Hand-Held Fried Apple Pies

When I was growing up, summer picnics almost always included a special dessert made by my mom – Fried pies. She usually made Peach Pies, but another flavor we all loved were the Apple variety.  They are made with dried fruit that has been cooked and sweetened.  The dried fruit keeps the filling from being too runny and seeping out.  The pies are fried in butter just until they’re browned nicely on all sides. They’re not especially pretty, but man oh man, are they good!

If you’re having a picnic for July 4th, maybe you could start the Fried Pie Tradition for your family!

Here’s how they’re made –

Buy one bag of dried fruit -peaches or apples. (One bag makes A LOT of pies! You’ll usually find these where the raisins are in the grocery store.  Place the fruit in a medium-sized pan and add water and cook over low heat until the fruit plumps up.  Add sugar to sweeten to your liking.  Cook until fruit is soft. This takes a while.  Cook them slowly.   Set aside.

Either make your own pie dough, or you can use store-bought.  Roll dough out and cut out circles, about 4 inches in diameter. Place about 2 tablespoons (no more) on half of the circle.  Fold dough over.

Crimp edges with a fork.

Melt half of a stick of butter in a skillet and melt over medium low heat.  Add pies and cook in batches,turning to brown all sides.

Place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to absorb extra butter.

These are super good warm, but they’re also delicious at room temperature!

Note: You may need to add butter as they are frying.  In between batches, I wipe the pan out with a paper towel so the butter doesn’t turn too dark and color the pies before they start to cook.

These are so great for picnics because all you need is a napkin. It’s a hand-held pie; perfect for on the go!

Wouldn’t this make a great addition to your Fourth of July picnic?!

From my country kitchen,