Grandma Amys Hand Pies Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, salt and shortening til they form pea-sized crumbs. Sprinkle water over the mixture, a little at a time, stirring gently til it forms a ball. Set aside and let rest 10 minutes. Divide into 6 pieces and roll into (8 inch) circles.
• Mix all the filling ingredients and place an equal amount on 1/2 of each circle. Dot with butter and fold the crust over; seal the edges with a little water and a fork. Vent the tops with a fork and gently place on an ungreased sheet. Bake one hour or til golden brown. Hand pies freeze well. If you freeze prior to baking, when you remove from the freezer bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. If you bake them and then freeze, remove from the freezer, let thaw a little bit and then bake for 20-25 minutes just to heat.
• I often make them smaller like those in the picture. I have a mold that I bought to make Chinese Dumplings and it works perfectly for the smaller sizes. At our house we like the smaller hand pies as a hearty appetizer or for watching the "Ball Game".

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add apples; cook and stir 5 minutes. Mix brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon; add to apples. Cook and stir 7-8 minutes longer or until apples begin to soften and caramelize. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Cool completely., Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry sheets. Roll to 1/8-in. thickness; cut four 5-in. circles from each sheet. Place about 3 tablespoons filling on one half of each circle. Moisten pastry edges with water. Fold pastry over filling. Press edges with a fork to seal or, if desired, pinch edges to seal and flute., Transfer to greased baking sheets. Prick tops of pastry with a fork. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks. , For topping, mix sugar and cinnamon. Brush pies with melted butter; sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature. If desired, top with ice cream.