These Southern Fried Apple Hand Pies are easy to make using either homemade or store bought pie crust or biscuit dough. Make these fried apple pies the day before and fry them up fresh in the morning for a wonderful treat!
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You start by making homemade apple pie filling. Make ahead and let cool completely before filling your pie crust. Fried apple pies can be prepared ahead of time, refrigerated or frozen.
For more apple desserts try my Easy Apple Crisp, Apple Fritters Recipe, Caramel Dipped Apples, and Apple Cider Doughnuts.
What is a Apple Hand Pie?
When we moved to North Carolina, a local gentleman asked me to make something called “Apple Jacks.” These yummy fried apple hand pies are small pieces of dough with a dollop of apple pie filling, then crimped and fried. They are an old-fashioned tradition here in the South. Fresh out of the fryer, these apple hand pies are beyond delicious.
Do I have to make homemade pie crust?
I make apple hand pies with homemade pie crust. But, if you don’t want to fuss with homemade crust you can use Pillsbury refrigerated biscuit dough or refrigerated pie crust. Doing a little research, I found that many old-time Southern cooks made these little hand pies with biscuit dough. But, I think you’ll love them with the pie crust.
History of Apple Jacks:
Years ago, when ladies made these, they certainly were not using store-bought crusts. First off, they likely did not have the disposable income that many of us have today nor did they have access to convenience products such as these. Traditionally, making these sort of apple pies, they would have used dried apple pieces, mixing those with water, sugar and cinnamon to make sort of an thick apple sauce.
Find my homemade pie crust recipe on Homemade Blackberry Pie post or Pie crust recipe.
What type of apples are good for fried apple pies?
I personally love a combination of Granny Smith and either Macoun or Macintosh. This brings the perfect amount of texture and flavor.
Try making fried pies using my cherry pie filling.
Can I make fried apple hand pies ahead of time?
Absolutely! I make apple hand pies the night before and slightly overlap them on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Loosely cover the entire sheet pan with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. This also makes the pie dough super cold when you fry them, helping them become perfectly flaky.
You can even freeze them. Thaw in the fridge, uncovered. NOTE: If you leave them covered with plastic wrap after being frozen, they end up with too much condensation. So just remove the plastic wrap and they’ll thaw perfectly overnight.
Make a big batch of the apple pie filling and let it cool completely. You can even make this a few days ahead of time to save time! I like to make it the night before I assemble apple hand pies, so it’s completely cooled and ready to go! (Make the pie filling ahead of time and refrigerate for a few days, or freeze until needed)
As you create each apple hand pie, place them on a half sheet pan lined with a piece of parchment paper. I will typically overlap them just a tad and be able to fit about 5-6 hand pies in each row, with a total of 3 rows per sheet pan. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap and get that tray in the fridge right away! You’ll fry them right out of the fridge, which keeps the hand pies super cold and will help you to achieve a very flaky crust!
I love these half sheet pans, plastic bench scraper, and small pizza cutter. And don’t forget pre-cut sheets of parchment paper. Once you use these, you’ll never buy a roll of parchment paper again!
For more great pie recipes be sure and try Homemade Apple Pie, Easy Blueberry Pie, Easy Peach Pie, and Southern Pecan Pie.
I’d love to hear from you!! Please leave a star rating in the comments and let me know how you loved these hand pies!
Southern Fried Apple Hand Pies
Equipment
Ingredients
Apple Pie Filling
- 5 medium/large apples Granny Smith & Macoun
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4-1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Homemade pie crust or biscuit dough
Instructions
- Peel, core and chop the apples into small pieces. Melt the butter in a 10-12 inch fry pan. Cook the apples over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until soft. Sprinkle with brown sugar and sugar while they cook. Stir with a wooden spoon occasionally, making sure they do not burn. Sprinkle with cornstarch once they are almost done and let cook to thicken the apples and juice.
- Remove from the heat and add the cinnamon, nutmeg and stir to combine. Let the pie filling cool completely.
- Roll out your biscuit dough or pie crust on a lightly floured surface, into 4-6 inch ovals, about 1/8-1/4-inch thick. Scoop about 1 tablespoon or so of the cooled pie filing in the center of each round. Fold over, lightly press down on the filling and the edges. (Lightly wet edges with water, using your fingertip if needed) Crimp the edges of the dough with a floured fork. Place uncooked pies on a half-sheet pan which is lined with parchment paper.
- Fill a fry pan with about 2-3 inches of canola oil. Heat the oil until very hot (about 370 to 375 degrees F). Place only a few hand pies in the hot oil at a time, as to not overcrowd the pan or let the oil cool. Fry until they are brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the hot oil and let drain on paper towels on a half-sheet pan. Sprinkle with granulated sugar or dust with powdered sugar while they are still warm.
- These are best served warm.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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These sound yummy! Could we use coconut oil to fry them in as well?
Absolutely Cheryl! I just read an article in Cook’s Illustrated a few months back about which oils were the best to fry in and they suggested Canola oil. It leaves no after taste behind in things you fry! Hope you love these little pies!
Made thousands of these pies for festivals love to dry my own apples
Hi Lou!
Thanks so much! Sounds like yours are pretty yummy too!
Oh that crust looks positively flaky! What a perfect dessert for a picnic!
Oh how I’d love one of these right out of the fryer! Right now, in fact. 😉 I love the red and green apple skins in your photos — they’re so pretty!
This seems so simple but yet delicious. It will be perfect for the upcoming Mother’s Day!
