Next in line to autumn pumpkin craziness comes natures sweetest fall bounty, apples. While most apples are destined for snacking or sweets I wanted to use them for a more savory meal. Our local orchard had several types of apples available this week and I was happy to head there first thing in the morning to see what I could find.

My absolute favorite apples are Honeycrisp and I now realize the small box I got was not enough. Another trip is needed before they are gone for the season! I also had the chance to sample Blondie apples which are sweet and crisp with a mild flavor.

I returned home with my apple collection and got to work right away on these hand pies. I started by making apple chutney and also used chopped ham and Dublinger cheese to make these sweet and savory pies for lunch.

The apple chutney is both sweet and savory and really adds a unique flavor to these little bundles. It is delicious on toast, chicken or can be used as a glaze for ham. It is not heavily spiced so it works well with many dishes.

For me, crust can make or break baked goods. If the crust doesn’t turn out the whole thing is ruined. It is a little time consuming to make from scratch so I frequently use pre-made. The ingredients don’t thrill me but I get consistent results. For that reason, my fridge is always stocked with rolled, pre-made crusts from September through the holidays.

I played around with different sizes and shapes for the little hand pies and you really can’t go wrong. I was going for rustic and I think they turned out so cute. The ham and cheese really pair well with the sweet and savory chutney.

Apple Ham & Cheese Hand Pies

Ingredients:
2 refrigerated pie crusts
8 oz ham, diced fine
½ cup Dublinger cheese
¼ cup apple chutney (recipe below)
1 egg white
1 Tbsp water

Instructions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Whisk egg white and water together and set aside
-Mix ham with apple chutney
-Gently roll pie dough out and cut into desired shapes
-Add ham mix to crusts, leaving about ½ inch free for sealing
-Top with cheese
-Using a fork, press top crust into bottom, sealing it completely
-Cut slits in the top of each to vent
-Brush tops with egg white wash
-Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown
-Allow to cool slightly before digging in

Apple Chutney

Ingredients:
2 large apples (I used Honeycrisp and Blonde)
¼ cup onion
¼ cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp olive oil

Instructions:
-Dice apples and onion
-In a saucepan, sauté olive oil and onions over medium heat until translucent
-Add apples, brown sugar, vinegar and salt
-Turn heat to low and let simmer 20-25 minutes, sitting occasionally
-When apples are soft, gently mash with the back of a spoon or potato masher
-Let simmer 5 more minutes and remove from heat
-Store in the fridge in an airtight container up to three weeks