Gluten Free Apple Handpies

So, MONTHS ago, Mr. Charming and I invested in a hand pie maker. And it sat. And sat and sat and sat in the cupboard until one night recently when I was craving pie and remembered it was there. Sad and lonely and gathering dust. 

I'd been on a kick with Strawberry Pie since our coastline trip, but since I am watching my strawberry intake due to trying out a low-histamine diet, I thought the tried-and-true traditional apple pie sounded delicious. And I wanted to see if I could get them to come out cute & plumpy. 

That & the idea of getting A WHOLE PIE (in theory) to myself sounded really fun. If you know me, I'm not a big sweets person anymore since adopting a primarily Paleo lifestyle. But sometimes, a girl just has to have pie. And I have now find my favorite new way to eat it. 

I fell in love with how perfectly symmetrical, flaky and golden brown these came out. The mini pie maker I use is by Sunbeam and can be found online and in stores. I picked mine up on sale at a Fry's Grocery Store as an impulse buy.

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Below you will find my recipe for the gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, egg-free, low sugar (depending on the pie crust you choose, the one I buy had under 2g.) pie we made and it is DELICIOUS. I always surprise myself sometimes with how decadent and sweet my confections come out sometimes without using sugar in the mix. The crust was buttery, flaky and the apples, with no added sugar, were the perfect mixture of tart and sweet. 

My plan is to now make a million other pie variations just so I can enjoy these little cuties again. Next up: A dairy-free turkey pot pie, then maybe a shepherd's pie variation, then something for fall, then maybe a sugar-free chocolate pie for Christmas. Seriously. It's an addiction now. These things are just too cute. 

Ingredients:
6 Medium or 12-13 Mini Organic Gala Apples
2 Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Pie Crusts Of Choice (I use Wholly Wholesome) 
1 Tbsp. of Dairy-Free Butter or Coconut Oil
Cinnamon to taste 

Directions: 
Thaw pie crust per package requirements but make sure dough is chilled before rolling/cutting. Wash and skin apples. Cut and cube apples into small cubes. You do not want large chunks in the mini pies. 

Cook apples, mixed with cinnamon, in a Tbsp. of dairy-free butter or coconut covered over medium heat until soft. I like my apples super cinnamon-y and cinnamon carries a lot of anti-inflammatory properties. If you tolerate cinnamon, use as desired. I probably used 1-2 tsp. to my 12 mini apples. 

Once apples are soft, turn off heat and set pan aside. Prep dough on a floured surface (I used a little coconut flour on my cutting board) and roll out to about 1/8 in. thick. My pie maker came with round cutters to fit my pie pan, and most will, so cut pie bottoms and pie tops according to your pie maker. 

As I stated before, if your dough is still slightly chilled it will cut, transfer and take to the hot pan much easier, put in the bottom pie dough and spoon in cooked apples until nearly full. Top  with smaller cut pie top. Repeat for up to 4 pies and close the lid. Ours took 10 minutes for perfect, golden brown little pies.

Remove from pan with a wooden spoon or spatula and let cool for ten minutes on a wire cooling rack. 

Serve & enjoy with a cold glass of almond or coconut milk or a scoop or dairy-free vanilla ice cream for a la mode. 

Have you made hand-pies before? What's your favorite variation?