Citric Acid Free Paleo Cassava Flour Apple Hand Pies
Warm spiced apples tucked inside a golden, flaky crust — these hand pies deliver everything you want from a classic fall dessert without any of the usual ingredient concerns. Cassava flour is the real star here, standing in for wheat flour to create a surprisingly tender, workable dough that rolls out beautifully and crisps up in the oven. Solid coconut oil replaces butter, giving the crust those satisfying flaky layers while keeping the whole recipe completely grain- and dairy-free. The filling leans on maple syrup, cinnamon, and ginger for sweetness and warmth, with arrowroot starch doing the thickening work instead of cornstarch — and only a small amount of fresh lemon juice is used, so the citric acid load stays minimal and intentional. Skipping store-bought pastry or packaged pie filling is a smart move here, since both can hide additives and preservatives that are easy to overlook on a label. These hand pies are perfectly portioned, easy to pack, and just as good slightly warm as they are straight from the oven — which means they rarely last long once they hit the cooling rack.
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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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