Hand Pies Recipe

Step 1

Place flour, salt, and cold butter pieces into the bowl of your stand mixer and blend on low until mixture resembles coarse sand.

Step 2

Add in your egg and just enough water to bring the mixture together

Step 3

Press into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for one hour.

Step 4

Prepare your fresh fruit by chopping into small cubes (if needed) or use frozen fruit. No need to defrost.

Step 5

Place your fruit and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and bubbling.

Step 6

Add in your water (or juice), sugar, lemon juice, and salt and mix until combined. Bring to a simmer.

Step 7

Combine your ClearGel with your water and whisk to make a slurry. Pour into your simmering mixture and mix for 1-2 minutes to cook the gel. If you're using cornstarch, you only need to cook until it's clear.

Step 8

Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.

Step 9

Preheat your oven to 400ºF and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper

Step 10

Let your dough stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to let it soften a bit

Step 11

Dust your surface with flour. Begin by pressing your dough with your rolling pin to start flattening it.

Step 12

Roll your dough out to 1/8 thick or about the thickness of a cake board. Thinner than you think. Thinner dough results in a crisper, crunchier crust for your hand pies.

Step 13

Cut your dough into 6" circles. I used a 6" cake board as a template or you can use a 5" circle cutter if you want smaller hand pies.

Step 14

Fill your 6" hand pie with 3 tablespoons of fruit filling (5" circles take 1 heaping Tablespoon). Do not overfill.

Step 15

Brush the outside edge with egg wash (one egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of cold water)

Step 16

Fold the hand pie over and crimp with a fork to seal well

Step 17

Use a knife or fork to make some vents on top

Step 18

Brush the hand pies with more egg wash and place them onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Chill for 20 minutes.

Step 19

Bake for 20-25 minutes. They should be golden brown and the filling will just be starting to bubble.

Step 20

Let your hand pies cool for 10 minutes.

Step 21

While your hand pies are cooling, make your glaze. Just whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth.

Step 22

Use a pastry brush to brush the thin glaze over the hand pies and enjoy!

Step 23

These hand pies taste best the day they are baked but will last for three days in an airtight container in the fridge or frozen for up to 2 months.