Updated: Delicious Homemade Amish Apple Fried Pies

Fruit-filled Amish specialty: fried pies

AMISH APPLE FRIED PIES

Fried pies are a staple of the Amish dessert diet.  They are relatively easy to make and they are very portable, so it makes a great "lunch bucket" snack.  While a fried pie is similar to those Hostess fruits pies you find in convenience stores, the homemade version is much better.  Fried pies are popular throughout Amish country, but seem especially popular in the South.   There's a Beachy Amish Mennonite-owned Fried Pie "factory" in Whitesville, Tennessee and there's an Amish woman in Ethridge, Tennessee who makes superb fried pies and sells them on Saturday mornings.  Yummy!  You can find some of the Whitesville fried pies in some Schnuck's supermarkets in the St. Louis and Memphis areas.  Those are some good pies if you can find them!   Fried pies have popularized in Amish literature and can found in my flavors: peach, raspberry, blackberry, and even grape.  You can also get "chocolate" fried pies filled with a chocolate filling.  Yum.  The Country Crust Bakery in Bainbridge, Ohio has superb fried pies (and, there seems to be some debate as to whether they are "fry pies" or "fried pies", I asked an Amish man to settle it for me once and he said they use "either."  So, there you go.

These are very popular, portable pies that show up a lot in Amish kid's lunch boxes or husband's lunch pails if they work somewhere like a factory.   Of course, some Amish cooks also just pile them on a plate as an after-school treat for the scholars. Here is a recipe so you can make your own!

AMISH APPLE FRIED PIES

Makes 36 pies

5  cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup shortening, softened

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 13-ounce can evaporated milk

2 1 /2 cups apple pie filling (homemade or you can use store-bought, but that would deviate from the Amish scratch-made fillings)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and milk together and then add to the shortening-flour mixture.  Mix with a fork just so it holds together and no more.  Roll out rather thin, to about 1 /8-inch thickness.  Cut out small rounds using a 7-inch saucer or circle as a pattern.  Spoon some of your favorite fruit pie filling on one side.  Be sure your filling is fairly thick and cold or it will run. Fold over and seal the edges well.  Deep fry in melted shortening, about 2 inches deep,  until golden brown on both sides, 2 minutes per side.  Dip into the powdered sugar glaze and then  put onto a baking sheet or cooling rack to cool before serving.

POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE

Put butter in 2 cup glass measure cup. Cook on high for 30 seconds or until melted. Add all ingredients. Starting with 1 ½ tablespoons milk, add more only if needed to get glaze consistency. Drizzle over cool cake. Yield: About ½ cup.