A pie in the hand is worth two in the bush? Is that the saying? No matter, a pie is a wonderful thing, and when it’s sweet and delicious, easy to make and totally versatile, it is even better. And somehow downsizing a pie to hand-held form makes it even more mouth-watering. Don’t ask me how.
These Sweet and Simple Hand Pies with chocolate or apricot filling are a little bit fancy.
Makes: 10
Ingredients
- 1 quantity shortcrust pastry
- 1 quantity filling (see below)
- brown sugar, for sprinkling
Apple-chocolate-hazelnut filling
- 1 apple
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 75g chocolate hazelnut spread
Apricot-almond filling
- 180g dried apricots, roughly chopped
- 75g almond butter
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
To make the apple-chocolate-hazelnut filling, peel, core and finely chop the apple. Toss in a bowl with the lemon juice and set aside.
To make the apricot-almond filling, bring the apricots and 250ml water to the boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry until it is 3mm thick. Cut out circles using a 7.5cm round cutter (or use an upturned 7.5cm bowl and cut around it with a sharp knife). Re-roll scraps as needed. You should end up with 20–24 circles.
To assemble, place a pastry circle on the lined baking tray. Dollop half a teaspoon of either the chocolate-hazelnut butter (for the apple pies) or the almond butter (for the apricot pies) in the centre of the circle. Top with a heaped teaspoon of the apple or apricot mixture accordingly.
Use your fingers to wet the edge of the pastry with some water, then top with a second circle of pastry. Pinch the edges together and crimp them with a fork to seal. Cut a small cross into the top of the pastry (to let out the steam as it cooks), then brush with water and sprinkle with brown sugar. Repeat with the remaining pastry circles and filling.
Bake for 17–20 minutes, until the edges are just browned and the juices are bubbling through the cross on the pastry surface.
Recipe taken from Top With Cinnamon by Izy Hossack
Izy Hossack is an 18-year-old with a passion for bittersweet chocolate, lattes, pecans and maple syrup. She is also the author of the award-winning blog Top with Cinnamon, where she shares her love of cooking a multitude of culinary delights, ranging from the indulgent to the wholesome and hearty. In Top With Cinnamon, Izy shares her favourite sweet and savoury recipes, perfect for lazy weekends, speedy suppers and impromptu gatherings. Breakfast like a king on courgette cornmeal pancakes, then take the healthy route with a haloumi, quinoa and pomegranate salad for dinner. Feed a crowd on chicken tacos with peach BBQ sauce, or make it lunch for one with udon mushroom and noodle soup. Izy’s cooking is all about balance: you’ve got to find a way to justify the cake! And with recipes like boozy mocha coconut layer cake and crustless plum and almond tarts, you’re not going to be able to resist the cake. Featuring a selection of gluten-free recipes and healthy options, as well as step-by-step tutorials on pastry-making and other essentials, Top With Cinnamon has something to suit everyone. This is fun, flavoursome cooking with a modern, fresh twist.
You can purchase Top With Cinnamon at cooked.com.
Published by Hardie Grant Books.
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