The kidlet has just started school which, of course, means I need to pack him a lunch every day. And, because I get way too excited about these things, I went out and got some ridiculously cute cookie/sandwich cutters. I haven't been doing a lot of sandwiches so far, but I did have some crème fraîche and pie pastry that needed to be used up, so I decided it was time for the most kawaii hand pies ever!

Apple & Crème Fraîche Hand Pies

Ingredients

• 2 apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 c. sugar
• ~1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• pie pastry (enough for a single crust pie)
• ~7 tsp. crème fraîche

Directions

1. Combine apples, sugar, and cinnamon in a small pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft and sugar has caramelized.
2. Meanwhile, cut out your pastry shapes. (Circles, squares, or triangles are fine; I just wanted an excuse to use the animal shapes.) This recipe made 7 pies for me, so you'll want 14 shapes total (7 pairs of tops and bottoms).
3. Spread half the shapes with ~1 tsp. crème fraîche each, leaving a small border.
4. Top with a generous Tbsp. of apple mixture.
5. Wet the edges of the pastry and place the matching top crust over the apple assembly, pinching the edges to seal.
6. Transfer to a cookie sheet and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20 minutes.

P.S. I made the little bows on the kitty faces by combining two kitty ear cut-outs with one frog nostril cut-out. ;)