Fried Apple Pies
Submitted by sksw58
Fried apple pies are hand-held Southern hand pies with spiced apple filling tucked into a homemade dough, deep-fried golden and dusted with powdered sugar. Served warm with vanilla ice cream.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
40 minCOOK
10 minREADY
60 minFried apple pies are Southern diner royalty. Think of a McDonald’s apple pie’s country cousin, except everything here is scratch-made: the filling simmers on the stove with real apples, the dough gets cut with lard-like shortening for a flaky jacket, and the whole bundle plunges into hot oil until the pastry bubbles golden brown.
The filling cooks first. Diced apples sauté in butter for two minutes, then get coated in cinnamon, nutmeg, white and brown sugar. Water, lemon juice, and a cornstarch slurry loosen and then thicken the mixture into a proper pie filling. Vanilla goes in at the end. Fifteen to twenty minutes of simmering turns the apples tender without falling apart. Cool completely before filling the pies: warm filling melts the dough.
The crust is closer to a biscuit dough than classic pie pastry. Flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder sift together, cold shortening cuts in to coarse meal, and an egg-milk mixture binds it into a thick dough. Twelve thin 5 inch rounds get a quarter cup of filling each, fold to half-moons, crimp with a fork, and fry two or three at a time until golden. Dust with powdered sugar, top with vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce, fresh mint sprig on the side.
Pro Tips
- Cool the filling completely before assembling. Warm filling melts shortening in the dough and the pies split open in the fryer.
- Crimp the edges firmly with a fork dipped in flour. Weak seals leak filling and darken the oil fast.
- Fry at 350°F to 360°F (175 to 180°C). Hotter oil burns the crust before it cooks through; cooler oil makes greasy, limp pies.
- Fry only two or three at a time. Overcrowding drops the oil temperature and ruins the crisp.
Variations
- Peach or cherry: Swap the apple filling for a similarly thickened peach or sweet cherry filling.
- Baked version: Brush the assembled pies with egg wash and bake at 400°F (205°C) for 20 minutes for a lighter, non-fried version.
- Bourbon kick: Add a tablespoon of bourbon to the filling with the vanilla for a Southern-style adult twist.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the fryer.
In a sauce pan, melt the butter.
Add the apples and sauté for 2 minutes.
Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, ¼ cup sugar, and brown sugar.
Continue sauting for 1 minute, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar.
Add the water and lemon juice.
Bring the liquid up to a boil.
Add cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water.
Whisk the vanilla and slurry into the liquid.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the apples are soft.
Remove from the heat and cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, together.
Cut in the lard until it resembles coarse meal.
In small bowl, whisk the egg and milk together.
Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, working it to make a thick dough.
Break the dough into 12 equal portions.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough pieces into thin rounds, about 5 inches in diameter.
Put ¼ cup of the mixture in the center of each round, fold over and crimp the edges with a fork.
Fry the pies, two to three at a time, in the hot oil, until golden brown.
Remove from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate.
Powder the pies with powdered sugar.
Lay the pies on a platter and serve with vanilla bean ice cream.
Garnish with drizzle of caramel sauce, powdered sugar, and fresh mint.
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