Keto Caramel Apple Hand Pies

Keto Caramel Apple Hand Pies make the perfect low carb fall breakfast!

These are soft and chewy in the center with crisp edges. The filling is delicious! 

The caramel I used in this recipe is from my original Easy Keto Caramel Sauce Recipe post..

..and the pastry dough for these keto apple hand pies is made following my Flaky Keto Puff Pastry Dough Recipe.

Disclaimer: this post contains some affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase an item through one. (This does not affect your purchase).

I offer two versions but for sweet desserts I tend to prefer my gluten free flaky keto puff pastry dough over the vital wheat gluten version just because it ends up with this really nice flavour that pairs great with sweet keto pastries.

We also use apple in this low carb, gluten free hand pie recipe, which I know is surprising on a ketogenic diet..but in small quantities, apple is actually perfectly acceptable and comparable to using any other low carb fruit like berries. 

This keto caramel apple hand pie recipe requires a few steps but they are very to make ahead of time or prep for so the day of, you have an easy and quick keto breakfast!

For this recipe I also recommend reading the tips section! You may find it helpful.

I'll also have a Tiktok video posted later showing step-by-step how to make these for those visual learners. 🙂 (Mouthwateringmotivation is my Tiktok if you don't already follow it)

Ingredients In Keto Caramel Apple Hand Pies

• Xanthan gum – a great way to improve elasticity in gluten-free baked goods. It’s used alongside vital wheat gluten to provide the best possible “crust-like” texture. If you do not have this ingredient you can still go ahead with this recipe but I’d recommend it if you can get your hands on it.
• Almond & Coconut Flour – I use the Kirkland Costco brand of almond flour (I buy it in bulk on Amazon or at Costco itself occasionally) and this brand of coconut flour for this recipe. As I’ve noted in many of my past recipes, the brand of almond and coconut flour can affect the final outcome of the recipe because absorbency can vary depending on how the flour has been processed.
• Psyllium Husks – This is used in the gluten free pastry to replace vital wheat gluten. It acts similar as it helps the dough to create gluten-like strands.
• Powdered/Granular Monkfruit Erythritol Sweetener  –   I use the SoNourished brand for both granular and powdered sweetener and love it! The powdered is the best option for no-bake goods and desserts where you want a very smooth final product. But it bakes well in any recipe. **UPDATE** lately I’ve switched over to THIS brand of powdered sweetener because of trouble ordering the first one so you can order whichever is easier for you!

Tools I Used To Create Low Carb Caramel Apple Hand Pies

• Low Carb Substitution Guide – This is totally optional but if you like my recipes, I now have a $5 guide available with all of the substitutions I use to create every recipe on my site. You can use this to convert old traditional recipes and create new keto recipes! You can purchase it here and/or read more if you are interested. 🙂 I appreciate your support so much guys!
• Nutritional Food Scale – AKA my best friend. This little buddy has been with me for over 4 years and never fails. Perfect measurements and only needs the batteries replaced maybe once a year!
• Non-Stick Rolling Pin – I didn’t use this one originally for the recipe but I highly recommend it so you don’t have to constantly flour your surface and roll the dough out with wax or parchment paper!
• Wax/Parchment Paper – Makes it easier to roll out dough that’s sticking to your rolling pin.
• Saran Wrap – To wrap the dough for chilling
• Glass or Round Cutter – to cut circles out of the dough

