this is what I would do: Freeze them unbaked (wrapped securely in plastic wrap), then bake them as directed, however they will take slightly longer to bake from the frozen state. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Can I make these the night before?
Hi Dana! You can make them a day in advance and they’ll still be good the next day if you store them in an airtight container.
Hi! I made these pies over the weekend and they were a huge hit!! We loved them.
Have you ever used the pie crust for other pies and can you freeze the dough?
Hi Lisa – You can absolutely use this dough for other pies! And it should freeze well as long as you seal it securely with several layers of plastic wrap.
I cant use any creams, any substitute for that sour cream part??? No yogurt also.
I’ve never made this dough with a sour cream substitute so I’m sorry but I can’t weigh in on this!
These look delicious!! Could you make these with puff pastry?
Hi Amber! I’ve never tried this recipe using puff pastry, however, you could use store-bought pie dough.
What temperature should I bake these at?
Hi Jo – As noted in the recipe above, the oven temperature is 425°F and the bake time is 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Enjoy!
These are AMAZING! Thanks for feeding my salted caramel addiction, Kelly.
This is amazing for a person who loves dessert but needs that help with portion control, me I could eat a giant slice of apple pie if not! Can’t wait to try this! Check my blog out at Catch The Wave With Sam. I have really similar content and recipes! I just started up and would love any tips!
Hello. I ❤ this recipe. I’m doing a pie bar for my sister in the mountains and won’t have access to a stove. Can I bake ahead, freeze, and thaw thaw the night before? I know you could freeze raw dough, but I’m wondering if it’s the same for cooked dough. Thanks
Hi Jennie! I’ve never tried freezing them so I’m not certain what the result would be. My recommendation is to make them a day in advance and store in an airtight container. Hope that helps!
Did you try freezing them? And how did they come out?
Is it possible to use ready-made puff pastry instead of making your own?
You could use store-bought pie dough!
can I make these ahead and freeze them
That should work!
Never Mind! Foolish me just didn’t see the 1/2 tip cinnamon over there on the left side. Please disregard my earlier question.
No worries! Enjoy :)
The pictures of the chopped apples look like they contain cinnamon, but it’s not one of the listed ingredients. Should it be, or is it an optional variation?
Hi there! Cinnamon is in the list of ingredients :)
This is a great recipe. The simplicity of the apple filling makes it taste incredibly fresh. I used muffin tins to make deeper pies and they turned out just as wonderful. I will be adding this recipe to my collection.
Thank You!
Thanks so much for your comment, Brad! So glad you enjoyed the recipe :)
Everybody year my family has a Christmas food competition where we choose something to cook and each of us has to make our own interpretation and then we all stuff our faces and choose who’s is the best!
This year the theme is “sweet individual pie” the only rules are that it has to be sweet and have a pastry top.
I’m going to give your recipe a go!
My question is that I need to make the pies on Christmas Eve and then take them to my family’s on Boxing Day.
Will it be ok to make them in advance or should I assemble and freeze and then bake when I’m there in Boxing Day?
If I can make completely in advance should I just pop them in the oven for 10 mins to warm up?
Thanks
How fun! You can make them a day in advance and they’ll still be good the next day if you store them in an airtight container.
Hi, I’ve made these several times and they are such a hit! Thanks!!
I’ve also found that the dough recipe works great for pierogi that I make each year for Christmas. I usually make the dough the same day, but think I’ll make it the night before this year… do you think the dough will be OK to sit in the fridge for 24 hours or less?
I made these pies for Thanksgiving and they were a hit. Unfortunately, I did not put enough fillings into each pie. I was wondering if you have used this recipe to make a full-size pie, instead of the hand pies?
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Brianna! I have never tried making this as a large pie, so I’m not sure how the ratios/amount of dough and filling would work out. You could always cut off any excess dough and add/subtract filling based on the size of your pie plate. Let me know if you give it a shot!
I’ve had these pinned for years and finally made them last night for a Christmas party. They turned out delicious, thank you for the recipe!
A couple thoughts I had while making – I used storebought pie crust and had enough filling that I could use both of the crusts in the pack. The crusts were rolled quite thin to get to the 14×14 size, and that ended up being perfect in the final product. A three inch circle seems tiny when you cut them, but the size is great once they’re baked. Also, one circle should be a little bigger than the other (I just flattened one a bit with my fingers) so it can drape over the apples and still reach the other crust.
Thanks so much, Cameron! So thrilled you enjoyed the recipe :)
I made these for Thanksgiving and they were delicious. I cooked the apple mix a couple days ahead to make things quicker and it worked well.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Cindy!
i made these last christmas and loved them! the crust is so flakey and delicious! i made them and froze them uncooked on a sheet and then put them in baggies and baked them from frozen whenever i wanted a treat! perfect!
