Description
These homemade cherry hand pies feature a stupidly flaky, buttery crust and a juicy, tart cherry filling. This 5-step process makes it easy to create bakery-quality pastries at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, ice-cold and cubed
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6–8 tablespoons ice water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar or vodka (optional)
- 3 cups fresh or frozen pitted cherries
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Coarse sugar or turbinado for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold cubed butter and work it into the flour using a pastry cutter or fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized butter chunks.
- Drizzle in 6 tablespoons of ice water and vinegar/vodka. Mix gently until the dough just starts to come together. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- While the dough chills, mix cherries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, and vanilla in a medium bowl until coated. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out chilled dough to ⅛-inch thickness and cut into 4-inch circles.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of half the circles. Brush edges with water or egg wash, top with remaining circles, press edges to seal, and crimp with a fork. Cut 2-3 steam vents in the top of each pie.
- Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 15-18 minutes until deep golden brown and filling is bubbling. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
Keep all ingredients, especially butter, as cold as possible to ensure a flaky crust. Do not overwork the dough. If using frozen cherries, do not thaw them before mixing. Let pies cool completely before eating to allow the filling to set.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 hand pie
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 120
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 24
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
Keywords: cherry hand pies, flaky crust, homemade pastries, cherry dessert, easy baking, hand-held dessert