Fried Pies
intro
Crisp, golden handheld fried pies with flaky crust and spiced apple filling, a nostalgic Southern American portable treat ideal for casual outings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prepare flaky pie dough
In a large mixing bowl, combine 320g all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, and 12.5g (1 tablespoon) granulated sugar. Cut 113g cold cubed unsalted butter into the flour with a pastry cutter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter chunks. Drizzle in 60ml ice-cold water, stirring gently until the dough comes together into a shaggy ball, then wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Cook spiced apple filling
Heat a small saucepan over medium heat (350°F / 175°C stovetop setting) while the dough chills. Add 340g diced Granny Smith apples, remaining 37.5g (3 tablespoons) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch, stirring to combine. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender and the liquid thickens to a syrupy consistency, then remove from heat and let cool completely for 10 minutes.
Roll and cut dough rounds
Lightly flour a clean work surface, then roll the chilled dough to a 3mm (1/8-inch) uniform thickness. Use a 15cm (6-inch) round cookie cutter or small plate as a guide to cut 6 even dough circles, gathering and re-rolling dough scraps once to get enough rounds. Lay the cut circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet while you work.
Fill and crimp pies
Scoop 2 tablespoons of cooled apple filling onto the center of each dough round, leaving a 1cm (½-inch) border around the edge. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon shape, pressing the edges firmly with your fingertips to seal. Crimp the sealed edge with the tines of a fork to lock in filling, and poke 2 small vent holes on the top of each pie to release steam while frying.
Heat frying oil
Pour 960ml (4 cups) vegetable oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches 365°F (185°C) on a candy thermometer, about 7-8 minutes. Adjust heat as needed to maintain a steady 365°F temperature to avoid greasy or burnt pies.
Fry pies to crisp
Carefully lower 2 pies at a time into the hot oil using a slotted spoon, to avoid overcrowding the pot. Fry for 2 minutes per side, until the crust is deep golden brown and crisp on all sides. Transfer cooked pies to a wire rack lined with paper towels to drain excess oil for 3 minutes.
Dust and serve pies
While the pies are still slightly warm, dust the tops evenly with 30g (¼ cup) powdered sugar through a fine-mesh sieve. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving, as the filling will be very hot immediately after frying.
Tips
2.Do not overstuff the pies: too much filling will leak out during frying, causing dangerous oil splatters and leaving gaps in the cooked crust.
3.Keep oil temperature steady at 365°F (185°C): oil that is too cool makes pies absorb excess grease, while overheated oil burns the crust before the filling warms through.
OMG these fried apple pies taste EXACTLY like the ones my grandma used to make for our church potlucks growing up in Georgia! I was so nervous the crust would be tough but it came out perfectly flaky, even when I subbed a little whole wheat flour for half the all-purpose. My kids devoured 3 each right after they cooled down, 10/10 no notes. Wait — has anyone tried freezing these before frying for quick weeknight treats?
Made these for our post-hike campfire hang last weekend and they were a total hit! I used a mix of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples like the recipe suggested and that sweet-tart balance was chef’s kiss. Super easy to pack the prepped filling and crust in the cooler to fry up over the camp stove too, will absolutely be adding this to my regular camping rotation.
Wait, y’all — I’ve never fried anything in my life and these still came out SO good? I was convinced I’d burn them or the filling would leak out everywhere, but the step-by-step instructions for crimping the edges were so easy to follow. Only thing I did wrong was not making a double batch, my roommates ate almost all of them before I could even get a second one!
Total game changer. Brought these to our neighborhood block party last night and people were asking me for the recipe before I even set the plate down! I added a tiny extra dash of cardamom to the apple filling because I love that warm spice, and it paired so well with the cinnamon sugar dusting on top. Quick question though — can I bake these instead of frying if I want a slightly lighter option?
I’ve been making fried apple pies for 20+ years and I have to say, this recipe’s crust is way easier than the lard-based one my mom taught me. Don’t get me wrong, the lard one is great, but this butter crust comes together in 5 minutes and still has that perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture. Used apple butter I canned last fall mixed in with the fresh apples and wow, that depth of flavor was unreal.
Made these for my kids’ after school snack this week and they begged me to put them on the weekly meal prep rotation! The 45 minute cook time is no joke, I had the whole batch done before the oldest even got home from soccer practice. Quick heads up for anyone making these with little kids around — let them cool a full 10 minutes before handing them over, the filling stays HOT for so long, I learned that the hard way 😂
Took these to my office potluck yesterday and they were gone in literally 10 minutes. I thought the people in accounting were gonna fight over the last one. Only tweak I made was adding a little vanilla glaze on top instead of cinnamon sugar, because I’m a glaze guy through and through. 10/10 will make again for every work event from now on.
Really solid recipe, the crust was perfect and the filling was super flavorful. My only note is that I needed a little extra apple cider to get the filling to the right consistency, my apples were a little drier than usual since it’s early in the season. Still turned out great, my whole family loved them at Sunday dinner, just wanted to leave that note for anyone else baking with less juicy apples!