So glad you enjoyed the hand pies, Devon!
Have you ever used The pink Himalayan salt ?
I haven’t – but it should work!
These look amazing! Could I substitute shortening (Crisco) for the butter in the dough?
Hi Debra! I’ve never tried this recipe with shortening so I can’t say with certainty if that would work or not. Let me know if you try it!
Finally tried it out – wonderful! The pies were gone in no time and I’m craving for more. Will definitely repeat. Thanks a lot for the recipe.
Love hearing this, Lina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi kelly I’m tiring to get the recipe foryour sait ccamel apples hand pies can you please help me thank you
Hi Pam – – If you’re viewing the site on a mobile device, click TAP HERE TO READ THE FULL POST and scroll down to view the recipe. :)
Can I make these on a Thursday for a party on Sunday and they will still taste freshly made?
Hi there, Megan! I’ve never made these hand pies that far in advance, so I’m not sure how they would taste. But if you do make them, make sure to store them in an airtight container at room temp. Enjoy!
What type of caramel did you use?
Werther’s Soft Caramels!
Espero poder preparar tan deliciosas recetas. Éxitos. Ahhh y traducirlas primero!!!!
My coworker made this for our annual fall pie bake-off and WON! …hands down, I must say. :)
Now I am going to make them and ship them to my daughter. Could become a fall or winter holiday regular!
Love it!
I made these today and they came out fantastic! I’m saving the dough recipe and using it for all my future pies
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Laura!
Absolutely to die for. A little labor intensive, but totally worth it. And what can I say about the cuteness factor?!!!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Jayne!
Can these pies be frozen
Hi Dot – I’ve never tried freezing these so I can’t say for certain what the result would be. Please let me know if you give it a shot!
Can you make the dough in advance…..say a couple of weeks and freeze it? I have a party coming up and need to make at least 30 little pies! October is apple season here in North Georgia and this recipe looks perfect. Thanks.
That should work! Just make sure you seal it securely with several layers of plastic wrap.
It’s so nice to know because I have friends they always asked for this and I hope they’ll enjoy the treat. Thanks and best regards
You are so welcome, Salome! Enjoy :)
I made these today. Could not find caramel cubes at WalMart, so I bought the next best thing: Wrapples!
I bought more apples than I needed, 2 would have sufficed. But I did have left over apple mixture, so I must have been thrifty with it, and in hindsight, should have used more.
At the end, I just made one large “cornish pasty” type of apple hand pie, because I was getting tired–it was 2 hours in the kitchen!
They tasted fine, but was way too much work. Will use pre made pie crust next time!
If I wanted to use pre-made dough, would pie crust or puff pastry work better? Thanks
Pie crust for sure!
that recipe is awesome.
So glad you enjoyed it, Henry!
Can you freeze these hand pies?
Hi Jayne – I’ve never tried freezing them so I’m not certain what the result will be. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Can you use Salted Caramel Sauce instead of the Caramels.
Hi Denise! It would most likely be too runny, especially after baking the pies. Hope that helps!
Kelly, I thoroughly enjoy your recipes, but I do have a bone to pick with you. I just hate the pop up ads that appear throughout your site. I view your blog on my iPad and for some reason I spend more time trying to delete the ads than viewing the blog. I just printed the recipe for the salted caramel apple hand pies, which printed on 4 pages, a bit excessive as the recipe itself was on 2 pages, but it also printed the ad sponsored by Cineplex. I am sorry I couldn’t be more positive, but it is very frustrating.
Hi Jackie – Thanks so much for your note. We ran some tests and were not able to get any recipe pages to print with ads, as they aren’t set up to print with ads. There also shouldn’t be any pop-up ads on the site, as we strictly forbid these. Please let me know if you continue to experience these issues and we’ll continue to troubleshoot them. Thanks so much.
About how many apples does it take to make 2 cups chopped?
Hi there, Yael! Roughly 2 medium-sized apples are needed to equal 2 cups. Apple size and size of chopped pieces will impact the amount you end up with. :)
I estimated around 320 per pie..YIKES. It depends on what kind of ingredients you use as well, my butter cream had a lot of extra calories in the recipe.
Hi, as a diabetic you need to reduce sugar in this recipe. Try to replace sugar with a sweetener. To reduce the glycemic index you can use whole wheat flour but then the dough may be tougher. Try to use half and half regular and whole-wheat flour or add to the dough or batter bran. Thanks to that the pie will have more fibre and the sugar will be absorbed slower.
