Cookie Dough Hand Pies

Blizzard conditions outside, perfect baking conditions inside!
Apple hand pies, raisin hand pies and 35 cm of snow on the way!

Makes 24 - 4" round hand pies

Cookie Dough:
1 cup butter
1  1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
6 tbsps milk
1 tsp salt
5  1/2 cups flour
3 tsps baking powder
1 extra egg for egg wash

Cream butter and sugar together in a mixer, adding eggs one at a time. Mix salt, flour and baking powder together and add in 3-4 increments, blending well.

Roll out dough and cut circles then place on a parchment lined sheet. Top with about 2 good tablespoons of filling. Place a 2nd circle on top and touch lightly in the center, not exactly pressing down but just enough so the edges of the top and bottoms line up. Then press together with a fork. Make some air holes in the top with a fork or slice with a knife before placing the top on.

Mix 1 egg and a splash of water together then brush tops of hand pies and add a sprinkling of sugar.

Bake at 375F for 12-14 minutes, cool on a rack.
Or eat warm if you're just in from shovelling!

NOTE: The apple filling recipe makes enough for 1/2 a cookie dough recipe while the raisin filling recipe will make enough to fill one recipe of hand pies.

Apple hand pie filling:

4 medium apples, I used Spartan
3 tbsps water
2 tbsps butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsps and 1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsps water

Cut apples into small slices that will fit in the small pies nicely. Melt butter in a saucepan and add apples,water, cinnamon and sugar. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes or until tender.

Mix cornstarch and water together then whisk into the apple mixture. Cook 2 minutes to thicken.


Raisin hand pie filling:

4 cups raisins
4 cups water
1 cup brown sugar 
5 tbsps cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps lemon juice
3 tbsps butter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix raisins and water together in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Mix brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt together and stir into the raisin mixture cooking until thickened, then remove from heat and add the lemon juice, butter and vanilla.

(I had some leftover sweet mincement from Christmas baking so that got stirred into the mix too!)

I am NOT big on making pastry dough but I've got to say this cookie dough was VERY easy to use!



Cookie dough recipe adapted from:
http://www.craftsalamode.com/2012/12/vintage-raisin-filled-cookies.html