Mini Apple-Ginger Hand Pies

I'm returning from an extended hiatus after moving to Seattle, where I've been getting to know my new home (and favorite city), falling for and marrying an Amazon.com nerd (how predictable),  and hanging out with my kick-ass sister, whom I convinced to move here too. All the while, this post has been sitting unfinished in my queue. It's about time I posted it. 

A million years ago, before the move, I went to the last of the very fun themed dinner parties I frequently attended in St. Louis. The party's theme was a bit puzzling to a baker: ginger. Determined to make a pie that fit this theme, I settled on apple-ginger hand pies.

For small pies like this, I like to make a nice flavorful butter crust.

After some trial and error, documented in previous posts, I've determined that pulsing cold butter in the food processor is the easiest and fastest way to make the crust.

Once you've assembled the crust, set it aside to chill. Gather two granny smith apples, a lemon, an egg, cinnamon, sugar, and crystallized ginger.

Peel, core, and dice the apples.

Mix the apples with half a teaspoon of cinnamon, a quarter cup of sugar, two teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, and two tablespoons of crystallized ginger.

Set aside.

Roll the crust into a thin sheet (no more than 1/8 of an inch thick) and cut it into 24 rounds. Ample flour is required.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a heaping spoonful of the apple mixture onto each disc of dough, leaving about 1/4 inch of dough untouched around the edge (about 2 teaspoons of filling should do it). Separate an egg, and set the white aside. Brush the inside edges of the dough with egg yolk, put another piece of dough on top, and pinch the edges together with a fork.

Before baking, brush each lil pie with egg whites, sprinkle with sugar, and score the top of each pie. Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. 

These turned out really cute and were pretty popular. They didn't have the intense ginger flavor I had hoped, so I suggest using 3 tablespoons of crystallized ginger if you're looking for a strong ginger flavor.

Prepare butter crust according to this recipe.

For filling:

2 large granny smith apples
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons crystalized ginger
1 egg, separated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Combine apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar, and ginger in a bowl.

On a floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick and cut out two dozen 3 or 4 inch rounds with a cup or cookie cutter. Place 12 of the rounds on the cookie sheet and fill with 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons of apple filling. Separate the egg. For each pie, brush the inside edge with egg yolk, place another disc on top and seal the edges with a fork. Brush the tops of the pies with egg whites, sprinkle with sugar, and score the top or pierce with a fork.

Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on these, as they tend to burn around the edges quickly.