I am a diabetic, just wondering if these could be made diabetic friendly? They look really good and I like that they are baked instead of fried.
Hi Peggy! I am not a nutritionist so I’m not sure what it would entail to make this recipe diabetic-friendly.
I absolutely love this recipe and so does my hubby. I’ve used the crust recipe to make fresh (from the yard) blackberry pies too. It’s messy, but the best. I’ve discovered that if you roll the soft caramel squares flat, they melt perfectly, and it’s much easier than cutting them. Most often I use a tool for empanadas and it’s the perfect serving size. The pies take up half the bowl and a scoop of vanilla makes it complete! Everyone I make these for absolutely adores them.
These look amazing and I bookmarked them immediately. I finally got round to baking them and they were absolutely delicious. I’ve added a link back to your blog for the inspiration
I am super excited to make these for Thanksgiving. I’ve never made apple hand pies before so this will be a first. I am going to make/bake the hand pies the night before. On the day of Thanksgiving before they are served can I warm them up in the oven like one might do with a typical pie? If so, what would you recommend for baking temp and time? Thanks!
Hi Sarah – I’ve never tried rewarming them so I’m not certain what the time/temp would be. If I had to guess, I’d say start really low (250F) and go from there.
Ohh how wonderful, those are delightfully pleasing to the eye, so i am going to be making them. Thanks for sharing :) :)
Made these today and they were great! We used whole wheat flour. It only made 9 pies, so next time we’ll roll the dough a little thinner. We actually made the dough last week, so I can share that you can leave it in the fridge for many days before you assemble and bake! I did this with my 9 year old daughters and they liked chopping, assembling the pies and sprinkling colorful sugar on top.
I have made these several times for parties over the last couple of years, and they ALWAYS turn out amazing. In fact, I have people request them every year for our church Halloween party. The dough recipe is excellent and I actually started using it for other recipes as well – always flaky, never dry. Excellent recipe. :)
Hi. Instead of making the dough could you use refrigerated pie dough? And if so, would the cooking temperature & time change? Thanks!
That should work! The time/temp will vary but you can use the temp on the packaging and then just start checking the pies after the 12-minute mark or so.
How do I store them, where and how long will they last. Thank you bunches!
At room temp in an airtight container!
I really have a difficult time reading the words on your web site. The light gray type is very difficult to read, lots of squinting. And the light green in most cases I can’t read at all unless I look really close to the computer screen.
I am going to make a batch of these and freeze them… Just wondering do I freeze before the egg wash? Or do I bake them then freeze and then just warm when ready to eat?
Hi Amanda – I’ve never tried freezing them so I’m not certain what the result will be.
Any idea of the calories per pie?
I absolutely love this recipe! So much so I added it to my ultimate apple recipe roundup…I hope you will come by and take a look! Have a great week xo http://dreamingofleaving.com/2015/09/21/worlds-best-apple-recipe-roundup/
Awesome! Thanks, Jess :)
This was my first time trying to make my own pie crust, and after reading all of the positive comments, I gave it a try. They turned out amazing! They truly are the perfect fall treat. I made them for my Bible study, and everyone adored them! Thanks for the delectable recipe and helpful post!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Anika!
Hi Kelly,
These look amazing!! Is it possible to substitute caramel sauce, like you put on ice cream, for the soft caramel, or would it be to runny?
Thanks!!
Hi Patti! It’s most likely be too runny, especially after baking the pies.
Thank you!
Can you make these the night before and bake them the next day so they are fresh?
That should work, Ally! But I’d recommend making the dough and the filling the day before then assembling and baking them the next day so the dough doesn’t get too soggy.
Not sure if you still read these comments, I just wanted to say I made these tonight and they turned out beautifully, my son and husband absolutely loved them. Pie crust has always been my nemisis but this recipe made the best pie crust I’ve ever had ! This one is definitely a keeper! Thanks for awesome recipes. – Nikki
I read every single one and respond to as many as possible! SO glad you enjoyed the recipe, Nikki! Thanks for your comment :)
Freezer safe?
Love hand pies! Thank you for the recipe! I’ve made these several times. I tweaked the recipe a bit: 1) Double the filling. 2) Replaced 1/4 of the butter with an equal amount of cold shortening. 3) Rolled out the dough so that it was thinner. I got 15 (3.5 inch rounds) hand pies from one batch of dough. Result: A tiny bit more difficult to handle because the dough is more delicate but I ended up with lighter, flakier pies with more filling. In many ways, these were easier to make, less time to bake than 2 regular pies.
how about pies dough ? if i dont add sour cream
You’ll want to add the sour cream so the dough is cohesive.
