Like most Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah brings to mind certain traditional food customs – the most well-known being the dipping of apples in honey.
And while a classic apple pie or cake is a lovely way to commemorate our hopes for a “sweet new year”, I thought it would be fun to change things up a bit. These apple and honey pie “pops” are a cinch to make – and even more fun to eat! They can be assembled (and frozen) in advance, and are especially nice to serve for a crowd – no cutting or forks needed!
Even better, you only need a few simple ingredients, yet wind up with something truly delicious – and a little different. Sweet indeed!
Ingredients
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 package (2 crusts) refrigerated pie crusts, set out at room temperature for 15 minutes
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp water
- raw or “sanding” sugar, for sprinkling
Special equipment:
- 2-3” cookie cutter (or drinking glass)
- lollipop sticks
Directions
- In a medium pan combine the apples, sugar, honey, cinnamon and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, or till the apples have softened and the juices have thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Pre-heat oven to 400; line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Unroll one pie crust on a work surface. Use your cutter to make as many circles as you can; place on your prepared baking sheets.
- Put a lollipop stick in the center of each circle, pressing down lightly to secure. Place a teaspoon of cooled filling on each circle. Use a pastry brush to brush a bit of the beaten egg around the edge of each circle.
- Unroll the second pie crust and cut out an equal number of circles to the first crust – place atop the filled crusts and press lightly to seal. Crimp the edges with a fork, and make a few small incisions in the center to allow steam to escape.
- Brush tops with the egg and sprinkle with the raw sugar (pops may be frozen at this point – reheat directly from the freezer, adjusting baking time by a few extra minutes).
Bake pops for 20 minutes; transfer trays to wire racks to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature (pops may be kept tightly sealed, at room temperature, for 3-5 days).
Rosh Hashanah
Pronounced: roshe hah-SHAH-nah, also roshe ha-shah-NAH, Origin: Hebrew, the Jewish new year.
