Apple and Raspberry Hand Pies

All good things come to those who wait... and I sure waited for these! Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. I've recently had my wisdom tooth removed and it has prevented me from eating properly. Which is great if I wanted to shed a couple of pounds, but not when I've been all organised and had my ingredients waiting to bake these lovely hand pies. If you saw my last post, about getting an in-house recipe eater, I got these baked just in time for a visit from my other-half's cousin who happily polished off a few and took some home. He just thought he had good timing! But little did he know, I was waiting to be his feeder! (Enter evil laugh) Ha ha HaaH!

Apple and Raspberry Hand Pies

Sweet shortcrust pastry:
250g plain flour
125g cold butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
3 Tbsp caster sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp milk (optional)

For the filling:
2 Braeburn apples, 1 cm cubed
50g raspberries (frozen or fresh)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp cup sugar
1 Tbsp cornflour
1 egg, lightly beaten


Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Add the flour and cubes of butter to a large bowl and rub the butter into the flour with fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (work quickly so that dough does not become greasy). Add the egg yolks and caster sugar and a pinch of salt and mix together with a knife.

If your dough is too dry, add the cold milk to bind the dough together. Form a ball and wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes whilst you make the filling.

In a medium bowl, add the cubed apples, raspberries, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar and cornflour. Stir gently so as not to break up the fruit. Set aside.

Pre-heat your oven to 200ºC. Remove the pastry from the fridge and let it stand for around 10 minutes at room temperature. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out about 3mm/1/8 inch thick.

Using a 3-inch circular cookie cutter or a glass, cut out as many circles as possible. Use the remaining pastry for your next batch and continue cutting until you have an even number of circles.

Place six circles onto your baking tray, these will form the pie base. Spoon about a tablespoon of fruit mixture onto the centre of each circle, ensuring the fruit mixture stays clear of each edge.

Take six more circles and using a mini heart-shaped pastry cutter, or whatever shape you have, cut out a shape in the middle of each circle. One at a time, place a cut-out circle over a filled base and crimp the edge to seal the pie with a fork.

Lightly brush the tops of each pie with egg and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Bee's Notes:
• Apple should be small and diced about 1cm squared in order for it to cook quickly.
• Feel free to use frozen berries for the filling (defrosted).
• If you are without a small pastry cutter like I've used for the hand pie middles, use a knife to cut vents into the centre of each pie.
• I have always picked Braeburn apples for this recipe, but if you're looking for another variety, this article will not only highlight those available but examines the health benefits of apples as a whole.