Apple and Pear Hand Pies

Tender, flaky and filled with autumn-inspired fruit and spices, these apple and pear hand pies make for a cozy grab-and-go dessert to pack up and enjoy. Filled with finely diced Granny Smith apples and Bartlett pear tossed with spices, rich caramel sauce and a hint of bourbon, this recipe for apple and pear hand pies is a scrumptious treat that fills the kitchen with the sweet scent of fall!

Homemade hand pies filled with apple and pear

While summer brings sweet, juicy stone fruits like plums, nectarines, peaches, and cherries, fall deliciously offers heartier treasures such as crisp, sweet-tart apples and succulent pears.

Apples and pears make delicious partners in fall-inspired desserts. While I love baking traditional apple pie or our favorite apple-cranberry pie this time of year, hand pies filled with these aromatic fruits are equally mouthwatering—perfect for eating on the go.

These hand pies feature a perfect mixture of finely diced Granny Smith apples and Bartlett pears nestled in buttery, flaky dough. The fruits are tossed with warm spices, brown sugar, and a salted caramel sauce spiked with bourbon, and making for a truly spirited little dessert!

Fun to prepare, these sweetly spiced homemade hand pies make the entire kitchen smell absolutely amazing as they bake up to golden, tender and flaky perfection.

They're a wonderful little dessert to make when fresh apples and pears are abundant in the markets or the “U-Pick” orchards, for the perfect (and portable!) taste of fall!

My recipe for apple and pear hand pies

While one could use only apples, or even only pears, in these mouthwatering hand pies, I really love the combination of the two fruits together.

Both are sweet and fragrant, but the Granny Smith apples bring some tartness to the mix, while the ripe pears bring juiciness and a more floral note.

You can certainly use your favorite apple variety here (Honeycrisp, Gala, etc. will work just fine), but Granny Smith is less sweet and more tangy, which I like for this recipe. Bartlett pears can bring sweet juiciness when ripe to the touch, softening better than a Bosc pear would, as they are typically firmer.

To bring out the natural flavor of the fruit, I also add to the filling mixture a small amount of brown sugar and some cinnamon, yet don't stop there...

Good quality, store-bought caramel sauce (I love Trader Joe's Fleur de Sel caramel sauce) also goes in to create a sweet, rich, buttery note, along with a small spoonful of bourbon—it adds a really delicious note, but totally optional if you prefer to leave it out.

The sweet filling gets nestled into a homemade pie dough that is rolled out and cut using a 4 inch circle cutter, then folded over to create the hand pie shape, and baking up all golden, warm and flaky!

Here's a sneak peek at my apple and pear hand pie recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I make my pie dough and chill that for a while.
2. Once the dough has chilled, I cut out 14 pie dough circles using a 4 inch cutter, and keep those chilled in the fridge.
3. Next, I combine my apple and pear filling, then mound a small amount in the center of each pie dough circle before folding the dough over to create a semi-circle or hand pie shape.
4. I then brush a small amount of egg wash over each apple and pear hand pie, create a couple of small slits on top, then sprinkle over a touch of turbinado sugar for sparkle before baking.
5. Once golden and baked, I allow the hand pies to slightly cool before enjoying.

Recipe

Apple and Pear Hand Pies

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These tender and flaky apple and pear hand pies are kissed with spices, caramel sauce and a hint of bourbon, the perfect autumn treat!

Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Yield: 14 hand pies

Nutrition Info: 280 calories (per hand pie)

Prep Time: 30 minutes (does not include dough chill time)
Cook time: 28 minutes
Total time: 58 minutes

Dough Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, cut up into small pieces
• ½ cup ice cold water
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 egg, whisked for egg wash
• ¼ cup turbinado sugar, for sprinkling before baking

Filling Ingredients:

• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and very finely diced (about ¼ inch dice)
• 1 Bartlett pear, peeled and very finely diced (about ¼ inch dice)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup good quality, store-bought salted caramel sauce
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your dough ingredients according to the ingredient list to have ready and organized for use.
2. To make the dough, add the flour, salt, and cold butter to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the butter is crumbly, about 20 to 30 seconds or so. (Alternately, you can place all ingredients into a bowl and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut in the butter.)
3. Mix together the ice cold water, the vanilla, and the vinegar, and while pulsing the dry ingredients, slowly pour in the water mixture until a moist dough begins to form, taking care not to over-process, just until combined.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and form into a disc, then wrap in plastic wrap. Allow the dough to chill in fridge for about 1 hour.
5. Once the dough has chilled, roll it out on a floured work surface to about ⅛ to ¼ inch thickness. Using a 4 inch cutter, cut dough circles out making 14 circles (you will gather up the scraps of dough and keep rolling them out until you get 14 circles). Place them onto your baking sheet(s) to hold, and place the dough circles back into the fridge to chill for about 15 to 20 minutes while you prep your filling.
6. Next, gather and prep your filling ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
7. Prepare your filling by combining all of the filling ingredients in a bowl, and tossing them gently together to coat everything well.
8. Next, preheat your oven to 375°.
9. To fill and assemble your hand pies, place your dough circles onto your work surface, and add about 2 tablespoons of the filling into the centers. Fold one half of the dough over to make a semi-circle or hand pie shape, and press the dough to seal, using a fork to crimp the edges.
10. Brush each hand pie with a bit of egg wash, then cut three small slits on the tops with a paring knife for steam to escape. Sprinkle over a little turbinado sugar, then bake the apple and pear hand pies for about 28 minutes, or until golden-brown.
11. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying, or enjoy at room temp.

Tips & Tidbits for my apple and pear hand pies recipe:

• Granny Smith apples and Bartlett pears for sweet and tangy flavor: Granny Smith are the variety of apple I like to use in these hand pies because they are not too sweet, but rather offer tanginess to the filling. You can certainly sub other apples if you prefer. And the Bartlett pear, when ripe, is more juicy and tender than a Bosc pear, with more floral-like pear flavor.
• Homemade pie dough, or use store bought in a pinch: My recipe yields enough to make 14 hand pies, and is quite quick and easy to either prep using a food processor or bowl. You can sub store-bought pie dough, but make sure you have at least two discs/sheets (perhaps three) to make enough hand pies.
• Caramel and bourbon for a rich, buttery filling: Caramel and bourbon make fantastic flavor partners, creating an almost butterscotch flavor in these hand pies. But if you prefer to leave out the bourbon, you absolutely can—no need to sub anything else, just omit it as an ingredient.
• Make these apple and pear hand pies ahead: You can make these tasty hand pies ahead and bake them off to have warm and fresh when you're ready! Simply prep everything up to the point of assembling the hand pies (do not egg wash, cut slits, or top with sugar at this point). Place the partially assembled hand pies onto a baking sheet, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and keep them cold in the fridge. When ready to bake, preheat your oven, egg wash the hand pies, cut small slits in the tops, sprinkle with sugar, then bake as directed.

Craving more sweet and cozy fall treats? Check out my recipe for Caramel Apple Pie Bars, Apple Cider Donuts, Apple Cranberry Pie, Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls, Baked Apples with Cranberry Nut Crumble, or my recipe for Apple Bread with Cinnamon Sugar Streusel!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2016, and has been updated with even more love!