Description
Flaky pastry encases tart Norwegian apples simmered with warm cardamom and cinnamon for a sweet-spiced filling. These individual hand pies bake golden and sturdy, offering a comforting contrast to chicken soup without any refrigeration needs. Ready in about 90 minutes using store-bought or quick homemade dough.
Cultural Background
Hand pies trace their roots to portable savory and sweet pastries popular in British and American traditions for easy transport and eating by hand. Cardamom has long been a staple in Scandinavian baking, featured prominently in Norwegian cardamom buns known as kardemummabullar and other spiced goods. Apples feature in classic Norwegian desserts like eplekake, and the combination of cardamom with cinnamon and fruit draws from Nordic flavor profiles that emphasize warm spices in autumnal treats.
Recipe Info
PREP TIME: 45 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 90 minutes
SERVINGS: 8
DIFFICULTY: Medium
Ingredients
- 2 sheets store-bought puff pastry or pie dough (thawed if frozen) or quick homemade dough (2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup cold unsalted butter cubed, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, 6-8 tbsp ice water)
- 4 medium tart apples (such as Granny Smith or local Norwegian varieties), peeled, cored, and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 1-2 tablespoons coarse sugar (for sprinkling, optional)
Instructions
- If making homemade dough, pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add cold butter cubes and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter pieces. Drizzle in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until dough just comes together. Form into a disk, wrap, and chill 30 minutes. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface.
- For the filling, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add diced apples, both sugars, cardamom, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes until apples soften but retain some texture.
- Stir in cornstarch and cook 1-2 more minutes until the mixture thickens and becomes syrupy. Remove from heat and let cool completely to room temperature (about 15-20 minutes) to prevent soggy pastry.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut dough into 8 circles or squares about 5-6 inches across using a cutter or knife.
- Place 2-3 tablespoons of cooled filling in the center of each dough piece, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold dough over to form a half-moon or rectangle, press edges to seal, and crimp with a fork. Cut 2-3 small slits in the top of each pie for steam vents.
- Brush tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Chill assembled pies on the baking sheets for 15 minutes to firm up the dough.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until pastry is deep golden brown and puffed. Rotate sheets halfway through if needed. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10-15 minutes before serving or packing.
Tips
- Keep all dough ingredients and tools cold throughout preparation to ensure maximum flakiness in the final pastry.
- Avoid overfilling the pies, as excess liquid from the apples can cause leaks during baking.
- For a Norwegian store substitution, use standard all-purpose flour and butter available at chains like Rema 1000 or Kiwi; local tart apples work excellently in place of imported varieties.
Nutrition
Calories: 320
Protein: 4g
Carbs: 38g
Fat: 17g