Easy Fried Apple Pies

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword apple-pie, fried-apple-pies, stuffed-apple-pie-biscuits

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Filling chill time 30

Total Time 1 10

Servings pies

Calories 335kcal

1 16.3 oz tube canned biscuits (8 count) i.e. Grands or similar
3 large Granny Smith apples (to equal 3 cups) peeled, cored and cubed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp apple pie spice or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon adjust to taste
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp cold water plus additional to thicken, as needed
powdered sugar for dusting
canola oil or vegetable oil for frying

Apple Filling: In a medium size saucepan over medium heat, cook apples, granulated and brown sugar, apple pie spice and salt. Cook for 15 minutes or just until softened.
Increase to medium-high heat. Add cornstarch dissolved in water stirring constantly until thickened. Repeat 1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in water until mixture reaches desired thickness. Chill for 30 minutes or overnight.
Assemble Apple Pies: Preheat oil to 350-360°F. On a lightly floured nonstick surface press or roll each biscuit into a 6-inch round.
Divide apple pie filling among rounds. Fold biscuit dough over forming a crescent shape. Press the edges to seal with the tines of a fork.
Fry hand pies in hot oil in batches for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove the pies from the oil with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined platter to drain any excess oil.
Serve warm dusted with powdered sugar.
Air Fryer Fried Apple Pies:
Prepare and assemble the apple pies per the recipe.
Spray the basket of an air fryer with cooking spray.
Spray pies liberally on all sides with cooking spray.
Arrange in the air fryer leaving space between each pie for air to circulate.Cook in batches at 350°F for 10-12 minutes total flipping halfway through cooking. Spray again with cooking spray, if needed. (Cooking time can vary slightly depending on the style of air fryer.)
Carefully remove from the air fryer and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

- Fresh Apples - I chose to use tart Granny Smith apples for the filling since the they maintain their texture and the tartness balances the sweet in the filling. You can certainly adapt using your favorite apple such as honeycrisp apples, gala apples or any variety of tart firm apples that you have on hand. The flavor may be altered slightly, but the main thing to consider is the cooking time. Different varieties may cook more quickly than Granny Smith apples.

- Lemon Juice - You could add a splash of lemon juice to the apple mixture for a hint of citrus.

- Biscuits - I used Grands Southern Style biscuits for this recipe. You can use any similar private label brand or use any other brand that you like.

- Pie Dough - You can make apple hand pies with a homemade crust, too. Checkout my recipe for flaky homemade pie crust or for a timesaver use store-bought refrigerated pie dough. You can also make fried pies using puff pastry in a pinch.

- Butter - You can add 2 tablespoons of butter along with the sugar to the apple pie filling to give it more of a caramelized flavor.

- Nuts and Raisins - You could stir 1/2 cup of raisins, pecans or walnuts to the apple pie filling.

- Adjust the Size for Mini-Pies - If you'd like to make smaller portions, divide each biscuit through the middle and use less filling per hand pie. When doing so, flaky-style biscuits will pull apart more easily.

- Serving Options - You can dust these apple pies simply with powdered sugar for serving. You could also drizzle them with warm caramel, chocolate sauce or butterscotch and top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.