Nothing is more American than apple pie. Or so they say. It’s actually from Europe, but hey, we all love it don’t we? I always see recipes for fried hand pies and I love the concept. Pie made portable! I thought this would be a great alternative to my regular apple pie recipe, something we could take on the go or enjoy without using plates and utensils.
I started by dicing the apples so they were small enough to go into the small pie. Then I cooked them up on the stovetop with sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and cornstarch until the they were soft. Once the apples were cooked, I added some apple pie moonshine to the mixture for a next-level flavor.
I sometimes like to use the ready-made roll out pie crust. If I’m in a hurry or just want to simplify things, I’ll do it and you can too. But if you have a pie crust recipe that you love, it would be fine to use in this recipe as well. I rolled out my crust a little bit and then used 3 ½-inch circle cutters to make pie rounds. They were so cute!
Next, I used a pastry brush to apply egg wash on the rounds for the pie. I put a heaping teaspoon of apple mixture in the middle of each round, folded them over, and then crimped the edges with a fork. I fried the pies until they turned that gorgeous golden brown, and finished them off with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar.
Oh, and just in case you’re not already drooling, I made a Moonshine Dulce De Leche to go with these portable pies.
I made the Dulce De Leche by submerging a can of sweetened condensed milk in simmering water for 2 to 3 hours. Seriously, this trick works! Once the Dulce De Leche was cooled to room temperature, I opened the can and added the moonshine. Make sure you’re patient and wait until it gets to room temperature before opening that can though because the pressure inside builds up and it can be a dangerous and messy situation.
And the result? OMG YUM! This was insanely good and the kind of thing you’ve got to go into your kitchen to make immediately.
Ingredients
3 large apples (I like to use Granny Smith)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp corn starch
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup Apple pie moonshine divided
4 roll out pie crusts
Directions
1. Peel and dice the apples and place them in a bowl. Combine the sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and corn starch. Coat the apples with the sugar mixture.
2. Cook apples in a saucepan on low heat. Cook until soft. Allow to cool. Add 1/4 cup of Apple Pie Moonshine to the apple mixture.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Cut rounds with a large cookie cutter
(3 1/2 – 4 inches in diameter).
4. In each round, place 1 heaping tablespoon of apple mixture. Moisten edges with egg wash, fold in half, and press edge with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.
5. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
6. Fry the pies, a few at a time, 2 to 3 minutes on each side; cook until the crust is golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Dulce De Leche
Ingredients
1 (14-ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk, label removed
1/4 cup of Apple Pie Moonshine mixed with Dulce De Leche
Directions
1. Place the can in a large pot. Fill the pot with water, making sure the water is at least 2 inches above the can.
2. Bring the pot to a simmer. Simmer for 2 hours for a lighter caramel, and up to 3 hours for a darker caramel. Make sure you are checking the pot every 30 minutes to ensure the water level stays above the can, adding boiling water as necessary to top it up.
3. Use a pair of tongs to remove the can from the water and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
It is very important that you DO NOT open the can while still hot.
4. Remove the Dulce de Leche from the can, and add the Moonshine to it.
