Food is my love language. Today I’m singing songs of Paleo Apple Hand Pies. If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to eat an entire pie, this is your shining moment of pie-dom. These palm-sized pies are mini in size, big in flavor and made both vegan and gluten-free. Yes, dreams do come true. Why wait until Thanksgiving? Get your pie on below!

When it comes to Thanksgiving, it’s hard to say which is my favorite – pie or green bean casserole. Do pie and green bean casserole count as a balanced meal? Thanksgiving isn’t about balance though. It’s the one time a year that I allow myself two pieces of pie because…who can choose between pumpkin and apple? Maybe pie is my favorite because it comes around so infrequently. Buying an entire pie is just…dangerous. And making a pie? Super intimidating. But, with a fridge full of honey crisp apples, I set off on a mission to 1.) use up all the apples in all the ways and 2.) create a mini pie for a mini indulgence.

There are apples, and then there are honeycrisp apples. All apples, were not created equal. If you haven’t sunk your teeth into these juicy, sweet yet sour apples, you are missing out, my friend. However you slice it, there are plenty of apple varieties and plenty of confusion about which apples to use for which recipes.

Here’s a shorthand guide of the best apples for:

Baking
-Look for crisp apples (to withstand the oven), with a balance of sweet & tartflavors.
-Varieties: Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Cortland, Empire & Jonathan.
Cider
-Use a blend of apples to get sweet, bitter and sharp flavors for a balanced cider.
-Varieties: Gala, Fuji, McIntosh, Cortland, Honeycrisp
Applesauce
-Use a softer apple for quicker cooking.
-Varieties: Cortland, Jonagold, Fuji, Granny Smith.

Back to the main attraction: pie. I’d suggest making this dough in the morning, refrigerate to reduce the stickiness, then make the filling in the afternoon (or even the next morning). TBH, it’s a bit of a process, but with worthwhile results. Also, this recipe will make AMPLE cinnamon apples, which I like to put in oatmeal, on toast, top pancakes or just straight up spoon because they’re so good. These hand pies would also freeze well and reheat in the oven once thawed. Lastly, try to get the dough as thin as possible (like a thin sugar cookie) so that you have the right ratio of dough to apples.

Before you dive in, if you’re wondering about that delicious syrup and whipped topping, it’s coconut whipped cream and date syrup! The recipes for the date syrup can be found here. The coconut whipped cream is available from a variety of brands, including Reddi Whip!

Apple Hand Pies
Serves: 6

Ingredients: 
Apple Pie Filling
– 5 C of apples peeled, cored and diced (from about 3-4 apples)
– 2 T ghee (or butter)
– 1/2 C packed coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
– 1 tsp cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp ground ginger
– 1/4 tsp nutmeg
– 1/8 tsp ground cloves
Pastry Dough
-1/4 C maple syrup
-1/4 C ghee (or unsalted butter)
-1/4 C water
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 ripe banana, mashed
-1/2 C arrowroot flour
-1/2 C coconut flour

Directions:
Step 1: Make the pie filling by heating a skillet over medium heat on the stove top. Add the ghee (or butter). Once the ghee is melted, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cook until the apples are soft, but not mushy, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Make the dough by pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees. Add the maple syrup, ghee (or butter), water, vanilla and salt to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil on the stove top, then remove from the heat. Add the arrowroot flour, coconut flour and mashed banana. Mix until it forms into a dough. Option to refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to make it easier to work with the dough (reduces the stickiness).
Step 3: Roll the dough on a piece of parchment paper to a thickness of 1/8-1/4 inch. Using a mason jar, cup or biscuit cutter, cut 10-12 circles out of the dough. Transfer the parchment paper to a sheet pan. Place 2-3 T of the apple mixture on half of the dough circles. The remaining dough circles will serve as the tops of your pie. With a spatula, lift and gently place each of the remaining dough circles on top of the prepared circles to create an individual pie. Cinch the edges together using a fork to form an impression around the perimeter of each circle. Don’t worry if the tops of the crust crack since this will help with ventilation.
Step 4: Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops of the pies are golden brown. Allow to cool and enjoy!

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Is it even Saturday if there aren’t pancakes? Lately, no. Can’t stop won’t stop pancaking especially when they’re banana cacao pancakes made into fruit filled pancake tacos oozing with coconut cream and drizzled with a dark cacao sauce that makes you wonder – is this breakfast, or dessert? And does it even matter? Read on for the desserty dEATs.

I just got back from a work trip in NYC, so was craving getting back in the kitchen. While in New York, I met with a number of editors at Meredith group (publishers of Better Homes & Garden, Martha Stewart Living, People Magazine and the like). We talked a lot about the magic of mashups and reinventing the tried and true. While it might be impossible to believe that pancakes could ever get old, these fruit filled pancake tacos will bring new life to Saturday mornings – and the best part is the to-die-for-unbelievably-easy coconut ream. My gawd, why did it take me so long to discover this???

The coconut cream is as simple as refrigerating a can of coconut milk overnight (none of that refrigerated, watered down stuff or lite coconut milk, the good ‘ole shelf stable full fat creamy goodness from brands like Thai Kitchen, Whole Foods 365 Everyday or Trader Joe’s). The overnight refrigeration helps to separate the coconut cream from the coconut water, leaving a rich layer at the top for the whipped cream and fresh coconut water at the bottom to drink straight up, or add to a smoothie. All it takes is beating that coconut cream for a few minutes with some vanilla extra and voila – vegan, sugar-free whipped-to-perfection cream. It’s also amazing as a dessert with just some fresh berries.

I digress, back to the tacos. While these are already loaded with fresh berries, the base of the pancakes is actually bananas. Yes, b-a-n-a-n-a-s plus the chocolatey superfood goodness of raw cacao, eggs and almond meal for a protein packed stack. I’ve also made these with Kodiak Cakes Dark Chocolate Power Cakes, which is equally as good, though not gluten-free. Honestly, you can make these with whatever pancake mix you have at home, but I love the simplicity of these chocolately banana pancakes. Playing a little Gwen Stefani while making them is highly recommended as well.

Healthy Chocolate & Fruit Filled Pancake Tacos
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Pancakes
-2 bananas (the more ripe, the better)
-4 large eggs
-1/2 C almond meal
-1 tsp baking powder
-2-3 T cacao powder (I used Navitas Organics; omit if you just want banana pancakes)

Coconut Cream
-1 can of full fat coconut milk or cream refrigerated overnight (avoid those with guar gum or added sugar)
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-optional 2 T sweetener of choice

Vegan Cacao Sauce:
-4 T coconut oil
-2 T maple syrup
-3 T cacao powder
-1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
-Fresh berries of choice (raspberries, blackberries and strawberries shown)

Directions:
Step 1: Mash the banana. Mix in a medium bowl with the remaining pancake ingredients. Spoon batter on a griddle greased with coconut oil (you know the griddle is hot enough when a drop of water sizzles). Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; set aside.

Step 2: While pancakes are cooking, remove the can of coconut milk or cream from the fridge. Skim the coconut cream from the top of the can (the solids and liquid should have separated overnight). Place the solids in a chilled mixing boil with the vanilla extract and sweetener of choice, if using. Beat for 7-8 minutes with chilled beaters until soft peaks form.

Step 3: Make the cacao sauce by first heating the coconut oil in the microwave. Heat in 15 second increments until smooth and viscous. Combine the melted coconut oil with the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Mix until combined.

Step 4: Assemble the pancake tacos by spooning the coconut cream in the center of the pancakes and topping with berries of choice and drizzle of cacao sauce. Enjoy!

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