From holiday dinners to first-day-of-school breakfasts — and all the little moments in between — we’re proud to be a part of your family traditions. Try Neese’s and you’ll see why we’ve been the sausage of choice for more than a century.
Yield: 24 hand pies
Traditional Pie Dough:
2â…” cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks unsalted butter, frozen
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt
Before assembling the pie crust, chill all ingredients in the freezer for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
Grate cold butter using a box grater and cut in butter pieces with the flour mixture using your fingertips. Dough will look shaggy.
Slowly work in enough water to bring the dough together (you may not need the full cup). Press dough into one mass and drizzle with more water if necessary. You want all the dough pieces to stick together but not become sticky.
Divide dough into two equal portions and wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap, press into a disk shape and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Dough can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months.
Bacon-Apple Hand Pies:
½ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
5 to 8 grates of nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
½ pound Neese’s Hickory Smoked Bacon, diced
4 pounds Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples; diced small
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 recipe traditional pie dough
1 egg
Water
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugars, spices, and salt; set aside.
In a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat, render the bacon, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until crisp. Transfer pieces to a bowl, leaving fat in pan.
Melt butter in the same pan. Add the apples and toss to coat. Sprinkle in the sugar and spices and cook until the apples soften slightly but are still firm, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the cornstarch and cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in bacon and then transfer to a large pan. Let cool completely before making forming hand pies.
Roll out each disc of pie dough into an even rectangle and slice into 5-inch squares (you should get about 12 squares per disc) and spoon about 2 tablespoons of apple filling into the center.
In a small bowl, beat egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make egg wash. Paint two sides of each crust square with a little egg wash and fold into a triangle. Brush more egg wash on top of each pie and use a fork to crimp the edges closed. Cut one or two small vent holes in the top of the hand pie.
Preheat the oven to 375°. Arrange pies on a sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes while oven preheats.
Bake pies in center rack for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let pies cool for 5 to 10 minutes before glazing.
Glaze:
â…” cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
While the pies bake, make the glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. You can adjust the consistency with more milk to make it thinner or additional powdered sugar to thicken. Store, covered, until ready to drizzle onto hand pies.
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