The Old Homeplace

Pies to warm the hands...and the heart.

Fried Dried Apple Hand Pies

For the filling you will need:

1 heaping cup of sun-dried apples
water
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
sugar

For the pastry you will need:

2 Cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. shortening
About 1 cup milk
(This is really just biscuit dough made dry enough to roll thin)

For frying you will need:

Oil, shortening, or lard

To make the Filling:

Rinse the apples, place in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Simmer with a lid on the pan until the apples are VERY tender. Drain, mash well and sweeten to taste. Add the cinnamon if so desired. Set aside while you make the pastry.

To make the pastry:

With a whisk, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the shortening. Add enough milk to make the dough just a little dryer than normal for biscuits. Kneed gently a few times on a floured surface.

To assemble and fry the pies:

Divide the dough into 1/3 cup portions. On a floured surface roll each portion into a circle about 7 inches across. This makes pies big enough for adult hands.

As you roll them out, lay the circles of dough on cookie sheets or wax paper in a single layer so they don't stick together.

It is better to only assemble 2 at a time because the filling will make the dough too moist if you make them too far ahead.

In the center of one side of the circle, place 1 heaping Tblsp. of the filling mixture. Moisten the edges of the dough with water. Fold over the dough, pressing out air bubbles as you go. Trim to a pretty half-moon shape. Seal the cut edges by pressing the tines of a fork around the cut edges.

Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp. of oil (my mom used Crisco shortening and my grandma used lard). When the oil is hot enough to brown a bit of leftover dough, put two pies in the skillet and fry on one side until lightly browned. You don't want them to brown to quickly. You want to give them time for the dough to cook thoroughly and the filling to get warm. Carefully flip the pies and brown on the other side. As you remove them from the skillet, place them on a paper towel lined plate.

Repeat with remaining dough and filling, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.

This makes 7 good sized pies with a little left over dough.

You can substitute other sweet or savory fillings for the dried apple filling. Just make sure it is not too moist or it might leak through the dough.