Apple pies on sticks

Ingredients:

Dough

• 2.5 cups premium flour
• 4 tbsp. chilled shortening
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 0.5 tsp fine salt
• 165 g chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 - 0.5 cup ice water
• Special equipment: 3" round cookie cutter, about 20 wooden popsicle sticks or lollipops, pastry brush

Apple pie filling

• 450 g assorted apples (about 3 each), such as Granny Smith, Gala, and Mackintosh
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1.5 tsp premium flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple pie spice
• A pinch of fine salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Premium flour for working with dough
• 1 large egg, beaten

Preparation:

1. Combine the flour, shortening, sugar, vinegar, and salt in a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles fine grains. Add the butter and pulse until it forms pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together.
2. Press the dough together with your fingers; if it doesn't hold together, add up to 4 more tablespoons of ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking and checking the dough after each addition. Divide the dough in half and place it on 2 pieces of plastic wrap.
3. Form into 2 discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
4. Apple pie filling:
   
   Peel and core the apples; slice into 0.5 cm thick slices. Place in a bowl and toss with sugar and lemon juice.
5. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apple mixture and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until the apples are very soft, 12-15 minutes. Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt and cook, stirring, until the juices thicken, about 2 minutes. Let cool completely.
6. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 200°C (400°F). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Place the sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside.
7. Assembly:
   
   On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a thickness of 0.3 cm. Using a 7.5 cm cookie cutter, cut out circles from the dough (the dough should be cold), mixing the scraps if necessary, then roll out and cut out the circles. Repeat with the second disk to make a total of 40 circles of dough.
8. Place half of the dough circles (about 20) on two baking sheets, spacing them 2.5 cm (1 in) apart. Dip the tip (about 2.5 cm) of a wooden popsicle stick into the beaten egg and place it on one of the dough circles, with the tip in the center. Repeat with the remaining sticks and dough circles on the baking sheets.
9. Spoon a generous dollop of cold apple filling into the center of each circle, covering the tip of a skewer. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the circles with beaten egg. Place the remaining dough circles on top of the filled circles. Gently press the edges of the two circles to seal. Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork.
10. Brush the tops with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with a generous pinch of sugar. Using a small knife, make 5 small slits down the center of each pie (they should look like apple seeds).
11. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the pies are golden brown, 18-22 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer the pies to a wire rack. Serve the pies on sticks warm or at room temperature.