Apple Pie Cookies

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  • 20

Ingredients

  • NUT FILLING:
  • 2 pie crusts
  • apple pie filling
  • nut filling, or can use a caramel filling
  • cinnamon, nutmeg sugar
  • raw sugar crystals
  • icing, optional
  • beaten egg for brushing top of pie cookies
  • (For one regular apple pie cookies recipe. Will need to make another 1/2 of the recipe for a GF version)
  • 1/2 cup ground walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon beaten egg
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
  • APPLE FILLING:
  • (will need only 1/2 of the filling to make the regular apple pie cookies recipe... can freeze the rest or use the rest to make the GF version below)
  • 2 large apples*
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 4- 5 TBS sugar
  • 2-3 TBS lemon meyer juice
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • I used 1 large fuji apple + 1 large pink lady apple= 4 1/2- 5 cups sm. dice apples
  • PIE CRUST:
  • You will need: add flavoring amounts as you like or skip all together.
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 3/4 cups unsalted butter, cut up
  • 1 TBS sugar
  • 2 tsp salt (I use kosher)
  • 1 TBS vinegar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup water

Preparation

Step 1

Directions:

Make Nut Filling:
1. Beat egg, and remove 1 TBS beaten egg and place in a bowl. Reserve the rest of the egg for brushing the top of the cookies.
2. To the 1 TBS beaten egg, add the ground walnuts, brown sugar and vanilla. Combine all ingredients. Set aside. This nut filling makes enough for just the regular pie cookies, but if you would like to make a gluten-free version, then you will need to make another 1/2 a batch. Set aside.

Make Apple Filling:
1. Peel and cut apples in small dice pieces( 1/4 inch or so)... you should have about 5 cups.
2. In a medium saucepan, add diced apples, cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon. Heat on med-low and mix ingredients until combined. Cook, stirring often... till apples slightly soften and thicken. This will take about 10 -12 minutes or so. Taste filling, adjust for sweetness and add the lemon juice. Stir in the vanilla. Set aside.


Make Cinnamon Sugar + Icing:
1 TBS sugar+ 1/4 tsp cinnamon+ a few gratings of nutmeg
Powdered sugar+ a bit of water + lemon/vanilla extract to drizzling consistency

Assemble Apple Pie Cookies:
Preheat oven to 375 deg F
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

1. Roll out one pie crust to about 12 inches in diameter... or so.
2. Spread nut filling on bottom of crust... all the way to the edge.
3. Place about 1 cup of the diced apple filling and spread on top of the nut filling. You will have some apple filling leftover. You may freeze the rest for another use, or use it to make another small batch of GF pie cookies , as I did.

4. Roll out second pie crust to about 12 inches and cut 1/2 inch strips. Place strips in lattice design on top of the apple filling.
5. Brush lattice top with beaten egg, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, can add a bit of raw coarse sugar as well, if desired.
6. Using a 2 1/2- 3 inch sharp round cookie cutter, cut out cookies... making sure to leave as little a space between cutouts to maximize the number of cookies you get.
7. Place cookies on parchment lined cookie sheet. With scraps, I like to use a mini muffin tin and bake them... this way I don't waste the scraps and turn them into mini muffin pie scraps. You can see this in the GF version photos below.
8. Bake in preheated 375 deg F oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
9. If you like, you can drizzle some cookies with a powdered sugar icing.


Gluten- Free Apple Pie Cookies

Note: It is best to keep pie crust cold, as it is difficult to work with if dough is soft. And use a bit of GF flour to dust work surface as you roll out dough.

You will need:

1 GF pie crust recipe, 4 pieces, rolled in 6 inch circles
1 cup diced apple pie filling
1/2 nut filling(recipe above)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 deg F
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
1. Cut pie crust in 4 pieces. You will need to work with smaller pieces, as the crust is quite fragile. Roll out one piece of the dough to about 6 inch or so.
2. Spread about 2 tablespoons or so of nut filling on crust, then add about 1/2 cup of apple pie filling and spread it to the edge.
3. Roll out another 6 inch pie crust, cut in strips and form lattice top....
Now, I must admit this was quite challenging as the dough breaks easily. I used a knife to lift up the strips and had many broken pieces. In the end it turned out ok. It's doable, but if you want to make it easier, you can opt to cut out small shapes and use those instead or even placing another rolled out crust on top as you would when making regular pies(w/out any lattice work).
4. Brush top with beaten egg, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, can add a bit of raw coarse sugar as well, if desired.
5. Using a 2 1/2- 3 inch sharp round cookie cutter, cut out cookies...
6. Place cookies on parchment lined cookie sheet.
7. Repeat the process with the other 2 pieces.
8. With scraps, I like to use a mini muffin tin and bake them... this way I don't waste the scraps and turn them into mini muffin pies.
9. Bake in preheated 375 deg F oven for 15 minutes or so... or until golden.
10. If you like, you can drizzle some cookies with a powdered sugar icing.


PIE CRUST:

Directions:
1. Mix first 4 ingredients together with a fork or pastry blender. I have,of lately, started to use my food processor for this... pulsing it until the butter pieces are a bit bigger than peas, more like kidney beans.

2. In separate bowl, beat remaining ingredients.
3.Combine the 2 mixtures, stirring with a fork until all ingredients are moistened.

4. Then, with hands, mold dough into a ball.

5. Chill at least 20 minutes, before rolling it into desired shape.
6. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.This way, you know you have enough dough for 2 double crust pies. If you like to freeze some, make sure you wrap the dough well before freezing.

7. Roll the dough out.

You can see, in the picture above, some white pieces of butter in the dough. This will make it flaky.
8. Make sure you leave about 1/2-1 inch overhang of pie dough so you can seal the bottom crust with the top crust.

9. Fill with desired filling.
10. Place top crust, crimp and glaze with egg wash.
11. Bake in a preheated 400-425 deg.F oven. Make sure you cover (tent) the pie with some foil half way through(or when it is just golden...it will continue to lightly brown even with the foil on) so that the dough won't burn.

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