Name: AIR FRYER APPLE PIES
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 48 min
Ingredients: 500 g plain flour; 250 g unsalted butter; Pinch of salt; Chilled water as needed; 4 large apples; 2 tbsp. butter; 2 tbsp. lemon juice; 1/4 cup light muscovado sugar; 1/4 cup regular sugar; 1 tsp. mix spice; 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg; 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom; 1 tbsp. cornstarch; 1 tbsp. honey; 1 tbsp. water

Air fryer Apple Pies are my new autumn obsession. A deliciously sweet apple and mixed fruit filling is encased in a golden shortcrust pastry. In just 8 minutes in the air fryer, you can have these gorgeous hand pies. I love mine with lashings of Devonshire custard!

AIR FRYER APPLE & MIXED FRUIT PIES on a black table

Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies

I remember eating Apple turnovers from local supermarket bakeries when I was little. They use a flaky pastry and had a generous sprinkling of demerara sugar. It was always such a treat!

Since I joined my Mum in the kitchen, we've started making a lot more sweet treats together at home and now it's been ages since we've bought these sorts of pastries from out!

These apple pies are similar to those apple turnovers but use a homemade shortcrust pastry instead.

The beauty of using the Air Fryer is that they are ready so much quicker than baking and still retain a really soft yet crumbly texture.

These pies are:

✔️eggless

✔️easy to make and with all-natural ingredients

✔️kid-friendly

✔️travel friendly

✔️easy to scale the recipe up or down

✔️easy to incorporate your own flavours

🍏Ingredients for Air fryer Apple Pies

(exact measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below)

The filling we have gone for is apple and mixed fruit. We have cooked the filling a little before adding to the pastry.

The ingredients you will need are:

Shortcut Pastry - check below ⇩ how to make basic shortcut pastry at home. Shop bought works fine too. If using frozen pastry, make sure it is thoroughly thawed before using.

Apple and Mixed Fruit Pies - check below ⇩ how to make the apple filling at home, but shop-bought works fine too.

Light honey and water - creates honey wash, which helps the pie crust/pastry get that lovely golden colour on top.

One Air fryer apple pie on a brown baking paper

How to make a Basic Shortcrust Pastry & Tips

A decent shortcrust pastry is essential for a good pie. It seems like effort but the end effect is so much better than copping out and getting shop bought (I'm guilty of this myself but it makes a difference!)

Shortcut pastry is suitable for both sweet and savoury dishes, can be made using a food processor or hands.

We love savoury pies too, some of our favourites being these air fryer Cornish Pasty and Vegan Harry Potter style Pumpkin Pasties

Recently, I baked these Air fryer Baklava and Frozen Empanadas in the air fryer, and can not believe that how delicious they turned out.

The ingredients you will need are:

● Plain white flour

● Butter for vegans use vegetable shortening

● Pinch of salt

● Chilled water

First, start by weighing out your flour and butter. We have used a ratio of 2:1 of flour to butter. For 250g of butter, we used 500g of flour.

Cut the butter into cubes. Do this fast as we want the butter to be as cold as possible. If you have to, after making cubes, place the butter back into the fridge

Next, rub the butter into the flour using only your fingertips - the palm of your hands will be too warm for this. When the butter is fully incorporated, this stage is complete

Next, add a small pinch of salt

Add chilled water a little by little until you have formed a stiff dough. The dough will still have some cracks. This is fine and should still roll out smoothly.

Bring the dough together to form a ball, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least an hour to relax the gluten, which helps to stop shrinkage when baking/cooking.

Tips to make foolproof shortcrust pastry

All these tips were given by my food tech teacher whilst I was in secondary school.

Any type of pastry making favours cold hands. It is important to keep things cool whilst preparing pastry.

Use chilled butter and water.

If using hands rub the butter with your fingers only, do not use palm as palms generate heat and butter will melt.

To keep the pastry light, pick up the crumbs from the mixing bowl then let it drop back into the bowl from a height to incorporate air.

Do not use too much water to bind, it will make pastry extra hard later.

Don't over knead the pastry, as this step encourages the development of gluten, which makes pastry a hard texture.

Mae sure to chill the pastry in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before using it.

