Easy Fried Pies Recipes

Steps:

• Mix together the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender, fork, your hands, or whatever method works best for you, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Stir together the beaten egg with the water and sprinkle over flour mixture. Sprinkle in the vinegar, mixing lightly, until ingredients are well combined.
• Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
• In a nonreactive pan on very low heat, simmer the dried fruit in the water for 30 to 45 minutes, or until very tender. Add water if necessary to prevent scorching. Allow to cool; mash fruit slightly.
• Stir in the sugar and spices. This step of the preparation may be done in advance and refrigerated; however, warm up the fruit (microwave is fine) enough to take the chill off and make it workable before filling your pies.
• Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and cut it into four equal pieces. You can then cut each of the four pieces into three equal pieces, leaving you with 12 golf-ball-size dough balls.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 5- to 6-inch circle. Your circles don't have to be perfect, and ragged edges are okay.
• Put about 2 generous tablespoons of filling onto one side of the circle of dough. Seal the pie by wetting the inside edge of the dough with water (use your finger) and then fold over the dough, making the familiar half-moon shaped pie. Make sure the edges of the dough are even, and press and crimp to insure a good seal. You can use a fork to give you a bit of a decorative edge if you like. You can also correct the more ragged edges during this step because the dough is pliable. Just make sure the filling is sealed in and that any holes in the dough are crimped.
• Using a deep fryer set at 350, carefully lower the pies into the oil, one at a time. Cook until they turn a nice even golden brown in 3 or 4 minutes. You don't have to worry about cooking the filling -- it's already cooked. The frying process is merely cooking the dough.
• Drain on paper towels.

Steps:

• Cook fruit in water until tender. Drain and mix with sugar and margarine. Mash well. Refrigerate overnight if possible. Roll out homemade piecrust dough and cut into saucer-sized circles.
• Spoon fruit onto circles and fold over into crescent shapes, then close the edges completely with a fork. Fry until golden brown. Place fried pies on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
• Variations: For baked pies, place crescents on a lightly-greased baking sheet in a 400 degree oven until golden brown.
• For apple pies, use dried apples and add apple pie spice (or nutmeg and cinnamon) and vanilla to taste.
• For prune pies, use dry, pitted prunes and add vanilla to taste.
• Place the flour and a dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Add the shortening and cut it in with a pastry blender or use your hands, as I do. Add the water, a teaspoon at a time, kneading until the dough is smooth.

Steps:

• To make the pastry, mix together the flour, granulated sugar and salt. Cut in 1 cup of the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1 of the eggs and the buttermilk and stir until it just comes together. Add a little more buttermilk if needed. Form it into a ball and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• To make the pies, roll the pastry out into a large square. Trim the edges to make a rectangle. Cut into 8 to 10 long rectangles, using a butter knife.
• Spoon a tablespoon or so of filling into the top half of one of the rectangles.
• Use the remaining beaten eggs to seal the edges by folding the bottom half of the rectangle over the top. Then crimp the edges shut with a fork. Repeat with the other pies, filling half with apple pie filling and half with cherry pie filling.
• Heat shortening in a medium, deep saucepan over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F. Fry the pies until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove and immediately drain on paper towels.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt together. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix with fork. When the flour mixture is moistened, gather it into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Peel and dice the apples and place them in a saucepan. Combine the sugar and cinnamon; pour over the apples and toss to coat. Cook, covered, in a saucepan on low heat. Cook until soft, then mash with fork to form a thick applesauce. Allow to cool.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thick and cut rounds with a large cookie cutter (4 inches in diameter).
• In each round, place 1 heaping tablespoon fruit. Moisten edges with cold water, fold in half, and press edge with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Fry the pies, a few at a time, 2 to 3 minutes on each side; cook until the crust is golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Steps:

• Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Place cornstarch in a bowl.
• Slice chicken into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Transfer to a bowl and mix with salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne.
• Divide chicken into 2 or 3 portions and dredge in cornstarch until evenly coated and all white; add more cornstarch if necessary.
• Lower chicken carefully into the hot oil in batches. Fry until crispy on the outside and no longer pink in the center, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve hot.

Steps:

• For the filling: In a saucepan combine sugar, flour, and unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Stir in 1/2 cup milk and butter or margarine.
• Cook over medium heat till the mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir constantly.
• Stir in vanilla. Cool.
• For the dough: In a mixing bowl stir together the biscuit mix and 1/2 cup milk.
• On a well floured surface knead the dough 12 times.
• Roll the dough to 1/8inch thickness.
• Cut dough into twelve inch circles.
• Place 1 tablespoon filling in the center of each circle of dough.
• Brush the edge of the dough with water. Fold the dough over the filling; press the edges together with tines of a fork to seal.
• In a skillet heat 1 inch cooking oil to 375 .
• Fry the pastries for about 2 minutes, or until golden. Turn once.
• Drain on paper towel and sprinkle warm pastries with sifted powdered sugar.

Steps:

• Let the biscuits come to room temperature for easy rolling. Flour your surface. Roll out a biscuit to a circle diameter of of 5-6 inches. Place 1-2 tablespoons of pie filling in the lower half of the biscuit. Take water and dab around one edge (this helps sealing). Fold over the top and press around the edge with a fork.
• Cook in canola oil over medium low heat until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip gently to the other side. Drain on paper towels. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
• I always have a little pie filling left over, but it will make a can of ten biscuits.
• **I have also used the pie filling sweeetend with Splenda for diabetic family members**