Hand Pies
Small shortcrust pastry pies filled with spiced apple, crimped with a fork and baked until golden.
Photograph credit: 8 apple hand pies by WhatamIdoing · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Hand pies began as portable meals for people who worked outdoors, and the format still makes sense: a small parcel of fruit that can be eaten without a plate or a fork. The pastry here is ready-rolled, which turns a project into a quick bake.
Cook the apple filling first, briefly, until just soft. Raw apple shrinks as it bakes and leaves an air gap under the crust. Let the filling cool completely before filling the pastry. Warm filling melts the pastry. Cut circles with a bowl or cutter, put a spoonful in the middle and fold over.
Seal the edges firmly with a fork, and prick the top a couple of times for steam. Do not overfill, or the filling bursts out during baking and sticks to the tray.
Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar for a glossy, crisp crust. Bake until deep golden, and cool on a rack. They are good warm or cold.
What People Ask
How long does Hand Pies take to make?
30 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking, so at least 55 minutes. The method also needs time for cooling completely, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 8.
The Method for Hand Pies
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Cook the apples with the sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice in a pan for 8 minutes until just soft. Stir in the cornflour and cook for 1 minute. Cool completely.
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Heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C / 355°F fan) and line a tray. Cut 16 circles about 10 cm wide from the pastry.
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Spoon filling onto 8 circles, brush the edges with egg, top with the other circles and press the edges with a fork. Prick the tops.
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Brush with egg, sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 25 minutes until golden. Cool on a rack.
Worth Getting Right
- Cool the filling fully.
- Do not overfill the pies.
- Seal the edges well.
- Prick the tops so steam can escape.
What to Serve With It
Custard · Vanilla ice cream · Tea · Cream
Leftovers and Storage
Keeps in an airtight tin for 3 days. Freezes well for up to 2 months.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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