Black Pepper Free Paleo Cassava Flour Apple Hand Pies
These little hand pies are everything you want in a portable dessert — flaky, golden, and stuffed with a warmly spiced apple filling that smells incredible while it bakes. The crust comes together with cassava flour and solid coconut oil, giving you a tender, grain-free pastry that actually rolls and crimps like the real thing. Cinnamon and ginger do all the heavy lifting in the filling, so there's no need for black pepper or any other spice that might cause a reaction — just clean, cozy flavor from start to finish. Maple syrup sweetens the diced apples naturally, and a touch of arrowroot starch thickens the juices into a glossy, jammy filling that stays put inside each half-moon pocket. The dough does require a little patience — cassava flour drinks up water fast, so you add it gradually until things just come together — but the technique is straightforward and very forgiving. A quick egg wash before baking gives the tops that gorgeous amber color you'd expect from a classic bakery pie. Let them cool for a few minutes before you dig in, because that filling holds heat like a little furnace and the wait is absolutely worth it.
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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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