There are so many National this or that days, I can’t even keep track of them.  But, when I saw that National Apple Pie Day was coming, I knew this was one day I HAD to celebrate!!!!  The hubby’s birthday was yesterday and his favorite dessert is apple pie. So, we had these cute apple pocket pies last night in place of birthday cake.  Not a bad trade at all.  And even though I’m on the #whole30 plan, I have to confess that I totally cheated last night and ate one.  I’ve done so well, but homemade apple pie, can you blame me?  I actually don’t even feel guilty at all.

Really classic apple pie is perfect the way it is, but I’m an experimenter when it comes to baking and cooking. So, I played a bit and added some of my favorite ingredients – cardamom, cream cheese and crystalized ginger.

I have a cute little apple shaped pocket pie mold, but you could easily cut out simple circles or rectangles to make little individual pies.

Cardamom Cream Cheese Apple Pocket Pies

Pie crust enough for two pies.  I like Martha’s Pate Brisee or if you want to save some time and effort, feel free to use pre-made store bought crust found in the freezer section.

Apple Filling
5 apples peeled, cored and chopped small
1 tbsp. crystalized ginger finely chopped
2 tsp. ground cardamom
juice and zest of one lemon
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

1 egg (for egg wash)
Fine sugar for sprinkling

Cream Cheese Filling
1/2 package cream cheese (1/2 cup)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup sugar

Keep your pie crust wrapped in plastic wrap and in the fridge to stay cold while you prepare the fillings.  With a mixer, beat together the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until it is creamy and smooth.  Set aside.  In another bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the apple filling.  Be sure to pour the lemon juice on the apples as soon as you chop them, to prevent them from turning brown.

Roll out your pie crust to just less then 1/4 inch thick on a well floured surface.  Cut out a top and bottom for each pocket.  For this recipe I was able to make 8 large pocket pies.

Beat one egg with 1 tbsp. of water for the egg wash.  Brush around the outside edges of the bottom piece to your pie.  In the center of the pastry, place 1-2 tbsp. of the cream cheese filling.  Then scoop about 1/3 cup of the apple filling on top of the cream cheese.  Place the top pastry on and seal the edges well.  Using a fork, crease the edges closed all the way around the pie.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.  Place the finished pies on parchment lined cookie sheets.  Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with fine white sugar.  Bake for about 20 mins or until the the crust is golden brown.  Cool and serve warm out of the oven or at room temperature.