Almond Free Paleo Cassava Flour Apple Hand Pies
Warm spiced apples tucked inside a golden, flaky crust — these little hand pies deliver everything you want from a classic fall dessert, built entirely from grain-free, tree-nut-free ingredients. Cassava flour does the heavy lifting here, creating a surprisingly tender and workable dough that rolls out beautifully and crisps up in the oven without any almond flour or nut-based substitutes in sight. The filling comes together in a single skillet, with diced apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, and ginger cooking down into a jammy, fragrant mixture that gets just the right body from a touch of arrowroot starch. Solid coconut oil works into the dough the same way butter would in a traditional pie crust, giving you those satisfying flaky layers without straying from the ingredient list. One important tip from the instructions: cassava flour absorbs water fast, so add the ice water gradually and stop the moment the dough holds together — that patience pays off in the final texture. A quick egg wash before baking gives each half-moon a gorgeous amber finish that makes them look like they came straight out of a bakery case. These are the kind of handheld treats you can pack up, share easily, and feel genuinely good about serving.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
For the crust
- 2 cups cassava flour, plus more for dusting
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup coconut oil, solid (not melted)
- 6–8 tbsp ice water
- 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)
For the filling
- 3 medium apples (about 1 lb), peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch dice
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- 1
Make the filling: melt 1 tbsp coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender and the liquid has reduced slightly, about 6–8 minutes. Stir in the arrowroot starch and lemon juice and cook for 1 minute more, until the juices thicken and coat the apples. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely, about 20–30 minutes.
- 2
Make the crust: whisk together the cassava flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the solid coconut oil in small spoonfuls and work it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
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