Apple Caramel Hand Pies

Apple Caramel Hand Pies

Four new babies entered our world last week. All girls. I spent days and nights by my phone, eagerly awaiting to hear the joyful pronouncements. And they came, one after another. Almost as consistent as these Colorado floods. We visited two of the babies this weekend (and we can’t wait to meet the other two in a few months). Piper, Margot, Lilly, and Kaiya you are welcomed and loved.

Apple Caramel Hand Pies

In a few years, we’ll pack up our daughters for school. In some ways, those days seem so far off, but then again, after holding those newborn babies (just 11 weeks younger than Lucy) I’ve realized how quickly children grow up. Fall will always be my favorite season. Apples hang heavy on trees, school rooms bloom with colored paper, and a breeze merits the unpacking of winter sweaters. When Lucy eventually stops breastfeeding and then when she finally goes to school, I’ll welcome her home with one of these hand held apple caramel pies.  They hold the best that fall has to offer: warmth and spicy sweetness.

Apple Caramel Hand Pies

With colder days on the horizon, I’m hoping the weather will also inspire more purposeful writing. I still have about 50 pages to finish of my memoir, and I’d be proud if I could complete it come Christmas. So I’ve bought a few pounds of coffee, and I’ve dusted off my writing desk. Lucy is nearly three months old, and I feel like a good solid hour of writing each day is well within reach.

Apple Caramel Hand Pies

Apple Caramel Hand Pies

2 discs pie dough

Apple Filling:

1 tablespoon butter

4 granny smith apples

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon roasted cinnamon

Caramel Sauce:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

Pinch of sea salt

On a lightly floured surface, roll out each disk of pie dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out sixteen 5 1/2-inch-round circles, gently re-rolling scraps as necessary. Gently but firmly press each dough circle into a standard muffin cup. Crimp edges as desired. Prick the surface of each hand pie with a fork. Place muffins pans in freezer for at least 30 minutes (freezing the dough allows you to bake the tarts without pie weights). Use any remaining dough to cut out small rounds to place on top of pies. Place these small rounds on a cookie sheet and freeze with pie shells.

Bake frozen shells in a preheated 425 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. (The frozen rounds will bake in 8-10 minutes.) The pie shells will shrink slightly. Allow shells to cool for five to ten minutes before carefully removing from pan.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Toss diced apples with sugar and cinnamon. Cook apples in skillet for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft and a light golden brown.

In a heavy-bottom skillet, combine the brown sugar, cream, butter and salt. Heat over medium-high heat and stir constantly until thickened, about 6 minutes.

Assemble pies by scooping a heaping tablespoon of apple mixture into each pie shell. Drizzle each with caramel sauce and top with one of the rounds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

 

42 thoughts on “Apple Caramel Hand Pies

  1. TheKitchenLioness

    Monet, what wonderful news and what lovely names these baby girls all have! Exciting times! Your Apple Caramel Hand Pies look very cute and delicious – the perfect little afternoon snack on a cold and rainy day like today! I love these miniature desserts so much – also wonderful as an after-school snack for the kids.
    Lote of love and hugs and kisses,
    Andrea

  2. Orchidea

    Hi,
    Welcome to the new baby girls! And nice recipe… I love the fall and it has also always been my favorite season… for the beautiful colors on the trees and the good thisngs to eat like apples and mushrooms or chestnuts. Also it is my birthaday and in fall there will be my baby girl’s s birthday too.
    I also started with apple squares, I will post them soon on my blog… I love all sorts of apple pies, your small pies look so pretty and inviting.

    Ciao.

  3. Ashley

    Oh my, four girls all within a week! Such happy news : ) Fall is by far my favorite time of the year too – there’s just something about it. Including all the baking with apples! I love these – portable little pies. And with caramel? Even better!

  4. Amy @ Elephant Eats

    I hope that your friends and family in Colorado are all safe, Monet. How fun that Lucy will have so many playmates in your friends’ daughters! These apple pies look so delicious…I can’t wait to go applepicking. And i really can’t wait til it’s chilly enough for a sweater 🙂 Just thinking about it makes me so happy. Good luck with your writing…you can do it!!!

  5. Megan

    We’re on the same page today with apple desserts! I made four pies yesterday but have tons of apples left from apple picking and might try making these!