Tips For Making Keto Caramel Apple Hand Pies

• CARAMEL SAUCE TIP FOR THICKENING – When making your caramel sauce we want it thicker for this recipe so it doesn't leak out..so once it is finished and off the heat, whisk in 1 tsp of cornstarch or arrowroot starch to thicken it. You can also place it back on the heat and whisk constantly for a bit to continue to thicken it if you find it not thick enough. 
• You’ll notice the dough will want to fall apart in chunks at first. This is why the dough must be kneaded a few times. Once you do so, the dough will come together nicely and will roll out much better! Just be sure not to melt or blend in all of your butter when gently kneading it. *If using grated butter you likely will not have to knead the dough much, if at all to get it to come together into a ball.
• Your dough should seem a little dry at first but once you get rolling it, the butter chunks should moisten it more. If you find your dough still very dry, you can sprinkle a bit of cold water on it as needed to add moisture OR alternatively if you find it too wet, sprinkle coconut flour as you are rolling and folding it.
• If your dough rolls out messy and looks rough at first, that’s completely fine, sprinkle flour as needed and continue to follow the folding instructions. It will start to smooth out more after each layer. You can also push in rough edges slightly before rolling to help it come together.
• If you do not have a food processor, simply grate cold butter into your dry ingredients. I've used this method and sometimes I actually prefer it!
• The gluten free pastry will brown more in the oven than typical pastry but that’s okay! It will still be delicious. It’s just the colour of the psyllium husk added.
• Make sure you pinch the edges of the hand pies well and don’t over-do the fillings or you’ll end up with some leakage!

Keto Caramel Apple Turnovers Storage Instructions

• Freeze these low carb apple hand pies flat on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a ziplock or an airtight container between layers of parchment or wax paper and re-heat them on a tray in the oven when you'd like one.
• You can also prep the dough ahead of time and leave it in the fridge after the folding is done (use within 2 days or freeze wrapped in saran wrap and placed in a ziplock for later).

Keto Caramel Apple Hand Pies Recipe

Serves: 5 hand pies

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 tbsp whole psyllium husks 26g (you can also use ground, just be sure to account for the weight difference, you'll likely need 3 tbsp instead of 5)
• 1/4 cup almond flour 30g
• 2 1/2 tbsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener, 30g
• 1 tbsp coconut flour 7g
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup + 1 tsp cold butter, salted, 125g
• 1/4 cup cold water *** add more or less as needed
• 1 tbsp egg white
• extra coconut flour for sprinkling

Filling

• 1/2 batch of my Easy Keto Caramel Sauce Recipe (see tips on how to thicken it more for this specific use)
• 1/2-3/4 of a chopped apple (~70g)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Prepare your 1/2 batch of my caramel filling as directed in my original recipe HERE and following the tips in this post to thicken it. Then set aside
2. Add your dough's dry ingredients to a food processor and grind until everything is a fine powder (if you do not have a food processor you can definitely still make this recipe, your dough may just be a bit more textured)
3. Next add in chunks of butter (roughly chopped, doesn’t have to perfect) and pulse a few times until the butter chunks are a bit smaller and coated with flour but still visible. (again doesn’t have to be perfect, if you don’t have a food processor, grate the cold butter into your dry ingredients and gently mix until it's coated).
4. Dump this mixture into a bowl and add your cold water and egg white. Mix with a spoon until a rough dough forms.(your dough should be wet enough to push the dough together and form somewhat of a ball but not to the point were it sticks to your hands, so add more water only if needed)
5. Press the dough together and knead it just a couple times until it starts to stick together (you don’t want the butter chunks blended in but you also want the dough to hold together without crumbling and to have a smoother surface). (If using grated butter you likely won't want to knead the dough much because the butter is already in such small pieces and can easily melt).
6. Press the dough into a rough ball shape, wrap it in Saran Wrap and place in the fridge for 30min.
7. Next unwrap your dough and roll it out flat between two sheets of greased parchment paper. (Flour your parchment and rolling pin lightly with coconut flour as needed). 
8. Fold each side of the dough inward (see photo), then turn the dough 90* and roll it out flat, squishing down the folded layers you just made. Then once again, fold each side inwards, turn 90* and roll it out flat. You want to repeat this 4-5 times to ensure layers of butter are spread throughout the dough. It will start off very rough looking but don’t worry about that! Just push the rough edges in a bit and continue repeating the process until it looks more uniform. ( If at any time your dough feels warm, place it back in the fridge or freezer for a bit to get cold again. You don’t want your butter to melt).
9. After you’ve rolled the dough out 4-5 times following step 7, fold it once more, Saran Wrap it and place it back in the fridge for another 30min.
   

