Mini Schnitz Hand Pies

 Hand Pies.  Tiny fist sized capsules of dough (fried or baked) that are used to contain and transport fabulous fillings into your gullet.

As long as I had the induction coil plate out for the Rosettes the other day, I decided to go ahead and deal with the dried apples that had been so unceremoniously displaced from the cookie jar.  The cookie jar spent all of Fall housing a gallon of dried apple slices from the Fall harvest.  As the season switched from the crisp autumn air to full on frigid, I noticed the apples were being nibbled on less and less as a snack.  The jar now holds oatmeal pecan toffee cookies, and the apples were thrown into a large ziploc baggie on the counter.

I had plans to just make two, full-sized, Schnitz pies, one for us and one for the neighbors.  But the more I thought of it, the more I started to lean towards making smaller hand pies. A pie is cut into 6 or 8 pieces and then gone.  I can get far more hand pies than 12 or 16 if I make them hand sized, or better yet, bite sized, which means more gifts.  

Hand pies are prevalent in many cultures, they have many names, and can be filled with either sweet or savory fillings and can either be made with a doughy, biscuit like crust, or a flaky, pie dough like crust.

Schnitz pie, is an apple pie made from re-hydrated, dried apple slices.  I sometimes add raisins.  The hens have eaten all the raisins I had in the house this time, so these are just plain apple.

The recipe is simple and non-exact for the filling.

Place about 2 cups of dried apples slices in a pot and cover with water.  They'll float, so push them under.  Cover the pot and simmer as low as you can for about 30-40 minutes.  You can also use apple juice, or a combination of apple juice and water.

Drain the apples.  I simply pour the now re-hydrated apples into my small mixing bowl with the flat beat attachment, or even the smaller whisk attachment. 

I then add:

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

2 Tablespoons of brown sugar

dash of salt

dash of of Nordic Spice (optional)

I gently work the apples and spices until they are almost a paste, but still have texture.

For the dough you can use store bought biscuit or pie dough or you can use your own favorite recipe. The trick it to make it thin so it cooks through in the hot oil.

You can cut large circles and then place filling in the center and fold the dough into a half moon shape, or you can cut two circles, placing one on top of the other - like making ravioli - sealing the edged with a little milk wash and a fork on either shape.  I used a biscuit cutter and my ravioli cutter to shape, and seal in one blow.

You then fry at 370 degrees until golden brown, flipping them over when needed,  and then remove and allow to drain.

 

Dust with powdered sugar if you like.