Just wanted to say a big thank you…. Made these today, but as my father in law is celiac substituted the normal flour with gluten free flour…. And have to admit didn’t bother with the folding…. And still turned out absolutely fine. But had to use a bigger cutter for the top part as the dough didn’t stretch. Can only highly recommend it…. Just posted my pictures on a social site an hour ago and 3 friends asked for the recipe already ;-)
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I had been holding onto this recipe for a while – made these tonight – just used my square fluted biscuit cutter vs. round I didn’t have. Turned out so cute – and delicious! Thanks.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Julie :)
what should i do to substitute the soft caramel? cant seem to get any in melb :(
Hi Janet – You can try making your own per the link in the recipe!
I made these yesterday, substituting plain yogurt for the sour cream. Uncomplicated, and turned out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe, it’s a keeper!!
~Erin, in Gjoa Haven, Canada
Awesome! Love you substitution, too!
Kelly, I made these for Thanksgiving! What a terrific set of instructions, and the dough is so supple! These hand-pies are a new family “classic” recipe, they were the first dessert to disappear. Tonight I am making batches of the dough for Christmas. It freezes beautifully — and i am making the filling ahead of time to freeze as well. My sister and I tested the process the day after Thanksgiving, and the best method seems to be to keep the pastry frozen folded in thirds, and to freeze the filling separately. We then rolled out the pastry after it set for a bit at room temp and assembled from there. Thank you so much for a beautiful crowd-pleaser dessert! My mother brought her ice-cream maker and made coconut ice-cream to accompany on Thanksgiving. So yummy! :)
Awesome! Love your strategy here, Amy!
i an doubleing this recipe and was wondering how thick the dough should be for cutting into circles
Since I had a bunch of apples I needed to use up soon, I searched for an easy recipe…. I just took these pies out of the oven and tried them……They are absolutely delicious!!! I love the contrast of the sweet and salty! Should be a perfect desert for our guests tonight ;-) Thank you very much!!!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I found your recipe on Pinterest. This is the best pie crust I have ever made!!!! It stays tender and is very forgiving. Never going back to the old cold water recipe again!!! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
Awesome! So glad you’re enjoying it!
I made these cookies today following your recipe and they turned out amazing.
This recipe is my new Fall favorite! Thank you so much for sharing! I might include it in my blog that I’m working on finally re-vamping and will be including a link to your site to promote you. THE BEST!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
These look wonderful. Will definitely try soon!
I’ve made these twice now and they are incredible! I was out of sour cream the second time so I substituted plain Greek yogurt and it tasted exactly the same. I also only had one cup of all-purpose flour, so I used half a cup of wheat flour and half a cup of self-rising to make up for the other cup, and they still tasted delicious ;) My hubby begs me to make these all the time now :)
SO glad you’re enjoying the recipe, Kristin!
Tara, were you able to veganize this? I would loooove this in a vegan version. I think I could easily swap out just about everything except the caramels. I’m still thinking up a solution for those..
Even though I cheated with store bought pie crust, these were AMAZING!!! Keep the fall recipes coming!
These look delicious! I’m having a party and want to make these. Can I make the dough a few weeks in advance and freeze it? Then just thaw it the day I make the pies? Thanks!
Thanks Lisa! I’ve never tried freezing/thawing the dough so I can’t say with certainty how the texture will be, but let me know if you give it a shot!
What adjustments would you make in order to make the pie crust gluten free? Which type of flour would you suggest? (coconut, quinoa, almond etc..)
Hi Aminah – I’ve never tried making this dough in a gluten-free version, so I can’t say with certainty which type of flour would be best.
Could I sub greek yogurt for the sour cream?
Hi Lori! I’ve never tried this recipe using Greek yogurt so I can’t say with certainty if that would work or not. Let me know if you try it!
Will store-bought pie dough bake up the same way your dough did (all round and even and nice)? :)
YUM!. I love love love apple pies. I remember little hand pies as a kid. Ahhh… the delicious memories.
I love this pie! I’d love it if you linked up at our Pie Party happening over at:
http://www.ourminifamily.com/2014/03/its-pie-party.html
Have a great weekend,
~Cathy~
I made these for the first time for a Christmas Party. Everyone asked for the recipe and I definitely should have made more. It is so worth the time it takes for preparation. I put everything down and made an assembly-line of sorts. I can never make a good pie dough, but this one turned out PERFECT. I didn’t have a 3″ circle, so I used a glass with a 3-1/2″ one. They baked and looked just like the recipe shows. I’m going to double the recipe and freeze them so I can make them in batches. I’ll try baking them straight from the freezer the first time. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try defrosting first.
