BHA & BHT Free Paleo Cassava Flour Apple Hand Pies
Flaky, golden, and filled with warmly spiced cinnamon-ginger apples, these little hand pies are the kind of treat that makes it hard to believe they're made without a single conventional ingredient. Cassava flour does the heavy lifting here, producing a tender, pliable crust that rolls out beautifully and crimps just like a traditional pastry — no grain flours, no refined starches, no synthetic preservatives in sight. That last point matters more than it might seem: many store-bought pastries and pie fillings quietly rely on BHA and BHT to extend shelf life, so making everything from scratch with whole-food ingredients like coconut oil, maple syrup, and fresh apples is the cleanest way to go. The filling gets cooked down in a skillet until the apples are just tender and glossy, thickened naturally with arrowroot starch and brightened with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Solid coconut oil worked into the cassava flour creates those satisfying pea-sized crumbs that translate into real flakiness once baked. A simple egg wash gives each half-moon a gorgeous amber finish straight out of the oven. They're perfect for tucking into a lunchbox, passing around at a gathering, or honestly just eating warm off the baking sheet while nobody's watching.
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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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