Apple picking in Ellijay

On Saturday, Matt and I headed to Ellijay, Georgia to a U-Pick apple farm called Little Bend Orchard. Because I was hoping to bake something with apples, about a week ago I mentioned the idea of apple picking to Matt.  Neither of us had ever done this before. He was totally up for it because he knew he was going to end up with an apple dessert from this excursion.  It was an absolutely beautiful day yesterday for picking apples and we had a really good time.  

With apples in hand, we headed back home.  While we were driving home, I was dreaming about what I could do with all these apples.  Below is an apple pecan dessert I made this afternoon. I made Matt try one and I got a very good review from him.  I think he is planning on having another one (or two) after dinner tonight.

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Apple Pecan Hand Pies

2 tablespoons butter
3 medium apples (any color), diced
1/4 cup agave nectar or honey
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup pecans, chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 pie crusts (meaning 1 box of pre-made pie crusts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Dice 3 apples.  Place diced apples, butter, agave nectar, all the cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, pecans, and lemon juice in a pot with a lid.  Cook covered for approximately 20 minutes on medium low heat until the apples are soft and they have turned a caramel color.  Make sure to stir the apple filling every 3-5 minutes to prevent burning.

While apple filling is cooking, take the two pie crusts and roll them out separately on a clean surface.  They might need to be rolled over with a rolling pin to make sure all cracks are smoothed out.  Once the pie crusts are rolled out, take a bowl or any container with a rim that is approximately 5-6 inches and cut a circle into the crust using the rim of the bowl.  Continue this process until all dough from both pie crusts has been used.  This should make approximately 6-9 circles depending on how thin the crust is rolled out.

Once the circles have been cut out of the pie crust and the apple filling has turned the caramel color, put approximately 1/3 cup of apple filling on the bottom half of the circle.  Fold over the top half, creating a half moon shape.  Make sure to squeeze the edges of the pie crust together so it doesn't pop open during baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or just by itself.

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If you try this recipe, I would love to hear what you think about it!  I have about six more of these sitting on my stove right now waiting to be eaten.  If you are in the area, feel free to come by for one. Matt and I would love to share. Hope you enjoy!