Apple Whiskey Hand Pies are sweet, boozy desserts that are perfect to make with fresh apples and flavored whiskey.
Apple season is here! My family has so much fun going apple picking at local farms this time of year, and I have a special place in my heart for apple recipes.
This particular dessert recipe is an ideal indulgence for those who love the cinnamon, fall spice aromas and flavors of apple and whiskey together.
Got an air fryer? Try my Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies recipe!
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🌟 Why you’ll love this dessert
Hand pies are one of my favorite pastry dishes to make when there are friends and family coming over.
- They usually just require a few ingredients
- Hand pies are easy to whip up in less than 30 minutes
- You can make sweet and/or savory hand pies.
- Hand pies are easy-to-eat finger food.
The apple whiskey adds a richness to the filling, and the mini marshmallows give it just an extra padding of sweetness and texture. And of course, the apple-cinnamon taste combo is always a winner.
🍏 Ingredient notes
Whiskey – You’ll need to pick up a bottle of apple whiskey for this recipe. Most liqueur stores sell at least one brand of apple whiskey, such as Jim Beam or Jameson. I used Aval Pota from McMenamins Edgefield distillery. It’s made with fresh pressed apples from Hood River, Oregon, McMenamins own malt whiskey, and a touch of cinnamon.
Apples – Granny Smith apples are a favorite to use in baked goods like this dessert. They keep their shape and bake beautifully. You can also use Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, or Braeburn apples.
You could also add freshly cut peaches into this recipe, or even some mini caramel chips.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
- In a large bowl, you’ll combine chopped apples with cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon, and brown sugar, then saute over medium heat for just a couple of minutes.
- Then add the whiskey and cook the alcohol down a bit. Be sure to continually stir the ingredients, and cook until the apples just start to get soft, about 3 minutes. You don’t want them too soft at this point, but they shouldn’t be making any crisp sounds when you bite into a piece either.
3. Now, you can use pie crust or puff pastry dough for hand pies. I prefer the flaky, buttery crispness of puff pastry.
4. Roll out your puff pastry dough sheets, and divide into 9 even sections.
5. Place about 1-2 heaping Tablespoons of filling in the middle bottom half of each section. Top with 4-6 mini marshmallows. Be sure to set aside and save the remaining liquid from the filling. I’ll tell you why in just a bit.
6. Fold over the top half and then secure all of the sides by pinching the edges. If you have extra pastry on some edges, feel free to gently fold those up a bit and then pinch.
7. Using a knife, gently poke 3-4 slits on the top of each hand pie. You can also gently press a knife or fork against the sides to add some detail, as I did (hint: this trick also helps hide some imperfections from the extra folded over pastry you might have on the edges!).
As you can see from the photo above, my hand pies weren’t all perfectly uniform. Yours can be oblong or more square — it all works, as long as you are able to secure all of the sides so that the filling doesn’t ooze out while baking.
8. Remember the remaining liquid from the filling that you set aside and saved? Brush the tops of each hand pie with just a touch of that remaining liquid, and then sprinkle each pie with a little sprinkle of sugar.
9. Bake in a 400°F degree oven for 20-25 minutes, turning the pan 180 degrees around halfway through to ensure even cooking, until the tops are just golden. Let cool slightly before serving.
🍽 Serving ideas
Serve with an apple whiskey cocktail to complete the whole delicious fall eating and drinking experience.
🥧 Recipe FAQs
This recipe makes about nine hand pies, depending on how large you make each one.
Absolutely! We love using apple whiskey since it adds a stronger apple cinnamon flavor, but you can also add a little apple juice and extra sprinkle of cinnamon instead.
🍎 More fruit dessert recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Apple Whiskey Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 3 medium to large apples, peeled and chopped
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup apple whiskey
- ½ cup mini marshmallows
- 2 sheets of pre-made or homemade puff pastry
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and lemon juice.
- In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook the mixture for about 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the apple whiskey, and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Turn heat off and allow the mixture to cool for just a minute.
- Meanwhile, take out the puff pastry sheets and roll out over an even surface, such as a large cutting board or rolpat mat.
- Cut each puff pastry sheet evenly into rectangles.
- On the bottom half of each rectangle, place about 1-2 Tablespoons of filling in the middle. Top each with 4-6 mini marshmallows. Set aside the remaining liquid from the filling; you’ll use this toward the end.
- Gently fold over the top of each rectangle and pinch together the edges. If you have extra pastry in some spots, simply fold them up a bit, then pinch to close.
- Using a knife, cut 3-4 small slits at the top of each pastry.
- Using a knife or fork, you can gently press into the edges of each pastry to create a striped design. This also helps keep the pastry from puffing up and out too much.
- Taking the reserve liquid, brush a small amount over the tops of the pastries.
- Sprinkle a little sugar over each pastry.
- Bake at 400°F degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved it. Made them with some homegrown apples from my backyard and added ginger and nutmeg to the mix cause I love all those flavors together. Also had a lot to put in a pie and the pie turned out great too. Great filling and recipe. Will do it again. :)
Marilynn,
Your Whiskey Apple Hand Pies look so Amazing!!! My husband and dad love Apple Pie. I love baking, but I’ve never made an Apple Pie. I’m going to make these. I would like to know what brand of Apple’s do you use? Also, why do you use the marshmallows? Do they melt completely and turn into sugar or does it turn into like a marshmallow spread?
Thank you. Have a blessed day.
Peace
I couldn’t find apple whiskey so I used honey whiskey instead. I don’t like whiskey, but I sure liked these! Great recipe.
They look great!
As if I needed another reason to buy whiskey. I just made a ton of applesauce and vowed to never buy another apple–at least not for a long time. BUT I will be making this! Thanks for the recipe.
YUM!!!!
I love mcmenamins! I have a fall baking contest to go to, I’ll have to make these!
Looks amazing! My husband wants one now!
Amazing and simple! Perfect dessert or treat for the fall season…maybe for all seasons…
These look so delicious, and you did a great job with the photography.
These look so yummy. Making a pie has always intimidated me, but these hand pies seem fun and easy enough for me to make. Thanks for sharing.
This sounds amazing! Will definitely be trying these soon!