Thanks so much, Leslie! So thrilled you enjoyed the recipe :)
Hi! Can I substitute half the flour for whole wheat? Or use whole wheat flour entirely? Let me know! I want to make these right meow!
I’ve never made this dough with whole wheat flour so I’m sorry but I can’t weigh in on this!
These sound so great! Do you think they would be good with regular pie crust? I already have a couple batches of pie dough made & would love to save some time for Thamksgivimg tomorrow. Thanks!! :)
Absolutely, Shannon! You can use regular pie crust and just follow the other directions for filling, shaping, etc. Enjoy!
These look amazing. I want to make them for thanksgiving. Can i make the pies in the the day before (or morning of) and refrigerate them I am ready to bake them after dinner??
Hi Danielle! I’ve never tried making them in advance, but they do taste great at room temp if you were to bake them in advance.
I want to turn this into a large pie for thanksgiving, any recommendations? Thanks!
Hi Samantha! I have never tried making this as a large pie, so I’m not sure how the ratios/amount of dough and filling would work out. You could always cut off any excess dough and add/subtract filling based on the size of your pie plate. But I know the taste will be great!
Thank you so much, Kelly! The post should be up soon. :)
Lisa Frank
Handcrafted Parties
Hi Kelly,
I’m creating a Thanksgiving dessert recipe round-up for my blog, Handcrafted Parties, and I’d love to share this recipe with my readers! I’d like to ask permission to use one photo and include a link to both the recipe and your blog homepage. Please let me know if you’d be okay with this.
Thanks much!
Lisa Frank
handcraftedparties@yahoo.com
Hi Lisa – Thanks so much! Yes, you have my permission to use one photo with a link back to Just a Taste for the recipe.
I did refrigerate it, for several hours, before assembling the pies. On the second batch I baked them for longer and they turned out better. I’m thinking my oven temp may be off.
Also, the first time I used some silicone baking mats I havent been too happy with and the second time I used parchment paper, so maybe that circumstance affected the baking process. Anyway, thanks for the great recipe! I just came across this post on pinterest and will be sure to keep an eye on this blog from now on!
Hello,
I just made these pies and when I pulled them out of the oven they were all sitting in puddles of melted butter. I’ve only made pie crusts a few times, but I know it is super important to work w/ really cold butter, so I did that here, and I also made sure to handle it as little as possible. Any ideas on what went wrong? Thanks.
Hi Erika – I’ve never experienced this issue before, but did you make sure to refrigerate the dough before rolling it out?
HI, I love this idea. I found this on pinterest but it linked to another side. I did not repine that one. I found thought it looked a bit sketchy when it said see kelly’s notes and there were none so I looked it up and found it here. I saw it at, a1niceblog.blogspot.com but will be repinning straight from your website.It is so cook and creative.
I really, really appreciate you pinning it from Just a Taste, Sara! Thank you :)
Oh my gosh, what a good idea! These were so good! I found that they had to be eaten warm or the caramel hardened up. But that wasn’t a problem. We may have eaten the whole batch in one night… Maybe, just maybe.
Are the caramels used like the Kraft caramels? Can the dough be made a day or two ahead? These look so good I can’t wait to try them! Thanks for the recipe and your time.
How do I store these and how long to you think they will stay last?? This recipe is the best from all that have tried it, thank you so much!!
This looks amazing and very accessible! Wow. Can’t wait to try my ‘hand’ at this recipe. ;)
Amazing!!! Seriously, beat pastry ever!!!
Can I make these pies and freeze them over night before baking? Or should I bake them and reheat them?
I’d recommend baking then reheating them. Enjoy!
Thank you for this recipe! I made these today… and they were great! The dough really was wonderful. However, I really advise people to roll the dough out quite thin, otherwise it overwhelms the filling.
I made these today after being directed here by pinterest. I’ve never made pie dough before, and I was nervous, but they ended up just like you said! I’m sharing these with some other crafters at the Strange Folk Festival this weekend in O’Fallon, IL, and I’m sure they’ll be begging for more!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I have made it twice now and I just had to share with my readers. I love the mix of sweet and salt – my latest thing is caramel and salt – so yummy together! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
This recipe looks absolutely yummy and I definitely want to try it! I need to make this paleo/vegan friendly however for my family. Can I substitute the butter with vegan butter/coconut oil, and the sour cream with soy/coconut yogurt, or will the texture be different?
Love how simple this recipe looks, and tasty too! Can’t wait to share it with friends and family soon!