   Keto Pastry Dough After Rolling Out 4-5 Times *

10. Pre-heat your oven to 400*F.
11. Roll the dough out again, it will be a bit thick at this point. I usually cut the dough in half and place half, wrapped, back in the fridge so I only have to work with one piece at a time. This makes rolling it thin much easier!
12. Form the dough into a rough rectangle as best as you can and then using a greased cup or cookie cutter, cut circles out of the dough. Repeat this process for your other half of your dough and re-roll or simply use your hands to form the last hand pie out of the scraps.
13. Place the finished circles of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. 
14. Mix your chopped apple with the cinnamon and half of your caramel mixture in a small bowl. 
15. Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each half of a hand pie. 
16. Top with the hand pies with their other piece of dough and use your fingers to close the edges together. Then repeat, going around the edges with a fork to seal everything in. 
17. Brush the hand pies very lightly with a whisked egg mixed with 1/2 tbsp water.
18. Bake for ~18-21min. Cool for 5-10min then serve warm with the additional caramel sauce heated up and drizzled on top. Enjoy your Keto Caramel Apple Hand Pies!

Nutrition For 1/5th of recipe (1 hand pie): 292 calories | 28.3g fat | 3.3g NET carbs | 1.7g protein | 5.9g fiber

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Keto Caramel Apple Hand Pies Recipe

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Refrigeration Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword: keto apple caramel hand pies, keto apple turnovers, keto hand pies, keto turnovers

Calories: 292kcal

Ingredients

Gluten Free Pastry Dough

• 5 1/2 tbsp whole psyllium husks 26g you can also use ground, just be sure to account for the weight difference, you'll likely need 3 tbsp instead of 5
• 1/4 cup almond flour 30g
• 2 1/2 tbsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener 30g
• 1 tbsp coconut flour 7g
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup + 1 tsp cold butter salted, 125g
• 1/4 cup cold water *** add more or less as needed
• 1 tbsp egg white
• extra coconut flour for sprinkling

Apple Filling

• 1/2 batch of my Easy Keto Caramel Sauce Recipe see tips on how to thicken it more for this specific use
• 1/2-3/4 of a chopped apple ~70g
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

