I love making things from scratch, but when there’s a limited amount of time (or I’m feeling just a little bit lazy), store-bought frozen puff pastry is the way to go! I realized a few days ago that I still had some sheets of puff pastry stored in the freezer – perfect for homemade hand pies! These have a delicious cherry filling and are perfect for dessert or as a snack. Next time, don’t shy away from some of the store-bought stuff – it’s useful and delicious!
Easy Cherry Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, completely thawed in the fridge
- 12 oz frozen cherries, OR 1/4 cup fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp milk
- 1/8 tsp salt
- sparkling sugar (optional)
Instructions
- To make the filling, add the cornstarch and 1 1/2 tbsp of room temp water into a bowl and mix together until completely combined and set aside. In a medium saucepan, add the cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook for ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally. It's done when the cherries start to release their juices and all of the sugar has dissolved. Add the cornstarch mix and bring the filling to a boil. As soon as it boils, remove from the heat and add the vanilla, mixing until combined. Allow the filling to cool completely before using. I recommend transferring the filling to a room temp bowl, as this will help it cool down faster. Additionally, you can place the filling in the fridge, just make sure you let it cool a bit first or you can risk cracking the bowl from the extreme temperature changes.
- When ready to make the hand pies, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Lightly flour your counter, and then lay out the first pastry sheet. With a sharp knife (a pizza cutter is even better!) cut the sheet into 6 equal rectangles. transfer these 6 pieces to the baking sheet. These will be the bottom crusts of the hand pies. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk to make an egg wash, and lightly brush the edges of these bottom crusts. Place 2-3 tbsp of filling into the centers of the bottom crusts. Cut the second sheet of puff pastry the same as the first, and place these pieces on top of the bottom crusts. It's important to line up the edges or you won't get a good seal. Using a fork, crimp the edges of the pastries together all around the sides. Place the baking sheet in the fridge to chill for at least 25 minutes, but you can do this the day before as well.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Take the baking sheet out of the fridge and with a very sharp paring knife, cut 2 slits in the tops diagonally to act as air vents; you don't want the sides exploding open instead! Brush the tops of the hand pies with the egg wash, and optionally sprinkle coarse sparkling sugar over top. Bake the pies for 25-35 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. I recommend rotating the baking sheet halfway through to ensure even baking. When done, remove from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes–even if they're cool enough to touch, the filling can still be very hot, so be careful!
- Enjoy!
