Process flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor for a few seconds until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse meal, about 15 pulses. Add ¼ cup water and keep pulsing, adding more water as needed, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough isn’t dry and starts to clump together. Do not process to the point that a large ball of dough is formed, rather the dough should be quite crumbly with large clumps.

Turn the dough to a floured surface and form into a ball. Divide ball in half, then flatten each half slightly with your hands to form a thick disc. Wrap each disc with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm.

In a large bowl, toss together apples and lemon juice. Add all other filling ingredients and mix to combine. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425F/220C. Roll out the dough: Working with one disc at a time, take dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to ⅛ inch thickness. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Reroll the scraps of dough and repeat.

Transfer half of the circles to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush the edges with egg wash. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling in the center of each circle, leaving a border around the filling. Place the remaining circles on top to form a pie. Using a fork, crimp around the edges to seal. Cut a small x-shaped slit in the center of each pie center to let steam escape while baking. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer pies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.