I just made these and I think they were fantastic. One thing that happened, I read the directions wrong and only used 1 stick of unsalted butter for the dough, but the dough formed perfectly and did not stick. I’m thinking I will keep it at 1 stick for next time as well because I had no problems with the dough this way. I was able to make 18 pies and I had leftover apple filling. Thank you for this Fall keeper Kelly!
the photography is great! the idea is perfect! the directions are so nicely detailed that I could make this! (I’m thirteen & can’t bake) and it’s just a lovely pie! one question: how many pies aprrox. does this make??
Wow, I need to take a seat and stare at these for a while, like a long while…
Do they taste okay if they aren’t warmed/if they’re cold? I wand thinking this would be a good treat to bring to my bible study but I would have to make it ahead of time so they wouldn’t be fresh out of the oven…
Hi Tori! Yes, they’ll still be delicious even at warm temp. Enjoy!
Gorgeous deserts – do you ever make that pastry in the blender (a bit like egg based shortcurst?) I love an easy option!
This seems like a silly question – would the crust and filling recipe work for making one large apple pie? I love the idea of the hand pies – but my husband loves the idea of a giant apple pie sitting on our counter :)
Hi Carol! I’m not sure about the amount of dough in relation to a pie plate versus the hand pies. The dough and filling will definitely both work as a large apple pie (in terms of baking), but I just don’t know how much it’ll make in terms of the size of your pie. Hope this helps!
These apple pies look delicious! What a great idea to make “personal pies!”
Would it be okay to make the dough the night before and leave it wrapped in the fridge until the next morning? I have to make multiple batches and am hoping to save some time on the day of. Thanks for your help!
Absolutely!
I’m a pie freak and these sound amazing. Thank you very much for sharing the recipe.
As you know I ran across these on Pinterest today and the timing really couldn’t be more perfect. On a whim, I made some butter pie pastry yesterday to have on hand for emergency quiche, pies, and tarts. And I also happened to pick up my CSA box yesterday and it contained two apples – the first of the season! Now I just have to decide whether to run to the store for some caramels, make some from scratch, or just make the pies without the caramel. Anyway, they look great! And I really might try the mini chicken pies, too ;-)
I was going to ask if i could use reg salt instead of sea salt? I am excited about making these soon and hope to give some to my kids teachers as a gift.
Yes, Sabrina, you could use regular salt, but just use a very small amount. Enjoy!
I just now saw your instruction to refrigerate dough. Can’t wait to try your recipe. Thanks
Is it necessary to chill dough first?
Hi Julie! Yes, you definitely need to chill the dough or it’ll be too soft to roll out.
These are all of my dreams come true! Awesome post!
I made these last night for my husband to bring to work, I almost didn’t want to give them up because they were so yummy! It was fun to make. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them, Rekha!
I hate sharing dessert too! I love how perfectly golden these little pies are, with that luscious caramel oozing out. Sure could go for a few of these right about now!
These were simply amazing. I like this crust as it does taste buttery. I could not find flaked salt as I went to 5 different supermarkets and nothing, so I just used regular sea salt. It was fine.
My recipe made 13 handpies, and if I rolled thinner, it would’ve been more. I used one large green apple, but that was WAY too much. I still have half of it left after making 13 hand pies. I wonder if I don’t knead it by hand but use the Kitchen Aid next time if it will turn out as well. It would be less messy.
Also, I used a 3.5″ round instead.
These pies are best eaten warm and if you have some French Vanilla ice cream (we did not), that would’ve been even better.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Wow, made these for my small group in honor of pie day and they got rave reviews! Thanks for sharing!
Hi i should use cold butter ? and its possible use a mixer for dough ? thanks :)
Delicious! I made my own caramels too and these turned out PERFECTLY thankyou for a great recipe!
OMG, I was searching the web for a dessert to make with pre-made pie crust, came across this recipe. To my amazement it had all the elements I love. So I made it and it came out……….perfect, delicious, can I get through the door tomorrow GOOD :)
thank you for an amazing recipe, and better yet for sharing it!!
Thanks for following up. Incidentally I baked some cinnamon rolls tonight and dinner rolls last night, and both needed far less flour than usual.
I put two and two together that the weather here has been extremely dry and windy, and I had a gigantic heater installed day before last… Not sure if pie doughs need moisture tweaking depending on humidity like yeast doughs, but perhaps that was the culprit.
I also handed out a few of your pies to friends late last night–and woke up with multiple text photos of friends happily eating their salted caramel apple half-pies with smiling faces. Cheers!
Hi, I don’t know if you check these comments still, but I had a question.
