APPLE BUTTER HAND PIES

Apple Butter Hand Pies image

What's more appealing than a batch of fresh-baked, half-moon-shaped pies filled with rich homemade apple butter? Nothing, except maybe a batch of hand pies filled with an assortment of colorful, tasty fruit butters (try peach, plum, apricot, or pear). If you are making your own apple butter, choose eating apples, such as Mutsu, Gala, or Golden Delicious.

Yield makes 16

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

All-purpose flour, for dusting
Hand Pie Dough (page 52)
2 cups Apple Butter (recipe follows), or best-quality store-bought fruit butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
15 apples, such as Mutsu, Gala, or Golden Delicious (about 6 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored, and quartered
1 cup unsweetened apple cider
2 tablespoons Calvados (apple brandy) or regular brandy
1 large cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
Pinch of ground cloves
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
(makes 2 cups)

Steps:

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Using a 4 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 16 rounds. Transfer rounds to parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, and refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons apple butter onto half of a round, using the back of the spoon to spread evenly to about 1/2 inch from edge (make sure the butter is not completely flattened). Quickly brush ice water around circumference of dough, and fold round in half, creating a half-moon shape. Using your fingers, press down on edges to seal and flute edges. Repeat process with remaining dough rounds and apple butter. Place hand pies on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Lightly brush hand pies with water, and sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar mixture, dividing evenly. Bake until hand pies are golden brown and crust is just slightly cracked, about 20 minutes. Transfer pies to a wire rack; let cool slightly before serving.
Combine all ingredients in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often with a large wooden spoon to prevent scorching, until apples have broken down into a saucelike consistency, about 45 minutes. Mash any large pieces of apple with the back of a spoon, if necessary.
Using a heatproof spatula, transfer apple mixture to a small saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking, stirring often, until apples are completely broken down and butter is very thick and dark, about 2 hours. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 month, or freeze up to 6 months.