This Vegan Apple Hand Pies Recipe Is So Good You Won’t Even Miss the Butter
Your sweet-toothed-vegan, dairy-free, or egg-free friends can feast happily at your holiday party if you bake up these easy apple hand pies. Our shortcut to make them effortless: Use packaged Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry, which is one hundred percent vegan and yet bakes up just as flaky and puffy as the traditional butter-filled dough. You can also cook the filling ahead of time, stash it in the fridge for up to a week, and have a package of the puff pastry on hand, so you can whip these up whenever pie craving strikes.
VEGAN APPLE HAND PIES RECIPE
(Makes 12 hand pies)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Granny Smith apples, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup sugar
- juice of one lemon
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 sheets Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry, at room temperature
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine apples, salt, cinnamon, clove, ginger, sugar, lemon, and apple juice in a pot. Mix to combine, and bring to boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, add flour, then stir to combine. Your mixture should become thick. Any lumps (like as pictured) will bake out, so don’t stress!
4. Carefully unfold the puff pastry sheets on a floured surface.
5. Cut puff pastry sheets into six even rectangles, then transfer them onto a baking sheet, leaving a few inches of space between each piece. Repeat with the other sheet so you have 12 total pieces. You may need two baking sheets.
6. Spoon about a tablespoon of your cooled apple mixture onto one side of your puff pastry. Be sure to leave some space (about 1/2-inch around each side) so you can seal the edges in the next step.
7. To seal the puff pastry, dip your finger in water and brush it around the edges of your pastry.
8. Fold the unfilled half of the pastry over the filled half, and press the edges with your fingertips to ensure each side is sealed. Repeat with remaining puff pastry.
9. Use a fork and lightly press around the sides of your sealed pastry to add a decorative, crimped edge. Use a fork to prick the tops too, which will allow steam to escape as these bake to prevent them from bursting open.
10. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Allow to cool, then top with powdered sugar or store-bought vegan caramel sauce.
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(Recipe via Lena O’Neal/Brit + Co; photos via Kurt Andre/Brit + Co)
