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Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 cups apples, small dice
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup apple juice, divided
- 1/4 cup, plus 1 Tbsp, light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces
- 2 (14-oz) boxes refrigerated pie crust, room temperature
- 1 egg
- Sanding sugar
- Oil, for brushing
- 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, for serving
Details
Preparation
Step 1
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg and sauté 2–3 minutes. Next, pour 1/4 cup apple juice and sugar into the saucepan. Cook until the apples begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining apple juice and cornstarch. Stir this mixture into the saucepan. Simmer until it has thickened. Remove from the heat and fold in the lemon zest and cream cheese until the cheese melts. Spread over a baking sheet and cool in the refrigerator.
While cooling, cut the pie crust into 16 10" rounds with a 4-1/2" round cutter.
When the filling has completely cooled, place about 2 Tbsp filling in the middle of 8 pie crust rounds. Cut a small vent into the middle of the remaining rounds.
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg with 1 tsp water. Brush the edges of the filled rounds with the egg wash. Place the vented rounds on top of the filled ones, then press the edges together with a fork to seal. Put the pies on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle them with sanding sugar. Refrigerate for 15–20 minutes.
Preheat the grill to 450°F. Invert 2 disposable 9" x 11" aluminum foil pans (at least 2"–3" inches deep) on the grill. Brush the bottoms of the hand pies with oil and place them on the foil pans. Cover and let them bake for about 3–4 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium and let them continue to bake until the crust is cooked through and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve each pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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