Salted Caramel Apple Handpies

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm sure you have a lot to be thankful for today. Dave and I are participating in a Turkey Trot this morning, before spending the day with family.

This recipe is the dessert component of the Thanksgiving 2014 series. I liked the idea of making individual desserts, these are easy enough to make the day before whatever event you're hosting.

Apples Used: 34/40

Recipe from Just a Taste.

A Turkeyless Thanksgiving:
-Kahlua Brown Sugar Baked Brie, appetizer
-Slow Cooker Mulled Wine, cocktail
-Lemon Garlic Brussels Sprouts, side dish
-Whole Roasted Cauliflower, main dish

Ingredients:
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
-1/2 cup cold Greek yogurt

For the filling
-2 cups small diced (peeled) Granny Smith apples
-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/4 cup sugar
-2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
-8 store-bought soft caramels, roughly chopped
-Sea salt
-Egg wash (1 egg lightly whisked with 1 Tablespoon water)

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter to the bowl and use your fingers to work the butter into the flour until the mixture is a sandy consistency.

Stir in the Greek yogurt and then turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface.

Knead the dough a few times until it comes together, adding more flour, a pinch at a time, if the dough is too sticky to handle. Roll the dough into an 8x10-inch rectangle and dust both sides with flour before folding it into thirds (like a letter).

Rotate the dough 90º and roll it out again into an 8x10-inch rectangle. Fold the dough again into thirds then wrap it securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

This process will make the dough incredibly flaky, it should not be too difficult to complete, it's mainly repetition.

While the dough is in the fridge, make the filling by combing the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar and flour, and thoroughly mixing.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unfold it onto a well-floured surface, rolling it out to a 14x14-inch square. 

Using a 3-inch circular cookie cutter or cup, cut out as many circles as possible. Combine and re-roll the scraps and continue cutting out circles until you run out of dough, ensuring you end up with an even number of circles.

Place six baking spray coated cookie sheet. Spoon a small portion of the apple filling into the center of each circle, leaving a border around the filling. Top the apple filling with some chopped caramels and a pinch of sea salt. Place a second dough circle atop each filled circle then use a fork to crimp the edges together.

Brush each pie with the egg wash, and using a sharp knife, cut two or three vents on the top of each pie. 

Bake the pies for about 15 minutes, or until they're golden brown. All to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Repeat with the rest of the ingredients. 

Dave and I really enjoyed these. The crust was buttery and flaky, the filling had the right amount of apples and seasoning. The caramel added a creaminess to the dessert and the salt helped make that sweet/salty combination. I enjoyed that these were handheld and individual servings. The perfect amount of sweet after a large and satisfying Thanksgiving dinner.