I just made these this afternoon and ran into a bit of a snag when my dough wouldn’t come together. Are you supposed to add water? I’m an experienced bread baker, but this was my first pie crust (I know, I’m ashamed). Your instructions say the dough will be sticky to the point of being hard to handle, but mine was dry enough that when I pinched it, it wouldn’t even hold together. I used the full 1 cup of butter and 1/2 cup sour cream.
Anyway I ended up adding teaspoonfuls of water at a time, like I see the good pie bakers do on TV, until the dough came together.
That caveat aside… THESE WERE SO FREAKING DELICIOUS! Thanks for the recipe.
I also had an incident with one of my pups running beneath my feet, and a few circles of dough slid off the pastry board I was carrying them on. With an uneven number of circles and no desire to toss that last one, I decided to change it up and make each circle into it’s own crescent-shaped pie by folding it in half over the filling.
I also grated my apples. I like them fully cooked. This worked fantastically, but released a lot of liquid so I had to drain them a bit first. I had some leftover filling that I ate out of the bowl with a spoon like a fiend.
Thank you again for taking my pie-baking virginity. I’m going to go have another right now!
Yes, I read every single comment posted to the site :) With regards to the above, I’m not sure I can exactly troubleshoot what went wrong with your dough. The sour cream should be enough of a binder, along with the cold butter to bring it all together without having to add any water. And I love your story about the puppies leading to crescent-shaped pies rather that circles!
i’m about to triple this recipe… i am not a baker and wondering if i should not try to work that much dough at once… it’s all by hand, i do not have the fancy mixers… any suggestion ould be appreciated! thank you!
these look wonderful!!!
Hi Valarie! I wouldn’t recommend tripling the recipe, especially if you don’t have a mixer. It’d be best to make the recipe three times, otherwise it’ll be too hard to handle. Hope this helps!
OMG – My niece made these tasty mini pies for Thanksgiving and they were the hit of the party. So good!
I made these for Thanksgiving and they were a HUGE hit! Everyone wanted the recipe. These are so easy to make, especially if you make the dough ahead of time. Thank you!
These were a big hit at my Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. Definitely a recipe worth keeping. I only wish I’d made more of them!
So excited to make these for thanksgiving tomorrow! Do you think this crust would be ok for making an actual pie as opposed to mini pies? I would love to turn this into a pie.
Tjis looks delicious! I will be making this for Thanksgiving. Just curious…. Would this recipe work by making a regular pie with a braided top instead of hand pies??
I was looking for a recipe to make for my office bake sale, and your recipe called out to me, even though pie dough usually intimidates me. I made a double batch and they were a hit! I sold out of 31 pies and made $93 for our office charity. Thanks for the delicious dessert!
What fantastic news, Donna! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and a huge congrats on your bake sale success!
These are wonderful. The pastry is easy to work with and very tender. The little bit of caramel and sea salt take them over the top. I’m making them for Thanksgiving – just in case someone doesn’t like pumpking pie. Thanks for the great recipe.
LOVELY I HAVE TO MAKE THEM….
I made them for a party over the weekend, as well for my co-workers today and they were a hit! I used store bought pie crust and they came out absolutely wonderful.
Thank you so much for the great recipe! This is definitely a keeper!
Just made these today during Hurricane Sandy. They are awesome and very easy to make. I also used the dough to top my chicken potpie I had for dinner.
I’m actually salivating as i look at the pictures above…This looks like its to die for! http://www.GroceryCoupons.com is always looking for great recipes to pass along to out members. This is great recipe that is sure to be a great treat this fall season. Thanks for the awesome post!
These were delicious! Perfect balance between sweet and salty. Thank you for sharing with me!
How critical is the egg wash on these? I am allergic to eggs, but I am lusting after these in a big way. Is there an alternative or-since they are so teensey weensy will they be ok without a shiny crust?
Not critical! Just use a bit of heavy cream in place of the egg wash (or skip the step altogether).
I made these and they were fab,, The plate was soon empty, On my list to make some more this weekend
Thank you for sharing
LOVED YOUR APPLE PIES… I PLAN TO MAKE THEM SOON… WE USED TO MAKE THEM IN ENGLAND WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL… MMM THEY WERE SCRUMPTIOUS . WE ALSO USED TO MAKE BEEF PIES… MMM THEY WERE GOOD TOO…
As soon as I saw these I had to give it a try and they were just as delicious as they look here! http://www.at-altitude.com/35-amazing-apple-recipes/
Yum, looks soo good!!!
I made these this weekend after apple picking. The flavor was awesome. I think next time I will roll the crust a bit thinner, but overall, a great recipe. Took a few to work and received rave reviews. Thanks for sharing.
