Paleo Fried Apple Pies

Let’s talk about these Paleo Fried Apple pies.

Let’s talk about how I have love-of-pie amnesia between the months of February and September. Why is that? Why do the festive holiday months remind that I want to curl up with a piece of pie in a big chair with a cup of hot tea? …and a book. That’s the ticket! Fluffy socks, warm blanket, plate of pie, hot tea, and a good book. Yes please. Where do I sign?

There are some really great Paleo-friendly pie recipes out there in books and on the web. While those slice-and-dice pies are great for gatherings, so are these mini, fried, delicious, fried apple pies.

It just dawned on me that I may have made the equivalent of a paleo apple pie hot pocket. Hot pockets fascinate me. Or maybe I just have a love affair with Jim Gaffigan’s Hot Pocket bit. Have you seen it? Hilarious. Watch it here for a refresher. These paleo fried apple pies won’t leave you with that horrible fried processed food feeling. Promise.

While I poured through my recipe rolodex in an effort to pick the perfect pre-Thanksgiving dessert recipe to share with you all, I couldn’t get past these fried apple pies. They’re so delicious, simple to make, and will have your guests of all ages raving about dessert!

These little pies come together in a synch. First, we’re going to cook the apples, then make the crust {the most fun part}, then make the delicious caramel dipping and drizzling sauce, then assemble, fry, dust with more cinnamon and sugar, then serve. They’re simple and a great way to get kids involved in the cooking process!

The paleo fried apple pies keep well in the fridge for a few days if you want to make these ahead. They’re also dreamy when eaten fresh and warm.

Hope you love every minute of making and chowing down on this fresh, fun-sized, pie dessert!

This recipe will make 12 apple pies – and the recipe easily divides by 2 or 4 if you want to make less.

Grab about 4 medium organic green apples. We’re going to need 3 cups chopped.

I just discovered that I actually own one of these handy apple slicers. Had no idea! Found it in the back of a drawer. I’m now using it like it’s going out of style.

Chop up the apple until you get 3 cups of small-ish {~1/2”} pieces.

Got ‘em ready and measured?

Now turn to your stove. Put a medium sauce pan over medium/high heat. Add ¼ cup of extra virgin coconut oil and let it melt.

Once melted, add the apples!

Stir them up so they start to sizzle nicely in the coconut oil.

Grab ¼ cup of maple syrup.

Add it to the apples.

Lemon time! Just a hint of lemon really helps the apple flavor stand out.

Squeeze ½ a lemon {about 1 Tbl of juice} into the apples.

Add 1 tsp of cinnamon.

Then throw in ¼ tsp of kosher salt.

Give it a stir and let it simmer like this for about 5 minutes. Doesn’t it smell marvelous?

When the apples have cooked down, transfer them on a slotted spoon to a separate bowl. Leave the juices behind in the pot – we’ll use it to make our dipping/drizzling sauce. Set the apples aside to cool.

Now let’s make the pie crust! We’re going to start with 2 and ¼ cup of almond meal.

Add ¾ cup of arrowroot flour to that.

Then ¼ tsp of kosher salt.

Got all the dry ingredients in a big bowl?

Give it a good stir with a whisk – the whisk will help break up any clumps you’ve got.

Next, add in ¼ cup of room-temperature extra virgin coconut oil.

Using a fork or pastry cutter, incorporate the oil into the flour.

Keep working it into the flour until it’s evenly distributed and the four is crumbly.

Create a small crater in the center of your flour for the eggs! Crack in 4 large eggs. And then think about how you should use moisturize your hands more. They look as dry as they feel.

Using a fork or whisk, beat the eggs in the crater until evenly combined.

Slowly whisk in the surrounding flour.

Until it all comes together into one big sticky ball!

Set aside a bowl with some extra arrowroot flour for the rest of the pie crust prep – you’re going to need it. Pour a good plash onto some parchment paper to begin with.

Site note: unlike most wheat flours, this dough actually responds well to being played with. Working this dough with more flour doesn’t make the crust tough in the end, unlike its gluten counterpart.

Spoon the sticky dough ball onto the parchment paper.

Plop!

Sprinkle the top with more arrowroot flour and start working the flour into a ball.

Like this!

The dough is much easier to work with when it’s cold, so we’re going to pick it up and transfer to the fridge {or freezer} so it can cool down before we start rolling.

In the meantime, let’s make that crazy delicious caramel dipping/drizzling sauce. This ingredient is optional, but I highly recommend. Calvados is an apple brandy and it will change your life.

Put the pot of apple juices back on the stove over medium heat and add 2 Tbl of Calvados {or some other brandy/whiskey}.

Also add in ¼ cup of maple syrup {not pictured here because I’m a bonehead and forgot}. Then also add 3 Tbl of full-fat coconut milk.

Whisk it up and then set it aside to simmer for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes of simmering are over, remove from the heat and let it cool. It will start to thicken and set as it cools.

The dough should be cool enough to work with now! Lay it out and cut it in half – we’ll work half the dough at a time so that the other can stay chilled.

Put half the dough back in the fridge and get excited because we finally get to play with our food! Call in the kids!

