Heart Shaped Cherry Hand Pies
Cherry hand pies, with homemade all butter pie dough and sweet cherry filling, baked until crisp and flaky, then coated in cinnamon sugar.
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Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- 4 or 5-inch Heart Shaped Cutter
- Baking Sheet + Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 lb frozen pitted cherries (I like a blend of sweet and tart cherries)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
- 4 tsp corn starch
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Crust
- 1 recipe All Butter Perfect Pie Dough (enough for a double pie crust)
Other
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup granulated sugar + 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
Instructions
Filling
- In a saucepan, combine the cherries with the sugar, lemon juice, corn starch, salt and vanilla.
- Over medium heat, cook the cherries, stirring frequently, until the liquid starts to thicken. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil, then boil for 2 full minutes.
- Chill the filling in the refrigerator thoroughly, preferably overnight, so it can thicken and set up. If it doesn't chill overnight, it will be too runny for assembling the pies.
Dough
- Make 1 Recipe Pie Dough (double crust), and chill for 20-30 minutes before rolling and cutting the dough.
- On a lightly floured surface, work with half the dough at a time, and roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thick. Use a 4 or 5-inch heart shaped cutter (or any shape you like) to cut the dough.Gather up the scraps, roll them out again, and continue cutting dough until you've used up all the dough. You should be able to cut at least 16 hearts for 8 mini pies, although I ended up cutting 22 4-inch hearts for 11 mini pies.
- Set half the hearts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spoon the chilled cherry filling into the center of the dough, using several tablespoons of filling per pie.
- Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the edges of the dough with water or milk, then place the rest of the hearts on top. Press the edges together to seal them. Use a sharp knife to cut a few slits in the top of each pie to vent the steam. (If you want the pies to have more color, brush them with a lightly beaten egg before baking.)Set the pan in the refrigerator to chill while you preheat the oven.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 375 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake the pies for about 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and baked through, and the filling is bubbling.
- Let the pies cool on the baking sheet for several minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
- Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the top and bottom of the pies with the melted butter, then coat in the cinnamon sugar. Serve the pies warm, or at room temperature.
Notes
Leftover pies should be cooled completely, loosely covered, and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
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