I love apple pie and these hand pies look so tempting! Can’t wait to try your recipe. YUM!
What an AMAZING idea! YUM, these really sound delicious! Now, this recipe will be one of my favorites. Great recipe. I like all the ingredients in it. This is perfect for me. thank you.
I think these could qualify as breakfast and one of your five a day, don’t you? YUM!
Jacqueline,
Thanks for stopping by! Yes, my kids love them for breakfast sometimes. Those are really special days! Lol!
Oh how I love a hand pie! These look perfect!
Hand pies are such a wonderful treat! I’ve never tried making fried pies at home, although I have baked them. Will have to give these a try!
I have never heard of apple jacks before but this definitely looks Southern. They look so yummy and really not hard at all. Definitely saving this for later. Thanks for this recipe!
There is nothing better than apple pie! Love that these are so portable. I could see myself taking these on a picnic.
Hand pies are one of my favorite treats and these apple ones have me craving them. What a great recipe!
i just love the idea. The recipe looks so fresh and tempting that i feel the aroma looking at the pics.Cant wait to try this one soon.
You know, I have never even heard of “hand pies” until I started reading your blog. I can only imagine how delicious they are!!!
Oh yummy! I absolutely love anything deep fried, but flaky and buttery apple hand pies?? Oh yeah! 🙂
I love hand pies, especially ones like yours with apple in them! They look gloriously flakey and so delicious!
I’m hosting a family dinner this weekend and this pies are just what I’ve missed on my menu list. I know everyone will love these because they look absolutely delicious.
My grandmother used to make these in her cast iron skillet on the wood stove. She always used biscuit dough. These are amazing. You have just the right ratio of sugar and cinnamon to make them perfect.
Yum! My mom used to make wonderful handpies and this recipe takes me back – what a fantastic treat!
I love the little history lesson you’ve given with this recipe! Lots of great tips, too. It’d be interesting to see how they’d be different with biscuit dough vs. pie crust. Either way, I’m sure they’re DELICIOUS!
Usually I’m a made- from-scratch kinda girl but pie crust is an exception I am very willing to make. I love the look of these hand pies and the hint of nutmeg and cinnamon just add that certain pinch of cosy everyone loves. A great recipe.
Looks so flaky and delicious. What a great idea.
Handpies are one of my favourite treats, and these look so delicious! And the combo of apples with cinnamon- nothing beats these flavours!
I always take my grandpa an apple pie when I visit, but it’s messy and a whole pie is really more than he can eat on his own. I’m definitely going to have to make these for him instead!
Claire,
Thanks for visiting! Yes, these pies are the bomb!! So good and so easy to make. You can even freeze them and fry up only a few at a time when you want them!
My Mother makes dried peach pies as well as apple. She buys dried peaches, cooks them in a little water until they’re stewed, adds sugar to taste. Then she rolls out her biscuit dough and makes them as you do, except she pricks the pies 3 or 4 times on their tops to release air. Yum!!!
wondering if I could bake these instead of frying them
Laurie,
Absolutely. I would refrigerate them first, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown. (remember you’re just trying to cook the crust because your filling is already cooked)
My mom cooked them in the oven basting them with butter! Homemade flaky crust,
You can definitely put these in the oven vs. frying. I usually brush with egg wash first before baking.
Wondering if anyone has done these in an air fryer???
Yes!! You can certainly put them in an air fryer. Use the same temperature (375 degrees Fahrenheit) and about 2 to 3 minutes.
Just check them and see how they look. Essentially, you are just trying to cook the pie crust, because the filling is already cooked.
This also works well with dried apricots that have been prepared as pie filling and used as the apples here.
Fried pies are AWESOME!
Thanks Rita! Dried Apricots sounds amazing!
Race team loved these fried apple pies. Made 42. Didn’t bring any home. Lol This is a keeper!
So glad to hear that Diane!! Thanks for letting me know!
I tried looking through the comments to see if anyone said anything about this, but didn’t find it. Sorry if I just missed it. Just wondering how these are baked. I don’t know if I have time to fry all I need to make. Also, how are the on day 2 or 3?
Kandy,
You can certainly bake these. I would bake them at 375 to 400 degrees F. Probably 30 minutes or until the crust is nice and golden. Brush with egg wash before baking!
You can make them ahead of time and freeze. Or put in the fridge overnight. They are delicious a few days later! (but I’d recommend baking day of if you can)
Thank you! I’ve never fried my hand pies, I’ve always baked them. They make a great addition to a meal that has to go out to the field!! The guys always like their desserts! This time I’m feeding my son’s football team, so figured I better use a recipe instead of just winging it like I always do.
Of course!! Thanks for trying out my recipes Kandy!
A true belle would never use biscuit dough; and most old timers use dehydrated apples (soaked) over fresh apples. Pie crust is so easy to make and worth the effort.
Thanks so much for visiting! Yes, traditionally they would use dried apples. But we find homemade apple pie filling to be so tasty!
These are so delicious and easy to make
Thanks so much Diane!! Glad you loved them!
The one thing I didn’t learn was how to make my grandmothers Fried Apple Pies. Thought it was lost forever and I did a search and you pic looked just like them. But when I saw North Carolina I knew I’d found them! Can’t wait to make them. Thanks for sharing!!!!
I am from N.C growing up we dried our apples in the sun and called the fried pies APPLE JACKS
Hi Mary!!
This recipe was inspired from a gentleman in NC that said his mom and grandma made them- and he called them Apple Jacks too! I know they used to use dried apples, but we like to use fresh apples.