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Vegan Cinnamon Apple Hand Pies

  • Prep-time: / Ready In:
  • Makes 8 hand pies
  • Serving size: 1 hand pie
  • Print/save recipe

These crisp-crust apple hand pies rival anything you can find at McDonald’s. With the comforting goodness of homemade apple pie in a convenient handheld package, they’re ideal for game day or a weekend dessert with friends or family! Cashew butter gives the crust extra richness while keeping it relatively low in fat and pairs well with the fragrant cinnamon-infused apple filling. Be sure to eat these delish vegan hand pies fresh from the oven! Serve as they are, or with a scoop of vanilla nice cream.

What’s a Hand Pie?

A hand pie is a single-serving, closed pastry you can eat with your hands. Hand pies came from 19th-century England, created as a filling lunch for hungry miners. In the U.S., the most well-known hand pie is the McDonald’s apple pie.

For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:

By Laura Marzen, RD, LD,

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Ingredients

  • 12 oz. cooking apples, such as Granny Smith, Fuji, or Braeburn
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon + ⅛ teaspoon apple pie spice or ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
  • 1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • ½ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
  • ¾ teaspoons sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted cashew butter or almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons pure cane sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk

Instructions

  • For filling, peel, core, and chop apples into ½-inch pieces (you should have 2½ cups). In a medium saucepan combine apples, maple syrup, and ½ teaspoon of the apple pie spice. Cook, covered, over medium 4 to 6 minutes or until apples are softened, stirring occasionally.
  • In a small bowl whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until well combined. Add all at once to apple mixture; cook and stir 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat; cover and set aside.
  • For crust, in a small bowl stir together flaxseed meal and ¼ cup water; let stand 5 minutes. In a food processor combine flour, oats, and salt. Process until oats are coarsely ground. Add cashew butter, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the flaxseed mixture. Pulse until dough just holds together. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until dough holds together.
  • Knead dough once or twice until it is an even consistency. Wrap in plastic wrap and let stand 20 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough into four equal portions. Lightly dust one dough portion with flour, place it between two sheets of parchment paper, and roll out dough with a rolling pin to a 10×5-inch rectangle about ⅛ inch thick. Remove top sheet of paper. Using a pizza cutter, cut rectangle in half to make two 5-inch squares, trimming edges as needed. Repeat with remaining dough portions.
  • Spoon about 3 tablespoons apple filling down one half of each dough square, leaving a ¼-inch border around edges of each square. Brush edges with milk. Fold unfilled dough halves over filling. Press edges with a fork to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut several slits in tops of each pie to expose filling.
  • Place hand pies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl stir together the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar and ⅛ teaspoon apple pie spice. Lightly brush tops of pies with milk. Sprinkle with sugar mixture.
  • Bake 20 minutes or until bottoms of pies are lightly browned. (If necessary, tent pies with foil the last 5 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.) Serve warm.
Nutritional Information:

Per serving (1 hand pie): 184 calories, 34 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 149 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 10 g sugar

Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.

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About the Author

Headshot of recipe developer and nutritionist Laura Marzen by Theresa Schumacher Photography

About the Author

Laura Marzen, RD, LD

Laura Marzen, RD, LD, is known for developing approachable recipes using her attention to detail and relying on two decades of experience creating and testing recipes. She created and tested recipes while working in the Better Homes & Gardens test kitchen for over seven years. Since then, she has gone on to develop more than 1,000 recipes for national magazines. In addition to her work developing recipes, Marzen uses her passion for healthy eating to coach women on improving their digestion and health in a way that's practical and sustainable. She has consulted for authors Rocco DiSpirito and Joy Bauer and has appeared on both local and national news and television programs on behalf of Better Homes & Gardens and Living the Country Life. With her work coaching women to improve their health, Marzen has extensive knowledge on the topics of digestion, metabolism, inflammation and IBS. Marzen earned a B.S. degree in dietetics from Iowa State University. She followed that with a dietetic internship and classes in public health at the University of Iowa through the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Learn more on her website. Photo by Theresa Schumacher Photography
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