Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies

Apple pies are delicious, but even better are when you can pick them up and eat them with your hands! And it's so much easier and faster to enjoy the delicious fall flavors of apple pie thanks to the air fryer. These Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies are made with flaky buttery puff pastry, filled with cinnamon apples, and topped with sweet salted caramel.

Is there any food more American than apple pie?

While the apple pie originated in England, it was brought over to the US in the 17th century and soon became the symbol of American wealth and national pride. The phrase, "as American as apple pie" is still popular to this day!

And while I enjoy keeping my freezer stocked with apple pie filling and making mini apple pies, there's one form that I love apple pie above all others: Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies.

Apple Hand Pies

I absolutely ADORE apple hand pies!! They're perfectly portable pockets of yummy goodness.

If you're not familiar with hand pies, they are basically double crusted pastry that is sealed and filled with regular pie filling. They are small enough to fit in your hand, hence the name.

And, they are absolutely my personal favorite way to enjoy pie flavors!!

Why you will love air fryer apple hand pies

There are so many reasons to love these air fryer apple hand pies! Here are just a few that make this hand pie recipe special:

• Uses basic, common ingredients. You most likely have everything you need to make these apple hand pies in your fridge, pantry, or freezer. If not, they are common ingredients easy to find at any grocery store.
  
• A better crust-to-filling ratio. With hand pies, you get delicious amounts of pastry and filling with every bite!
  
• Easier to eat at parties. It's SO much easier to eat hand pies while mixing and mingling with guests. No fork required!
  
• Easy make-ahead dessert. These are delicious when served hot or at room temperature, so you can make them in advance and reheat just before the first guests arrive!
  
• Freeze and reheat. If you leave off the salted caramel topping, these hand pies freeze and reheat beautifully.

Kitchen tools and equipment

For this recipe, you just need a few basic kitchen tools:

Cutting board + knife - Use a sturdy cutting board and sharp knife to dice the apples. You can also use the cutting board to cut out the pastry circles and as an assembly surface when assembling the hand pies.

Pastry brush - You'll need a pastry brush to brush egg wash over the assembled and formed hand pies before baking.

Pot - You will be cooking the apple pie filling in a large pot. I use my Dutch oven for this. It heats evenly and the apples get nice and tender. Plus, it's easier to clean.

Saucepan - In another pot or saucepan, you'll be making the caramel. Use a heavy bottom pot for this, so that the caramel cooks evenly.

Air fryer - Finally, you'll need an air fryer. I make these in my Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker using the Air Crisp function. Whether you use a tray-style air fryer or basket-style air fryer, the temperature and time stay the same.

If using a basket-style air fryer, you may just need to work in batches. If using a tray-style air fryer, you may want to rotate the trays halfway through so that the apple hand pies air fry evenly.

Ingredients to make the apple hand pies

Apples - Choose apples that bake up nicely. I prefer to use Granny Smith apples for this recipe. But, you could also use Braeburn, Gala, Fuji, Jonagold, or Honey Crisp apples. Avoid Red Delicious apples, as they do not hold their shape well in baked/air fried desserts.

Butter - Use unsalted butter.

Cinnamon - Ground cinnamon adds such a lovely aroma and flavor to the apple hand pie filling!

Light brown sugar - Using light brown sugar gives the filling more depth of flavor. You can use granulated sugar instead if you don't have light brown sugar, but it will not have the same depth of flavor.

Lemon juice - A little acidity always helps balance the apple hand pie filling.

Cornstarch + water - Use a mixture of cornstarch and water to create a slurry, which helps thicken up the apple hand pie filling mixture.

Egg + water - You'll lightly beat an egg with a small amount of water to create an egg wash. This gives the apple hand pies a glorious sheen when air fried!

Puff pastry dough - You could make your own dough, but using store-bought refrigerated puff pastry dough saves a lot of time. You'll need two sheets for this recipe (most boxes come with 2 puff pastry sheets).

Ingredients to make the salted caramel sauce

Sugar - Use granulated sugar for the salted caramel.

