Transform Pillsbury Crescent Rolls Into Handheld Apple Pies With Just A Few Ingredients

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A big slice of pie or cake makes a great finishing touch to any festive feast, but there's something whimsical about transforming your favorite confections into a more portable format. Pillsbury's crescent rolls are ideal for creating your own handheld desserts. Pair apple pie filling and crescent rolls for a diminutive take on an autumnal favorite that's sure to become one of the best apple dessert recipes to sweeten up your fall.

You can make these handheld apple pies as simple or indulgent as you like. The most basic pair of ingredients these mini treats require are a can each of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and apple pie filling. Unroll each piece of dough, add a spoonful of apple filling, and bake the hand pies until the crescent rolls have properly browned (about 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit). This is one of the many clever ways to use Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, and it allows for easily upgrading the sweets with other complementary ingredients.

For example, spread caramel sauce onto the crescent rolls first before adding your apple filling. Add even more sweetness by sprinkling a layer of cinnamon sugar on the outside of the rolls prior to baking. You cana also give these desserts more of a homemade feel by cooking your own apple pie filling using Granny Smith apples, butter, and brown sugar. The possibilities for serving and elevating these pies are practically endless.

Though Granny Smith is one of the absolute best apples for baking, it is not the only choice. If you plan to prepare your own apple pie filling to use with your Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, consider other options including Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Braeburn. Fold in raisins, dried cranberries, or dried apricots for added nutritional value and variance in taste and texture.

Keep in mind the many varieties of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls to choose from to determine which will best suit your handheld apple pies. Such styles as Butter Flake, Sweet Hawaiian, and Honey Butter can easily transform your mini pies with extra flavor. 

There are also other cooking methods beyond oven baking you can use to streamline these sweet treats. Once you've filled and wrapped up your crescent rolls, load them into an air fryer to crisp up in under 10 minutes. Transform the handheld apple pies into a fork-and-knife indulgence by serving them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can also add the pies to a baking dish for a casserole-style bake inspired by Tasting Table's mini apple dumplings recipe.