Turns out much/most of my life involves trying to fulfill the whims of my offspring. It is made even more urgent when Michael joins in. James said he wanted apple pies. Someone suggested salted caramel (me? Michael? Who is to say.) Hand pies/pastries were suggested. Then James proceeded to bring it up forever until I finally made it happen. And that is the tale of how I was peer pressured into spending one of my evenings after the kids went to sleep making salted caramel apple hand pies.
(Note: in the course of my writing this Michael saw the pictures and said, "Oh man those were so good! We need them again. Look at Rose's sweet face. She's never had these. Don't you think that face deserve them?" So you see what I'm working with.)
Anyway-this recipe is actually super simple (more so if you buy pre-made puff pastry and salted caramel sauce but where's the fun in that?) and reallllly tasty. Buttery, flaky pastry with a sweet and salty (and gooey) caramel apple filling. You can use whatever apples you like for the filling and can even make the pastries ahead of time (just make sure to refrigerate them until you're ready to bake--the colder the pastry dough the better the end result!) Yummy yum yum!
Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies
Makes 9-12 mini pies
Ingredients:
- 5 medium apples
- 1 lb. puff pastry (I like to use this recipe for quick puff pastry, but you can also use storebought)
- 5-10 tbsp. salted caramel sauce (this is my favorite recipe, but any salted caramel sauce will work!)
- 1 egg
- Optional-Sugar, for topping
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 415F degrees and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (or parchment paper).
- Peel and slice applies into thin, uniform, pieces.
- Roll out the puff pastry dough on a well floured surface. Cut into 9-12 equal squares of dough.
- Evenly distribute the apple slices between all the pastry squares and top each with 1/2-1 tbsp. of (cooled) salted caramel sauce.
- Fold each side of the dough over the apples to make a pocket.
- Place the pies on prepared baking sheet.
- Whisk egg in a small bowl and brush over each hand pie. Sprinkle with sugar (if desired).
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until golden.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for 3 months. For best results, reheat in a 350F degree oven for a few minutes.
- To make ahead: Fully prepare and assemble the pies and then store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
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