Water - You'll need water for this part of the recipe too, to help dissolve the sugar and begin to caramelize.

Butter - Use unsalted butter or salted butter - whichever you have on hand. If using salted butter, omit the extra salt listed separately.

Salt - If using unsalted butter, add salt to give the caramel that signature salted caramel flavor.

Step-by-step instructions on how to make these apple hand pies

In this post, I include step-by-step instructions and photos to help you make the most delicious air fryer apple hand pies with salted caramel sauce.

Be sure to read through these helpful instructions before you start. Then print out the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and instructions below.

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In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Then add the apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon juice. Stir to combine.

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In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water to form a slurry. Pour the slurry into the pan with the apple mixture and continue to stir and cook until the mixture has thickened up a bit.

When the apples have cooked a bit and become slightly tender and the mixture has thickened, turn off the heat and remove the pan.

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Unroll the puff pastry sheets and use a 3-inch cookie cutter or pastry cutter to cut out circles.

Place one pastry round on a paper towel, cutting board, or parchment paper. Use a fork to poke two sets of holes lightly near the center. This helps prevent the pastry from "puffing up" too much on the bottom as it air fries.

Place one tablespoonful of filling into the center of a pastry round, leaving some space (a little less than about ½-inch) around the edges. Using your fingers, wet the edges with water. Then place another pastry round on top and press down to seal the edges all the way around.

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Using the tines of a fork, gently press down along the edges of the pastry to help further seal the two pastry rounds together. This also creates a cute pattern around the edges! Then, using a small sharp knife, cut two slits in the middle of the top pastry. Repeat until you use all of the pastry rounds. You may have some filling leftover - save this for topping your Apple Cinnamon Pancakes for breakfast!

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In a small bowl, beat together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water to create an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, brush enough egg wash just to cover the tops of each filled pastry. Place the filled pastries onto the prepared air fryer basket or trays.

Air fry at 350°F for 7 to 9 minutes, just until the puff pastry has fully cooked and the tops are golden brown.

If using a basket-style air fryer, you may just need to work in batches. If using a tray-style air fryer, you may want to rotate the trays halfway through so that the apple hand pies air fry evenly.

Make the caramel sauce

While the pastries are air frying, make the caramel sauce.

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In a heavy 3-quart saucepan, or any saucepan with a heavy bottom, melt the sugar and water over medium-high heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved.

Once the sugar mixture reaches a low boil, stop whisking and allow the mixture to continue boiling until it reaches a medium-dark amber color. This step can take a while, but be sure to watch the mixture carefully: if you step away, this is where it could burn. Every once in a while, swirl the pan to ensure even boiling.

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As soon as the sugar mixture reaches that dark amber color, take it off the heat and immediately add the butter. Whisk briskly until the butter melts completely. Slowly and carefully pour in the heavy cream and whisk to combine.

The mixture may bubble as you whisk, which is normal.Keep whisking the mixture until it is a gorgeous, luscious caramel sauce.

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Drizzle or spoon caramel sauce over each cooked apple hand pie. Pour the remaining caramel sauce into a glass jar and cool, uncovered, to room temperature. Keep this jar in the fridge to use for other desserts!

Recipe FAQs

How to serve apple hand pies

These air fryer apple hand pies look beautiful plated simply on their own or as part of a larger dessert table.

You can serve these hand pies warm or at room temperature.

They are delicious when served with scoops of vanilla ice cream!

Best wine pairings for apple pie

You'll want to pair warm apple pie with crisp, sweet white wines that can play off the delicious baked apples. Go for a Gewürztraminer or a sparkling Muscat.

This brand new release from Brooks Winery also enhances the yummy cinnamon flavors in these hand pies!

More sweet and savory apple recipes

• Apple Pie Bars
• Baked Apple Cinnamon Donuts
• Fluffy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
• Apple Cider Pork Chops

More dessert recipes

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust
• Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Espresso
• Microwave Blueberry Crisp
• Disneyland Churros Copycat Recipe

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