How to make Apple Pie filling

Easy Apple and Mixed Fruit Filling

Apple and mixed fruit filling is so easy and cheaper to make at home. It tastes so much better than shop-bought and takes only minutes to prepare it.

It is made all-natural ingredients and preservatives free.

This recipe is so easy and requires only a few steps, but yields phenomenal flavours.

Granny Smith Apples - you can use green cooking apples but if you do not have, then red will also be fine.

Mixed Fruit - this store-bought dried mixed fruit contains Sultanas, raisins, candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, and currants. This is optional.

Butter for rich flavours.

Light brown muscovado sugar

White granulated sugar

Mixed Spice - contains ground cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento, and ginger

Cardamom powder

We also added extra nutmeg and cinnamon powder.

Lemon Juice - helps prevent the apples from going brown after cutting

Take fresh and firm apples such as Granny Smith. Peel and cut into the desired shape or size. We cut into small cubes (we used our mandoline) make sure to keep all the slices/cubes same thickness/size so they cook evenly.

As soon as cut mix it with the lemon juice to prevent going them brown.

Heat cast iron pan, add butter and apples.

Mix it with the wooden spoon, then add sugar, all the spices, mixed fruit and a pinch of salt if using.

Let the apple cooking on medium heat for 7-8 minutes or until just done.

Mix cornflour mix with the water and add, let the sauce thicken.

Turn off the heat, and let the filling cool completely before using it.

You may add pears for a change if you like, or use softer fruit such as Golden Delicious, Gala or Honeycrisp apples if Granny Smith is not available.

Tips and store Apple Pie Filling

Make sure apples are fresh and firm.

Remove peel and core apples before chopping them. Also cut them into the same size and shape so they cook evenly same time.

Use a wooden spoon to stir the filling if possible.

Let the filling completely cooled down before storing it. You can refrigerate this filling for up to 3 days in the airtight container if not using it straight away.

To freeze the filling make sure the filling is totally cooled down. Store it in the freezer-proof container or sealed and heavy-duty freezer bags (lay flat) up to 2 months.

Thaw it in the refrigerator before use.

What to make with Apple Pie Filling

Being Brits, you can't go without mentioning Apple Pie. Here are some other great ideas for recipes using apple pie filling

Apple Pie Dumplings

Apple Pie Taquitos

Easy Apple Pie Bars

My dad loves apple pie filling with plain yogurt or ricotta cheese. Also in the family, everyone enjoys with eggless amaranth pancakes for breakfast.

What can be used for glaze

Milk

Corn syrup

Maple syrup

Yogurt

Either of the above with an equal amount of water.

How to make Apple Hand Pies

Before making the pies make sure that pastry is chilled and filling is totally cooled. let's see how to make apple hand pies with refrigerated pie crust.

Divide the refrigerated pastry or dough into lemon size balls.

Roll out using a rolling pin into around 4 ½" circle.

Spoon about 1-2 tablespoons of filling onto one of the half of circle pastry, and fold it in a half so other half comes over the filling. (you may brush little water before on the edges)

First, lightly press the folded edges with your fingers to make sure, then using tines of the fork make a decorative edge.

Using a pairing knife cut a few small slits on the pies.

Place pies on the baking tray and leave it in the fridge, meanwhile preheat the air fryer on 195C/380F for 5 minutes.

Mix honey and water to make a honey glaze/wash.

Lay a parchment paper in the air fryer basket, quickly brush the glaze on the pies and arrange it in the basket.

Air-fry the pies for 4 minutes each side, a total of 8 minutes.

Remove it from the basket, let it cool a little before serving.

Air fryer apple pies placed on a brown baking paper

Serving suggestions

In Britain, warm apple pie served with a lash of hot custard, cream or vanilla ice cream.

In the USA we have seen caramel sauce is served along with the apple pies to dip in.

My mum loves cold apple pies with her Karak Chai or Masala Chai.

How to freeze

You can freeze these pies after cooking. Once they have cooled, place in the freezer on the baking sheet. Once they are frozen store it in the freezer-proof container.

Other Apple recipes

Non-alcoholic Green apple Martini

Air fryer apple ring doughnuts

Red cabbage and apple stir-fry

Apple saffron chutney

Apple Murabbo

Instant Pot Apple Butter (No peeling No Added Sugar Recipe)

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