Apple Hand Pies

Well, here they are. They were a success at staffing and super cute. I doubled the recipe so I have quite a few left over, another treat I'll be adding to my fall packages. 

Recipe follows and adopted from une gamine dans la cuisine:
--makes about 12-16 hand pies

Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (that's 2 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into bits
1 cup ice water (you probably won't need a full cup, but have it ready just in case)

Filling:
3 McIntosh apples (or Granny Smith)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Topping
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Method of madness:

• Prepare the crust: Place the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt into the bowl of a large food processor. {Note: If you have a small processor, divide the ingredients and make half at a time.} Pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bits of cold butter over the dry ingredients. Pulse a few times, just until your left with a crumbly mixture (you should see oatmeal and pea-size pieces of dough). Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of the ice water over the dough. Pulse a few times. Add about 1 more Tablespoon of ice water. Pulse again. If the dough has begun to come together on the blade, and if it sticks together when pinched, then it's ready. If it still looks a bit shaggy, add a splash more water and keep adding until it just comes together. 
• Dump the dough onto a floured surface. Quickly and gently knead, just to incorporate any stray pieces of dry ingredients. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide it in half and pat each half into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour. 

• Prepare the filling: Peel, core, and chop the apples. {Note: Since the pies are small, try not to keep the apple pieces relatively small. In fact I grated mine and it worked out a lot better} Place the chopped (or grated) apples into a medium-size bowl. Add the lemon, sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger. Stir everything together until evenly coated. Cover the bowl as you roll out the dough.
• Have the beaten egg on hand, ready to use.

• Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove one dough disk from the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a rough circle until it's about 1/8" thick. {Don't worry about the circle being perfect, you're going to be cutting out mini-circles.} Use a 4 1/2-inch biscuit (or cookie cutter or the rim of a glass cup) to cut out as many circles as possible. (Save the scraps.) Place the cut-out circles of dough onto a prepared baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to moisten the edges of each circle with egg. Add about 1 Tablespoon of the apple filing into the center of the circles (be sure to leave about a 3/4-inch of bare dough around the edges). Fold each circle in half and pinch the edges together to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edges. Cut two small slits into the top of each pie, brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar. 
• Repeat with the remaining disk. {Note: The scraps can be re-rolled.}
• Bake for 18-23 minutes or until the pies are golden brown. Remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving. 

Really yummy with vanilla ice cream. Or plain. Mmmm! Mmmm! MMMMMMMMMMM!

So I think I'm getting sick. Drats. Also I went to Wal-Mart yesterday to pick up some things and I just wanted some pepper spray, which they do not carry apparently, and I got some very strange looks when I asked if they had any. Seriously? Young female--that's pretty much the prime purchasing audience for the stuff. Well, if they won't give me pepper spray then a glock it is. 

I was late for church this morning because I had to work and what I was hoping would only take an hour tops, ended up taking 2 hours. Rats. Oh well. Days like today make me really miss my ward back home, and New England in general. :( Anyway, I just made the dough for candy corn sugar cookies for staffing this week. I contemplated making chocolate peanut butter Levain cookies because that's really the only thing that sounds appealing, but I decided not to. However the night is still young so who knows!!! Right now I'm watching the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Have you seen it? I really like this movie and I fell in love with One Republic's song "Secrets" when I saw the movie. Also Jay Baruchel is so cute!