Hand pies, mini pies, pasties, turnovers — no matter what you call it, they are delicious stuffed with a sweet fruit filling or even a savory filling. Since we are making these as a Valentine’s treat, we are making them sweet.
These cute hand pies are absolutely scrumptious! We made them with cherry pie filling and homemade raisin pie filling which both are equally delicious, but you can of course fill these mini pies with your favorite fillings and make them in any shape. They would make a great dessert, a nice snack or even a lovely treat in any lunch box!
Hand pies date back to medieval times and were a popular meal for travelers, predominately made with savory meat fillings. Hand pies became more popular in the 1800’s when working men like miners would take them for lunch because they were easy to eat and could be held in their hands much like a sandwich. Fruit filled hand pies did not come until the 1900’s as these types of pies were considered unhealthy. Many cultures around the world have their own version of these yummy pies and you can find them baked or fried with an assortment of fillings.
There are a few steps, much like a regular pie, so let’s get started!
First, put flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Stir around.
Add shortening and butter. Cut into the dough until it is crumbly. I use a fork to cut the fat into the flour. I like using shortening because it has a higher melting point, it is easy to use and simple to cut into the flour (great for beginner pie makers), helps the crust to hold its shape and makes the crust tender. Butter imparts a lovely flavor and has a high water content which helps make crust flaky. When the water evaporates during baking, the steam separates the layers in the dough and creates a light flaky crust. This is why I like using both butter and shortening.
It will look like this once crumbly. It is fine if there are larger pieces of butter.
Add the eggs and a spoon of lemon juice.
Add vanilla.
Then stir well. I use a fork to stir and mash the egg around. The dough will have parts sticking together well and parts that are quite dry which is perfectly okay because next, we will be adding cold water.
Add just enough cold water to make a dough. I used about 1/2 cup of water.
When adding water, I pour a little bit at a time and stir. It is always easier to add water than to try to add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Having to add more flour can result in a crumbly crust.
Once the dough looks like this, and mostly sticks together, then we are ready to dump it onto a floured counter.
If the dough is sticky, then sprinkle with a bit of flour, otherwise flatten dough and fold over. Do not knead like you would bread. We are building the layers in the pie crust so it is light and flaky. Turn the dough, fold over and flatten a bit again. Turn the dough, fold over and flatten slightly. Then fold the dough over again. Once you have done this a few times, the dough will be hard to fold over which tells me we are now finished.
I fold over one last time and make the edges nice by lightly tapping each end on the counter.
Wrap in plastic wrap or place in a container with the lid on so it does not dry out.
Look at those layers! This is enough to make a double crust and possibly another single crust. We are just going to work with half the dough for the hand pies to begin with. Refrigerate for at least 25 minutes. If the dough does not sit for a while, it will be quite tough.
Once ready, place dough on floured surface, sprinkle flour on top of the dough and roll out. I always work with just half the dough at a time.
I try not to roll too thin, but you also do not want it too thick either, especially with a hand pie — there will be too much crust and not enough filling. I try to roll around 1/4″ thick.
Cut as many hearts, or whatever shape you are using, as you can from the dough. I keep the scraps to the side for the dough to rest and use the next half. If you try re-rolling the dough too many times, it will get tough and will not be light and flaky. I let the scraps sit for an hour in the fridge and then re-roll them to make more.
Sometimes from the extra dough, we roll it out, cut it into shapes and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake to have with a bowl of fruit, ice cream, homemade vanilla or chocolate pudding (homemade cream pie filling), with cooked apples or with extra fruit pie filling. The dough when baked this way is almost like a cookie.
I am using cherry pie filling because that is what my girls requested and is a family favorite. I am also using some homemade raisin pie filling.
Once hearts are cut out, place on baking sheet lined with parchment or lightly greased and sprinkled with cream of wheat or cornmeal so it does not stick.
Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling onto each heart. I know 1 spoon does not seem like much, but once the top is placed on and it bakes, the filling tends to escape which can make it a messy clean up! I spoon the pie filling on and then spread it out a bit. Do not go to the edge.
Cut slits into the tops of the mini hand pies to let steam escape.
Put water around edge, place top dough on and use a fork to crimp the edges.
I bake 6 on a baking pan. I used a stone as well as a regular baking sheet and each equally work well.
The crimped edges look just lovely. You can bake them now or freeze them. We are going to brush with an egg wash so the pies get a nice golden color.
Brush with egg wash then sprinkle with sugar.
Time to bake!
Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. In my oven, these took 35 minutes to bake. You do not want to under bake them, otherwise the dough will be quite gummy and the mini pies will not be light and flaky.
Let cool slightly before loosening from the pan.
These mini pies look decadent!
These are delicious with a bowl of ice cream or just on their own!
Once cooled, drizzle with vanilla icing if you like. I mix 1 cup of icing sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla and enough water to make an icing that can be drizzled. I drizzle on a cutting mat and then place the mini hand pies on a cooling rack until the icing has hardened. Leaving it on a flat surface if icing has pooled will make the crust soggy. Store extras in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze them up to 4 months. We enjoy these any time of the year!
Heart Shaped Mini Hand Pies
2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp lemon juice
enough cold water to bring dough together
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Add butter and cut in until crumbly. Add eggs, vanilla and vinegar. Add enough cold water until a dough comes together. Place on a floured surface and press together until dough comes together — I do not knead the dough but rather bring the dough together and press, fold and press and fold several times. You can wrap up the dough and refrigerate for at least 25 minutes or freeze until you need to use it. Cut dough in half, roll out crust and using a cookie cutter of your choice (we used hearts) to cut dough out. Place on a baking sheet that has been dusted with cream of wheat or cornmeal or a parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon pie filling in centre and spread out a bit being careful to not go to the edge. Dampen edge of crust, place another crust cut-out over top, lightly press together and then crimp with a fork. Cut a slit into the top crust. Continue until dough is gone. If dough gets tough to roll, cover and place in the fridge for an hour. Any extra dough can be frozen or baked with cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat.
Brush tops of mini hand pies with egg wash (beaten egg mixed with a spoon of water) and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake at 350F for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool slightly before loosening from pan. Place on cooling rack to cool completely. Drizzle with icing if you like. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
Vanilla Icing
1 cup of icing sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
water
Combine icing sugar, vanilla and enough water to make an icing that can be drizzled. Drizzle over cooled hand pies.
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