Pies were delicious and the pie crust was so light and easy to make and work with. Wrapped each pie individually in little plastic baggies. They fit perfect to take to work. Will make again and again.
Made these yesterday and were absolutely delish! Just stumbled on your blog a week ago and I am really looking forward to trying out your recipes. Great job!
Just made these tonight and they were a huge hit! Everyone loved them and wanted to know the recipe.. definitely going to be my go-to fall recipe!!! I used the pre-made store bought dough due to lack of time and it turned out fantastic. HIGHLY recommended!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kristi!
Looks delicious, I mentioned and linked to you on my blog today!
http://mandatorycreations.blogspot.com/2012/09/weekly-loves-8.html
xomando
I need about 15 of these. Right now.
I have lots of apples to work up and wonder if these little pies could be frozen after baking to enjoy later on.
Hi Cheryl! I haven’t tried freezing them, but if you do want to go that route, I’d suggest freezing them BEFORE baking, and then just popping them in the oven. That way you won’t have to re-heat the crust twice. Hope this helps!
These pies look delicious for fall! Question…I wanted to make these to bring to a party. Would they taste better warmed or is room temperature okay?
Thanks, Sarah! I would definitely recommend serving them warm (if possible), however they travel really well, so room temp will work. Enjoy!
Is it possible to use store bought pie dough?
Absolutely!
I love this recipe! It has all of my favorite fall combinations!Can’t wait to try it.
Question though: Do you think this recipe will work well with an electric pie maker, minus the sprinkled sugar at the end?
Hi Rosie! I’m not entirely certain if it’ll still work, as in all honesty, I’ve never used an electric pie maker. It’s essentially a mix of puff pastry and pie dough, so I imagine that would bake up nicely, but I can’t say with 100% certainty!
Looks absolutely divine! I’m a pinner pro for BHG and just pinned this as a new favorite find – you can see the pin here – http://pinterest.com/pin/56787645272528405/
happy fall to you!!
NORTHERN COTTAGE {http://www.NorthernCottage.net}
On pinterest – http://pinterest.com/northernc/
Thanks so much!
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I tried it today and I must say it was pretty good for a first try. This was the first time I have made my own dough. The sour cream gave it a twang and it was pretty buttery. I think next time I will put a little more caramel. {I took some pictures but mine are not as pretty as yours. lol}
I am looking forward to trying more recipes.
May I substitute plain greek yogurt for sour cream?
Hi Judy! Yes, you can substitute in plain yogurt for the sour cream, but just make sure it’s the full-fat plain yogurt (not skim). Enjoy!
Loved your piccies and ended up making these on the weekend – they were amazing! Thanks for sharing :) P.s. I also linked your page on my blog too.
Thank you!
Oooh..can’t ever say no to pie! These look so beautiful and it’s perfect for the fall!
While I didn’t make hand pies, I did use your recipe for pie crust to make mini pies. I used a streusel topping with a homeade caramel sauce. They were the best apple pies I’ve ever made! The crust was perfect! I’ve already had people ask about the recipe, and I sent them here. Thanks!
too good friend!! Miss you and sorry I missed you in NYC
Love this recipe! Will be linking back to this in my upcoming post :)
Thanks, Marla!
DELICIOUS!! Honestly i was a little scared to try making a hand pie, but the time it took to make these little drops of heaven was SO worth it! My mom was drooling when she had one!
I love the way you’ve made this dough. All my previous attempts at hand pies were quite sad, because the dough didn’t quite hold up. I love the addition of caramel inside! I wonder if I could do that to my regular pie…?
This is absolutely stunning, Kelly! I love mini-anything. And the salted caramel + apple is just perfect!
I’d be willing to let my jeans out for a few of these adorable pies! (Plus, small-sized food doesn’t really count, right?) :)
Oh my!! I finally sold on making hand pies!
I have that same thought process when making hand pies. That, and I like the higher crust-to-filling ratio.
Beautiful pies. I am particularly impressed by that dough. GREG
Kel, these look amazing!! I love the little pats of caramel. I’m not sure there’s anything better on earth than salted caramel! I am definitely making these asap.
Love these! They look so good and not too difficult! I’ll definitely be making these as soon as I get the chance. Who doesn’t love salted caramel?
Oh gosh. I have to make these. I don’t share desserts either :)
Yes Please!!! Your photography is beautiful, Kelly. Love this recipe and can’t wait to make these for my clients. You are amazing.
xox
Love ya!
I love your little process for creating a recipe! it made me chuckle! These pies look lovely!