Easy, Yet Heavenly, Hand Pies

February 19, 201339 Comments

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My favorite part of every pie is always the crust. I love it so much that even if I am making a single crust pie, I usually make enough dough for a double crust pie just so I will have the extra crust to make something else with.

A little while ago I was making several pies and ended up with quite a bit of extra crust dough. I wanted to figure out something simple to do with it that wouldn’t require a lot of extra time or groceries. I suddenly remembered the little Hostess fruit hand pies that I loved to eat as a kid. They sounded so good and, if I used some canned pie filling, they would be really simple to throw together. It turned out to be a huge success and they were SO yummy!

Don’t they look good?

And check out the insides

So here’s how I made them.

All I used was some pie crust dough (you can even buy premade dough if you don’t make your own,) canned fruit pie filling and an egg. I also did a sugar glaze on them after they came out of the oven but that is optional and I will show you the ingredients for that as you scroll down.

Step 1: Roll Out Dough

I rolled the dough out on a lightly floured surface, just like I would for a pie crust. You don’t have to keep it in a round shape since you will be cutting circles out of it.

Step 2: Cut Out Circles

I figured that 5″ circles would be a good size for the hand pies. I looked through my cupboards and found a can that was 5″ in diameter. I dipped it in some flour and cut out as many circles as I could.

Step 3: Fill Dough

I laid 5 circles at a time on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. If you don’t have a silicone mat you can also use parchment paper or spray it with a non-stick cooking spray. I then put a spoonful of pie filling in the center of each circle. It was probably about a tablespoon or so of filling, if you measured it out. You have to be careful not to put too much in or it starts seeping out the sides.

Step 4: Seal Pies

I then cracked the egg into a bowl and whisked it lightly with a fork. Using a pastry brush, I applied egg half way around the perimeter of the circle.

I then folded the dough onto itself, enclosing the filling, and pressed the edges together.

To assure that they would stay together, I used the tines of a fork to press them again and make a pretty seal on the edges.

Step 5: Vent and Coat Pies

I added a couple of little steam vents with a sharp knife

Then used the egg wash and the pastry brush to cover the whole pie in a light coating of egg.

Step 6: Bake Pies

I baked the pies in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until they were a beautiful golden color.

Step 7: Glaze

Once you remove them from the oven you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar or you can make a sugar glaze to cover them with. I highly recommend the sugar glaze, especially since it reminds me of those Hostess hand pies from my childhood.

To make the sugar glaze, you need 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Whisk all the ingredients together and then brush it on the warm pies with a clean pastry brush.

Here are your finished hand pies. My mouth is starting to water again just looking at them.

They are best eaten immediately, while they are still warm, but they are also very good once they cool. I made about 15 of them and sent them with my husband to his worship team practice. He brought back an empty plate with a lot of compliments. This is something I will definitely be making again. I think I will have to keep a can of pie filling in my pantry at all times just so I can whip these up whenever I have extra pie crust.

Until next time, God Bless and Sweet Dreams.

Heavenly Hand Pies

Quick and easy baked hand pies. You can use store bought pie crust and canned pie filling to make them even easier.

Author Sweet Dreams and Sugar Highs

Ingredients

Pies

Pie dough
Pie filling of your choice
1 egg room temp

Sugar Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°
Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. Use a circle cutter or can that is around 5" in diameter to cut out circles of dough. Reroll dough scraps and continue cutting out circles.
Lay the dough circles (about 5 or 6 at a time) on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper and place about a tablespoon of pie filling in the center of each. Be careful not to overfill the pies or they won't seal properly and the filling will ooze out while baking.
Whisk egg lightly with a fork then use a pastry brush to brush egg halfway around the perimeter of the dough circle. Fold the non-egg side on to the egg side and press the edges together. Use the tines of a fork to press the edges again and seal them. Use a sharp knife to add a couple of steam vents on the top of the pies.
Use the pastry brush to coat the tops of the pies with more of the egg.
Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden in color.
While baking, make the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl.
As soon as the pies are removed from the oven, and still warm, place them on a cooling rack and use a clean pastry brush to brush the glaze over the tops of them. Allow them to cool enough to firm up completely. They are best eaten warm but are also good cold, just like regular pie.

Recipe Notes

The quantity of pies is completely dependent on how much pie crust you use and how big of circles you cut out.