Xanthan Gum Free Paleo Cassava Flour Apple Hand Pies
These little hand pies deliver everything you want from a classic apple pastry — flaky, golden crust, warmly spiced filling, and that satisfying crimp around the edge — all built from a short list of wholesome ingredients. Cassava flour does the heavy lifting here, creating a pliable, rollable dough without any gums or grain-based starches that can sneak into so many alternative baking blends. The solid coconut oil gets worked in just like butter, giving the crust those coarse, pea-sized crumbs that bake up tender and slightly crisp. For the filling, diced apples are cooked down with maple syrup, cinnamon, and ginger until jammy and fragrant, then thickened with a touch of arrowroot starch so nothing leaks or turns soggy inside the pie. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice brightens the whole thing and keeps the apple flavor tasting clean and alive. The dough does need a little patience — chilling it and adding ice water gradually are the two steps that make the difference between a crust that holds together beautifully and one that cracks. Pull them from the oven once the tops are deep golden, let them rest so the filling can settle, and you have a portable, impressive dessert that genuinely tastes like it came from a bakery.
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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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