• Prepare your 1/2 batch of my caramel filling as directed in my original recipe HERE and following the tips in this post to thicken it. Then set aside
• Add your dough's dry ingredients to a food processor and grind until everything is a fine powder (if you do not have a food processor you can definitely still make this recipe, your dough may just be a bit more textured)
• Next add in chunks of butter (roughly chopped, doesn’t have to perfect) and pulse a few times until the butter chunks are a bit smaller and coated with flour but still visible. (again doesn’t have to be perfect, if you don’t have a food processor, grate the cold butter into your dry ingredients and gently mix until it's coated).
• Dump this mixture into a bowl and add your cold water and egg white. Mix with a spoon until a rough dough forms.(your dough should be wet enough to push the dough together and form somewhat of a ball but not to the point were it sticks to your hands, so add more water only if needed)
• Press the dough together and knead it just a couple times until it starts to stick together (you don’t want the butter chunks blended in but you also want the dough to hold together without crumbling and to have a smoother surface). (If using grated butter you likely won't want to knead the dough much because the butter is already in such small pieces and can easily melt).
• Press the dough into a rough ball shape, wrap it in Saran Wrap and place in the fridge for 30min.
• Next unwrap your dough and roll it out flat between two sheets of greased parchment paper. (Flour your parchment and rolling pin lightly with coconut flour as needed).
• Fold each side of the dough inward (see photo), then turn the dough 90* and roll it out flat, squishing down the folded layers you just made. Then once again, fold each side inwards, turn 90* and roll it out flat. You want to repeat this 4-5 times to ensure layers of butter are spread throughout the dough. It will start off very rough looking but don’t worry about that! Just push the rough edges in a bit and continue repeating the process until it looks more uniform. ( If at any time your dough feels warm, place it back in the fridge or freezer for a bit to get cold again. You don’t want your butter to melt).
• After you’ve rolled the dough out 4-5 times following step 7, fold it once more, Saran Wrap it and place it back in the fridge for another 30min.
• Keto Pastry Dough After Rolling Out 4-5 Times *
• Pre-heat your oven to 400*F.
• Roll the dough out again, it will be a bit thick at this point. I usually cut the dough in half and place half, wrapped, back in the fridge so I only have to work with one piece at a time. This makes rolling it thin much easier!
• Form the dough into a rough rectangle as best as you can and then using a greased cup or cookie cutter, cut circles out of the dough. Repeat this process for your other half of your dough and re-roll or simply use your hands to form the last hand pie out of the scraps.
• Place the finished circles of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Mix your chopped apple with the cinnamon and half of your caramel mixture in a small bowl.
• Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each half of a hand pie.
• Top with the hand pies with their other piece of dough and use your fingers to close the edges together. Then repeat, going around the edges with a fork to seal everything in.
• Brush the hand pies very lightly with a whisked egg mixed with 1/2 tbsp water.
• Bake for ~18-21min. Cool for 5-10min then serve warm with the additional caramel sauce heated up and drizzled on top. Enjoy your Keto Caramel Apple Hand Pies!

Notes

Tips

• CARAMEL SAUCE TIP FOR THICKENING - When making your caramel sauce we want it thicker for this recipe so it doesn't leak out..so once it is finished and off the heat, whisk in 1 tsp of cornstarch or arrowroot starch to thicken it. You can also place it back on the heat and whisk constantly for a bit to continue to thicken it if you find it not thick enough. 
• You’ll notice the dough will want to fall apart in chunks at first. This is why the dough must be kneaded a few times. Once you do so, the dough will come together nicely and will roll out much better! Just be sure not to melt or blend in all of your butter when gently kneading it. *If using grated butter you likely will not have to knead the dough much, if at all to get it to come together into a ball.
• Your dough should seem a little dry at first but once you get rolling it, the butter chunks should moisten it more. If you find your dough still very dry, you can sprinkle a bit of cold water on it as needed to add moisture OR alternatively if you find it too wet, sprinkle coconut flour as you are rolling and folding it.
• If your dough rolls out messy and looks rough at first, that’s completely fine, sprinkle flour as needed and continue to follow the folding instructions. It will start to smooth out more after each layer. You can also push in rough edges slightly before rolling to help it come together.
• If you do not have a food processor, simply grate cold butter into your dry ingredients. I've used this method and sometimes I actually prefer it!
• The gluten free pastry will brown more in the oven than typical pastry but that’s okay! It will still be delicious. It’s just the colour of the psyllium husk added.
• Make sure you pinch the edges of the hand pies well and don’t over-do the fillings or you’ll end up with some leakage!

Ingredients Links

• Xanthan gum 
• Almond Flour
• Coconut Flour 
• Psyllium Husks
• Powdered/Granular Monkfruit Erythritol Sweetener

 

Storage Instructions

• Freeze these low carb apple hand pies flat on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a ziplock or an airtight container between layers of parchment or wax paper and re-heat them on a tray in the oven when you'd like one.
• You can also prep the dough ahead of time and leave it in the fridge after the folding is done (use within 2 days or freeze wrapped in saran wrap and placed in a ziplock for later).

Nutrition

Serving: 1apple hand pie | Fiber: 5.9g | Calories: 292kcal | Fat: 28.3g | Protein: 1.7g | Carbohydrates: 3.3g

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