Mini apple hand pies

a McDonald's dupe (but better)

Last year around this time, I was getting so much done. This year, not so much. Life with a baby is much more complicated than before, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m also trying to learn to slow down and appreciate every little moment, rather than rushing through everything just to put out a mediocre piece of content. My babies will only be small for a little while, and I don’t want to miss it.

I am going to share with you all the recipes I posted for my IG subscribers last year, starting with these apple hand pies reminiscent of McDonald’s. I have such happy memories associated with McDonald’s apple pies, because the only time I really got them was when my mom, sister, and I would go to piano lessons as a little girl’s trip every week. On the way home, we often got McDonald’s apple pies.

These are made with an extremely flakey, all butter pastry, topped with crunchy Turbinado sugar, and filled with a pre-cooked apple pie filling. Making these is not difficult, but it is a project. I recommend planning ahead and making both the pie filling and the pastry the day before so they’re nice and chilled for the next day’s assembly.

*This makes roughly a dozen little pies, but of course, that depends on the size.*