Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies
These air fryer apple hand pies are a quick and delicious 9-ingredient dessert. Serve them with vanilla ice cream for dessert or pack them in your lunch for an afternoon treat. These individual apple pies are great for any event where you would bring an apple pie, but easier to serve up!
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What do I need to make Apple Hand Pies?
You will need just nine simple ingredients to make air fryer apple pies.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cups chopped granny smith apples (about 3 medium-sized apples, chopped into ¼-inch pieces)
- ⅔ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon cool water to create a slurry
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (14oz) package refrigerated pie crust
- 1 egg, whisked
- sanding sugar (or any large-crystal sugar of your choice)
Kitchen Supplies Needed:
- Large cooking pan or skillet
- Mixing bowls/ingredient bowls
- 5-6 inch diameter circular cookie cutter or pastry cutter
- Pastry brush
- Fork or knife
- Air fryer
- Cooling rack
Looking for more delicious air fryer dessert ideas? Give these reader favorites a try!
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How do I make the Apple Hand Pies?
These air fryer hand pies come together quickly with the above ingredients found at the grocery store. Here are the step-by-step instructions to make them.
Step 1: Prepare the apples
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir until combined. Then, cover and cook until the apples are tender, about 3-5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Step 2: Add slurry and adjust flavors
Add the cornstarch slurry to the apple mixture and stir to combine. Cook for another 1-2 minutes uncovered, or until slightly thickened. Stir in the salt. Taste the apple mixture and add more sugar, cinnamon, or salt if desired. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 3: Prepare the crust
At this point, you should preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, prepare the store-bought pie crust by cutting it into 5-6 inch diameter circles using a knife, large biscuit cutter or hamburger press. When you run out of room to cut more circles, form the excess dough into a ball and roll it out with a rolling pin to about ⅛ inch thick. Repeat until you run out of dough.
Step 4: Add the apple pie filling
Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling into the center of the dough circle, being careful to not overfill. Brush a thin layer of the whisked egg along the edges surrounding the filling. Fold the crust in half, line up the edges, and seal with a fork, pressing about ¼ inch from the edge. Repeat until you run out of pie crust or apple filling.
Brush the top of each pie with a thin layer of egg wash, cut 2-3 slits into the top with a small knife (or poke with a fork), and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Step 5: Air fry the apple pies
Spray your air fryer basket with a nonstick cooking spray and arrange the pies in a single layer. Air fry for 10 minutes, or until the crusts become golden brown. Depending on how large your air fryer is, you may need to do this in batches.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Remove the delicious pies from the air fryer and allow to cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Serve as is or with caramel sauce, ice cream, or whipped topping.
NOTES & FAQs for Mini Apple Pies
Oven Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Place the hand pies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
General/Preparation
Do I need to cook these on a special setting?
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These hand pies are cooked on the default air fryer setting - no special setting is required.
Why do I need to preheat my air fryer?
Preheating is important! The pie crust may cook unevenly if your air fryer is not preheated.
Why do I need to mix the cornstarch with water?
If you add cornstarch directly to something hot, it will become clumpy. Mixing it with a small amount of water prevents clumps from forming and helps thicken the apple filling easier.
Ingredient Information, Substitutions, & Variations
Can I use a different kind of apple?
I recommend granny smith apples for this recipe since they are firm, tart, and easy to find year-round. If you prefer a sweeter apple pie, I recommend using Honeycrisp apples.
Can I use store-bought apple pie filling?
Yes. You may need to chop the apple pie fruit filling into smaller pieces. Otherwise, this recipe will work with premade filling as it is written.
What should I do if I don't have kosher salt?
Different types of salts have varying levels of sodium density. I recommend using kosher salt for this recipe. Kosher salt is about half as salty as your standard table salt. If you are using a different type of salt, I recommend starting small (¼ teaspoon at a time) and tasting as you add it to your apple mixture.
Can I use light brown sugar?
Light brown sugar will work, but it's not going to give you the best results. Brown sugar has a deeper, more robust flavor.
I want to serve these with caramel sauce - what kind do you recommend?
You can use any caramel sauce you like, but I highly recommend using Ghiradelli caramel sauce. You can find it in most supermarkets in the baking, ice cream, or coffee sections.
Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?
Unsalted butter is used to have finer control of the amount of salt in the recipe, but salted butter will work as well. In this case, I recommend tasting the apple mixture before adding salt in step 4.
What can I use instead of cornstarch?
Arrowroot powder (also known as arrowroot starch) is a good thickening substitute for cornstarch.
Storage & Reheating
How do I store leftover hand pies?
These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or covered at room temperature for about 1 day.
Can I eat these hand pies cold?
You can eat these cold or at room temperature, but I recommend microwaving for 30 seconds or reheating them in the air fryer at 350 degrees fahrenheit for about 5 minutes.
What can I do with extra filling?
If you have extra filling, you can store this in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. If you're burnt out on more pies, it makes for a great ice cream or oatmeal topping.
Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cups chopped granny smith apples about 3 medium-sized apples, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
- ⅔ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cool water to create a slurry
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 14oz package premade pie crust
- 1 egg whisked
- sanding sugar or any large-crystal sugar of your choice
Instructions
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and melt the butter.
- Add apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir, cover, and cook until the apples are tender, about 3-5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add the cornstarch slurry and stir to combine. Cook for another 1-2 minutes uncovered, or until slightly thickened.
- Stir in the salt. Taste the apple mixture and add more sugar, cinnamon, or salt if desired. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- Cut the pie crust into 5-6 inch diameter circles. When you run out of room to cut more circles, form the excess dough into a ball and roll it out with a rolling pin to about ⅛ inch thick. Repeat until you run out of dough.
- Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling into the center, being careful to not overfill. Brush a thin layer of the whisked egg along the edges surrounding the filling. Fold the crust in half, line up the edges, and seal with a fork, pressing about ¼ inch from the edge. Repeat until you run out of pie crust or apple filling.
- Brush the top of each pie with a thin layer of egg wash, cut 2-3 slits into the top with a small knife (or poke with a fork), and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
- Spray your air fryer basket with a nonstick cooking spray and arrange the pies in a single layer. Air fry for 10 minutes, or until the crusts become golden brown. Depending on how large your air fryer is, you may need to do this in batches.
- Remove pies from the air fryer and allow to cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Serve as is or with caramel sauce, ice cream, or whipped topping.
