"Grandmother’s Fried Apple Pies-TRY

By RoketJSquerl

Ingredients

• Filling:
• 1 pkg. dried apples (Peaches or Apricots may be substituted)
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 c. water
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pastry dough:
• 2 c. AP Flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. Crisco
• 1/2 c. of milk (a little extra may be needed, you want a moist dough)
• Oil for frying

Details

Adapted from someonesinthekitcen.com

Preparation

Step 1

Place your dried apples in a microwave safe bowl. Add water and microwave on high about 3 minutes, until your apples are tender. Transfer fruit and liquid to a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Add sugar, butter and cinnamon. Stir until sugar is no longer visible. As your fruit simmers, begin mashing it with a potato masher or fork. Let fruit cook until very tender and liquid is reduced. Mash fruit often as it simmers. When reduced, all liquid has thickend and fruit is very tender, remove from heat and set aside.

In medium bowl, place flour and salt. Mix to combine. With a pastry cutter or fork, cut Crisco into your flour. When thorough mixed, your dough will be crumbly and pea size in consistency. Add in milk and mix until dough comes together. You may need to add a little extra milk. You want a firm ball of dough, but a dough that is a little sticky.

Cover dough and let dough rest on the counter for at least 15 minutes, 30 minutes is even better. This is a very important step.

Very lightly flour your working surface. The less flour, the better. Pinch off about 1/3 of the dough, lightly knead dough while shaping it into a ball in your hands. Do not knead in on your work surface, you will end up with tough dough. Place doughball onto your lightly floured work surface and pat out with your hands. Sprinkle a little flour on top of your dough and flour your rolling pin. Roll your dough out very thin. Dough should be extremely thin. Thin enough where you can almost see through it. This dough is very easy to work with and can be rolled very thin without tearing.

Using a very large round cookie cutter, cut out rounds of dough. I use a large mouth plastic ice tea glass. I like this for a cutter since the edges are thin and it is the perfect size for these little pies.

Using a regular teaspoon, place a heaping spoonful of your filling in the center of your dough round, making sure none of the filling touches the edges of your dough. Fold dough over your filling and crimp the edges using a large Wtine fork. Make sure edges are thoroughly sealed. With this dough, there is no need to moisten the edges of the dough. It seals wonderfully.

Pour enough oil in your pan so that it is about an inch deep. You want enough oil in your pan so the little pies will be almost covered when you add them to the pan. Heat oil to a medium high temperature. Be sure oil is at temperature before adding your little pies. Test by dropping a small piece of dough into your oil and it immediately begins to bubble around the edges. Add you little pies to the oil. Cook no more than 4 pies at a time. The fewer pies you cook at one time, the better your results. If you have rolled your dough very, very thin as recommended, the total cooking time for the pies will be only 3 or 4 minutes. I usally cook them 2 1/2 minutes on one side, flip and cook another 1 1/2 minutes.

Remove pies from oil when lightly browned and place on rack. I never drain my pies on paper towels, they sometimes stick. If you want to drain them on something, use a paper bag. As soon as you remove them from the oil you may want to sprinkle a little sugar on the top of each pie while they are still hot. That is up to you, I usually don’t. Now the best part……dig in and enjoy!