Roll the remaining dough into a powdery {arrowroot flour} ball then smash it down on more flour. My most vivid and favorite memories of cooking with my Mom as a child were when we baked. I learned how to “cook with love” when we baked. Folding, rolling, cutting, chilling, patience … all acts of love.

Flatten the dough ball with your hand then start rolling it.

Use more arrowroot flour as needed if it starts to stick. You want it to be about 1/8^th of an inch thick.

Using a 4” cookie cutter or {if you’re as equally amazed that you don’t own any cookie cutters like me}, use a flour dusted ramekin.

Press down until you get a cutout!

Carefully pull the dough away from the cutout and then lay the circle on a separate parchment paper {more flour dusting helps again}. Continue until you’ve got 6 circles out of that original half of the dough. I recommend you put this sheet of cutouts into the fridge while you repeat the same processes with the other ball of dough that’s been chilling.

When you’ve got all the dough cut out, we can start filling! Before we get too carried away, we need to melt about 1 cup of extra virgin coconut oil in a SMALL saucepan over medium/high heat. I recommend you use a small sauce pan {but still large enough to fit two pies at a time} so that you don’t have to use an obscene amount of coconut oil for frying.

When the coconut oil is hot and ready to cook us some tasty pies, we can start filling. Spoon about 1 Tbl of apples into half of a circle. Don’t try to squeeze in too much – they may break up if you do.

Wet your finger and run it around the rim of the pie crust – this will help the dough stick to itself.

Carefully fold the crust over the apple and gently press it shut.

Using a fork, seal the crusts together.

Keep working your tray of 6 pies then move onto the tray that was chilling in the refrigerator.

When all the pies are made, you can quickly make the optional cinnamon sugar sprinkling. I recommend you mix ½ cup of coconut sugar {can find in the health food section} …

With 1 Tbl of cinnamon.

Give them a good stir and set aside. You’ll dust the pies with this goodness after they come out of the oil.

Ready for frying! This is so exciting.

Drop in two pies at a time. Cook them for a grand total of 2.5 minutes, flipping halfway through if they stick out of the oil.

Flipped! Carefully remove the pies from the oil when they’re done cooking and lay them on a plate covered with paper towels. Dust with the cinnamon sugar and lay out for everyone to enjoy!

You can drizzle the paleo fried apple pies with the caramel sauce you made or set it aside for dipping. Either way, they’re dreamy.

Paleo Fried Apple Pies

2 — Votes 2 votes

By Cassy

Prep: 1 hour hr

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 12 pies

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There are some really great Paleo-friendly pie recipes out there in books and on the web. While those slice-and-dice pies are great for gatherings, so are these mini, fried, delicious, fried apple pies.

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 cups chopped green apples
• ▢ 1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup maple syrup
• ▢ 1/2 lemon juiced about 1 tablespoon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 2 1/4 cup almond meal
• ▢ 3/4 cup arrowroot flour
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil room temperature
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ Extra arrowroot flour for dusting

{added to the remainder of the juice from the apples}:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons Calvados or other brandy/whiskey
• ▢ 1/4 cup maple syrup
• ▢ 3 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
• ▢ 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 cup extra virgin coconut oil

Instructions 

• Melt the coconut oil in a medium pot over medium/high heat. Add the apples, maple syrup, lemon, cinnamon, and salt. Stir and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to a separate bowl so that they can cool. Save the juices in the pot and set aside for making the caramel dipping sauce later.
• Whisk the almond flour, arrowroot flour, and salt together in a large bowl making sure to break up any large clumps. Add the room-temperature coconut oil and using either a fork or pastry cutter, break it into the flour. Keep incorporating until evenly distributed and the flour is crumbly.
• Create a cater in the flour and crack the four eggs in. Whisk the eggs together then slowly incorporate the surrounding flour until the dough comes together. Dust a parchment paper with arrowroot flour and lay the dough on top. Dust with more arrowroot flour, form into a ball, and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half, working half now and placing the other half in the refrigerator. Roll out the dough to approximately 1/8^th inch thickness. Dust liberally with arrowroot flour to avoid sticking. If the dough gets too warm, place back in refrigerator. Using a 4” circle cookie cutter or a ramekin cut circles of pie crust and lay on a parchment paper. Repeat for the remaining dough.
• Place the apple drippings back over medium/high heat. Add the calvados, maple syrup, and coconut milk. Whisk together and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to thicken.
• Whisk the coconut sugar and cinnamon together.
• Heat the 1 cup of coconut oil in a small frying pan over high heat.
• Spoon about 1 Tbl of apples onto one side of the pie crust. Wet your finger and run it along the outside of the circle so that the dough will stick to itself. Fold the dough over and gently press the seal shut. Using a fork, press down on the edge to seal further. Repeat for all 12 pies.
• Gently place two pies in the hot oil at a time. Cook for 2.5 minutes total – flipping halfway through if needed. Gently remove from oil and lay on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Dust with the cinnamon sugar and plate with the caramel sauce.
• Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 99IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 1mg

Additional Info

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 pies

Calories: 485

Keyword: apple hand pies, fried apple pies, paleo apple pies

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