This fried apple pie recipe from legendary chef Edna Lewis yields crispy fruit-filled turnovers you’ll want to make again and again. Long popular in the mountains of the American South, apple hand pies can be found at church picnics, crossroads country stores, and, if you are incredibly blessed, a close relative’s cast-iron skillet. A cross between pie dough and biscuit dough, the pastry can be made using fingertips, a pastry blender, or food processor.
While you might think you know the best apples for pie, this recipe throws a curveball. It calls for dried apples rather than fresh fruit, which you’ll rehydrate in apple cider for a robust, fruity pie filling. You can use sliced or diced dried apples, as long as you measure by weight—they’ll be mashed into a thick cinnamon-spiced purée. Dried peaches are a popular swap if you’d like to change it up, but don’t be tempted to swap in applesauce, which is too wet and would sog out the crust. (If you want to take a shortcut, store-bought apple butter makes a worthy stand-in.) Spoon tablespoons of the filling onto rounds of dough, fold them into fat half-moons, and use a fork to crimp the edges of the dough to seal. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, then drain on paper towels or a wire rack.
Fried apple pies need no gilding, but if you’re inclined, dust the warm pies with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, glaze them with a simple powdered sugar icing made with lemon juice, or live your very best life and serve with a scoop of ice cream.
Recipe information
Total Time
1¼ hours (plus chilling time)
Yield
Makes 12 individual pies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk 2½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, and ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl to combine. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, work 3 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½" cubes, and 3 Tbsp. chilled vegetable shortening, cut into ½" pieces, into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 1 large egg with ¼ cup ice water in a small bowl, then drizzle over flour mixture; stir gently with a fork to incorporate. Dough should hold together when squeezed. Stir in up to 1 Tbsp. more ice water if needed.
Step 2
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, gather together, and knead a few times just until smooth (do not overwork). Divide in half and form into disks. Cover in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Step 3
Bring 4½ oz. unsulfured dried apples (about 2 cups), 2 cups unfiltered apple cider, 2 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. (packed) light brown sugar, 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon, and 1½ cups water to a brisk simmer in a medium saucepan; season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and mashing apples with a potato masher as they soften, until a thick purée forms, 20–25 minutes. Let filling cool.
Step 4
Divide 1 disk of dough into 6 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 6"-diameter round. Place 2 heaping Tbsp. of apple pie filling in center of round (you may have some filling left over at the end). Brush edges of dough with water, then fold up and over filling to form a half-moon shape, pressing out any air around filling. Crimp edges firmly with a fork to seal. Transfer to a parchment-paper-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill while you repeat with remaining dough disk and filling.
Step 5
Fit a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot with thermometer and pour in vegetable oil to come 2" up sides. Warm oil over medium heat until thermometer registers 360°–370°. Working in batches of 3 or 4 and returning oil to 360°–370° between batches, fry pies, turning occasionally, until pie crusts are deep golden brown, 7–9 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a large rimmed baking sheet to drain.
Step 6
Just before serving, dust warm pies with powdered sugar.
Do Ahead: Apple pie filling can be made 3 days ahead; cool to room temperature, store in an airtight container, and refrigerate. Dough can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in the January 2008 issue ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our favorite apple desserts →
Recipe notes
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