Emulsifier Free Paleo Cassava Flour Apple Hand Pies
These little hand pies are everything you want in a portable dessert — flaky, golden pastry wrapped around a warmly spiced apple filling that smells incredible straight from the oven. The crust comes together with cassava flour and solid coconut oil worked in by hand, which creates a surprisingly tender, short texture without any of the additives or emulsifiers that show up in so many commercial pastry products. Cassava flour behaves a little differently than wheat flour, so the recipe walks you through exactly when to stop adding water — a small but crucial detail that makes the dough easy to roll and crimp cleanly. The filling is straightforward and genuinely delicious: diced apples cooked down with maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and a touch of arrowroot starch to thicken the juices into a glossy, jammy coating. Every single ingredient is clean and recognizable, which means you can hand one of these to someone with concerns about processed additives and feel completely confident. They bake up beautifully golden with crimped edges and a perfectly set crust, and that ten-minute rest before eating is genuinely worth the patience — the filling inside is molten and fragrant. Whether you're packing them for a picnic or just want something special on a weeknight, these deliver real bakery energy with a totally wholesome ingredient list.
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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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