Celebrate the return of Crisco’s Pie & Baking Hotline with these holiday baking recipes

Crisco is bringing back its Pie and Baking Hotline for the holidays.

To celebrate, here is a recipe for Apple Hand Pies that uses Crisco.

Apple Hand Pies

From www.mybakingaddiction.com

For the crust

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 stick ( 3/4 cup) well-chilled Crisco Baking Sticks All-Vegetable Shortening, cubed

4 to 8 tablespoons ice water

For the filling

2 large baking apples, cored, and diced

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice (see recipe below)

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

For topping

1 large egg

1 teaspoon water

Sparkling sugar, optional

Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Cut shortening into flour mixture using pastry blender or fork. Stir in just enough water with fork until dough holds together. Tip: Test dough for proper moistness by squeezing a marble-sized ball of dough in your hand. If it holds together firmly, do not add any additional water. If the dough crumbles, add more water by the tablespoonful, until dough is moist enough to form a smooth ball when pressed together. Shape dough into a ball and flatten into a round disk. For ease in rolling, wrap dough in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Once dough is chilled and you’re ready to assemble the pies, preheat oven to 400, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and prepare the filling.

Make the filling: In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the sugars and apple pie spice.

Assemble the pies: Remove dough from refrigerator and remove from the plastic wrap. On a generously floured work surface, roll the dough until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Use a 5-inch round cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles. Reroll dough as needed in order to create 8 to 10 circles. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of filling to the center of each dough circle, leaving as much liquid behind as possible. Fold the dough in half and use your fingers or a fork to seal the edges. Place hand pies on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Use the tip of a sharp knife to cut 2 small slits into the tops of each pie. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the tops of the hand pies with the egg wash. If desired, top with sparkling sugar. Bake in preheated for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Allow hand pies to cool. If desired, serve with homemade salted caramel sauce. (See recipe below.)

Yield: 8 to 10 hand pies

Apple Pie Spice

From www.mybakingaddiction.com

4 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ginger

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Combine spices in a small bowl. Mix well to combine. Store in a small jar or spice container.

Yield: about 1/3 cup

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

From www.mybakingaddiction.com

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup heavy cream, heated until warm

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (or more to taste)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan (at least 5 cup capacity), stir together the sugar, corn syrup and water until the sugar is completely moistened. Place candy thermometer into the pot taking care that its tip is immersed into the sugar mixture.

Heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the sugar syrup is bubbling. Stop stirring and allow it to boil undisturbed until it turns a deep amber. This will occur right around 350 degrees. Immediately remove it from the heat and slowly and carefully pour the hot cream into the caramel. It will bubble up furiously.

Use a high-temperature heat-resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir the mixture until smooth, scraping up the thicker part that settles on the bottom. If any lumps develop, return the pan to the heat and stir until they dissolve. Stir in the butter and salt. The mixture will be streaky but become uniform after cooling slightly and stirring.

Allow the sauce to cool for 3 minutes. Gently stir in the vanilla extract.

Yield: 1 cup

Notes: Keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; refrigerated, about 3 weeks. To reheat, simply place in a microwave safe container and heat for about 45 to 60 seconds and stir well.