These apple hand pies have a delicate crust seasoned with fresh rosemary and thyme. They’re a fragrant treat that will make your kitchen smell amazing!
Place the flour, sugar, salt, rosemary and thyme in a food processor. Pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal (a few larger pieces of butter are fine). With the machine running, add the water and mix until the dough just begins to come together. Do not overmix.
Wrap the dough in plastic film, pressing flat into a disk, and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 60 minutes.
Prepare the filling:
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in the apples, coating evenly with the dry ingredients. Stir in the lemon juice and butter.
Assemble the pies:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough as thin as possible, turning the dough after every roll to help prevent sticking. Use a 4-inch round cookie cutter to cut approximately 24 rounds (it's fine if you have more or less, but shoot for an even number). Before re-rolling any scraps, the dough might need to rest in the refrigerator for a few minutes so the butter can firm back up.
To prepare the egg wash: in a small bowl, briefly whisk the egg with a pinch of salt.
Brush the outer rim of one of the dough rounds with a light coating of egg wash (I find this easiest to do with a clean finger). Place 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the dough and immediately cover with a second round. Use a fork to press the edges of the dough together all the way around. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Brush egg wash liberally on top of each hand pie and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Use a knife to vent 3 small holes on top.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the pies are golden brown on top. Allow to cool briefly before serving.
Notes
You want to try and roll the dough as thin as possible, thinner than you would a normal pie, since two pieces will be sandwiched together. To keep the dough from becoming too soft, you can roll half the dough at a time, leaving the other half to chill in the refrigerator.
The hand pie yield will depend on how thinly the dough is rolled. Less hand pies might result in leftover filling, which is delicious when cooked briefly in a small saucepan and served by itself or over cake or ice cream.
I've made this recipe using both sweet and tart apples. Use what you have. If you use tart apples, you may want to decrease the amount of lemon juice to 1 teaspoon. Taste, and add the second teaspoon if the filling still needs some brightness.
The dough can be prepared up to 72 hours in advance.