  6. Julia {The Roasted Root}

    I’m so proud of you for writing a memoir! Definitely keep all of us folks updated so that we can read it when it’s finished! Love these gorgeous hand pies! I want to curl up with one (three) and a great book! 😉

  7. Jessie

    What a joy-filled week! I hope you weren’t flooded out in all that rain? It’s definitely a time to stay indoors and enjoy these incredible hand pies. I just love mini-desserts 🙂

    Enjoy your writing time! 🙂

  8. Kelly @ Inspired Edibles

    I love the image of you greeting your daughter as she arrives from school with a warm, home-baked good. Some of my best memories involve welcoming my sons in this way. Even after 15 years, I’m still doing it. And there’s just something about fall… let the words flow.

  9. Sarah

    How lovely that so many new babies have come into your lives. And they all have such beautiful names. 🙂 These pies look delightful. I haven’t tried my hand at gluten free pie crust just yet, but this might be the thing that forces me to. I just love fall and all its flavors, too, so this recipe might have to happen in my kitchen sooner rather than later.

  10. Dan from Platter Talk

    I love this post – what is better than welcoming new babies to one’s world? How wonderful. These hand pies look perfect and amazing as well, much like I’m sure these new babies are. Great post!!

  11. sallybr

    Well, guess what? My niece in Brazil is just about to welcome her third baby, a boy that shall be named “Pedro”

    anytime now but the due date is not until Oct 10th – however, she already had to rest to prevent an early arrival…

    Lovely small pies, I tend to like these desserts that are made in individual portions – no need to insist for the hostess “a very small slice, please… no, please, smaller than that…” 😉

    Give Lucy a little kiss for me, will you?

  12. lisa fine

    All such wonderful things, and it sounds like you’re okay from all the Colorado storms, thankfully. So many babies! It’s exciting to be in that stage of our lives, and that you know of so many other baby girls. Too cute.

    These pies are adorable – I too love fall, and while I’ll miss the warmth of summer (mostly because I find it hard to stay warm), I’m excited for the briskness and colors of fall.

  13. laurasmess

    These look so delicious Monet! Wow, I can’t believe that there’s been such a ‘baby boom’, what a blessing! It’s also gone so fast since Lucy was born. Three months already! I love the sentiment behind these pies. I am sure that these little caramel apple gems will be a special family recipe for when Lucy gets home from school, plays in the backyard with her friends… or when you eventually have baking days together. Such a beautiful flavour combination. That golden pastry looks divine. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us xx

  14. Trisha

    Yay I am so excited that people are posting autumn recipes! Autumn is the best time for food for me, i can’t eat as much when it’s hot outside!!

    I am a huge apple pie fan and these look delightful
    x

  15. kitchen flavours

    Hi Monet,
    Congratulations to all the new mommies!
    Your apple pie looks delicious and it is nice to know that Lucy will be coming home to homey comfort food like this, time really flies, and before you know it, you’ll be sending her off to school!
    Hope you will find more time for your writing!
    Have a great week!

  16. Jennifer @ Not Your Momma's Cookie

    ‘Tis the season for little girls, I think! My cousin’s wife just gave birth to a perfect little girl, another cousin is due next month, and I’m due in November – all girls! 🙂

    I’m anxious to meet my little one, especially as she gets stronger and bigger and those flutters have given way to full-blown jabs, rolls, and punches. Can it be November now? 🙂

  17. Monica

    Wow – so nice to think of these little baby girls coming into the world. I’m amazed at how you can still make this beautiful food with so much going on in your life. Hope you will have more and more time to cook and write – all with Lucy – as time goes on.

  18. Hotly Spiced

    What gorgeous looking pies and yes, they are very autumnal. All girls? Not one boy in there? What were the odds. How lovely that all five girls can grow up as friends. Yes, they do grow up quickly. My daughter will be 19 this week and I vividly remember her being born and seeing how she had the most beautiful hands with slender fingers (and she still does) and gorgeous vividly blue eyes (and she’s still got those too). We’re giving her a ring for her birthday because I think she needs something on those beautiful hands and the ring has a tanzanite in it, the colour of her eyes. As soon as I saw it, it took me back to her birth and those features I first noticed – her hands and eyes and just knew I had to buy it. I got quite teary when I saw it. xx

  19. Nancy @ gottagetbaked

    Wow, that’s a lotta babies, lol. Congratulations to all the new parents. I wish you all the best as you finish those last 50 pages of your memoir. You’re so close! And Monet, seriously, these little pies are adorable. I could easily pop ten of them into my mouth, one after the other. Fall is my favourite season too and your apple caramel hand pies represent the best autumn has to offer.

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