Go Back
–+ servings
hand pies on a cooling rack on white background with blueberries and fresh fruit in the background
Print

Hand Pies Recipe

The best hand pies with endless flavor options. Bake, deep-fry or air fry! Sweet or savory. This one recipe is all you need. Apple, blueberry, lemon, peach, or cherry. The filling options are endless. Follow my tips for troubleshooting common problems and avoiding leaks and cracks.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Servings 8 servings
Calories 274kcal
Author Elizabeth Marek

Equipment

  • Stand mixer with paddle attachment

Ingredients

For the hand pie dough

  • 12 ounces all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 6 ounces cold unsalted butter cut into cubes or grated
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ounce ice cold water

Fruit filling

  • 16 ounces fresh or frozen fruit (apples, peaches, blueberries, strawberries etc)
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice you can use more or less to your taste
  • 6 ounces water or juice that complements the flavor of the fruit
  • 1 ounce unsalted butter
  • 2 ounces sugar white or brown
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ounce ClearGel or ½ ounce cornstarch
  • 1 ounce water

Glaze

  • 4 ounces powdered sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the hand pie dough

  • Place flour, salt, and cold butter pieces into the bowl of your stand mixer and blend on low until mixture resembles coarse sand.
  • Add in your egg and just enough water to bring the mixture together
  • Press into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for one hour.

For the fruit filling

  • Prepare your fresh fruit by chopping into small cubes (if needed) or use frozen fruit. No need to defrost.
  • Place your fruit and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and bubbling.
  • Add in your water (or juice), sugar, lemon juice, and salt and mix until combined. Bring to a simmer.
  • 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.
  • Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.

How to make hand pies

  • Preheat your oven to 400ºF and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper
  • Let your dough stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to let it soften a bit
  • Dust your surface with flour. Begin by pressing your dough with your rolling pin to start flattening it.
  • Roll your dough out to ⅛ 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.
  • 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.
  • Fill your 6" hand pie with 3 tablespoons of fruit filling (5" circles take 1 heaping Tablespoon). Do not overfill.
  • Brush the outside edge with egg wash (one egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of cold water)
  • Fold the hand pie over and crimp with a fork to seal well
  • Use a knife or fork to make some vents on top
  • Brush the hand pies with more egg wash and place them onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Chill for 20 minutes.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes. They should be golden brown and the filling will just be starting to bubble.
  • Let your hand pies cool for 10 minutes.
  • While your hand pies are cooling, make your glaze. Just whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth.
  • Use a pastry brush to brush the thin glaze over the hand pies and enjoy!
  • 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.

Video

Notes

For fruit filling, feel free to adjust spices and flavorings to suit your tastes. For apple I like to add a little cinnamon. 
Air Fryer Instructions
  1. Prepare your hand pies as usual and chill 20 minutes
  2. Brush the surface with egg wash and sprinkle on some sanding sugar for color and flavor (optional). 
  3. Set your temperature to 400ºF on your air fryer
  4. Place your hand pies inside the air fryer basket and fry for 13-15 minutes until golden brown and filling just begins to bubble
Deep fried hand pies instructions
  1. Prepare your hand pies as usual but do not cut large slits for vents, use a fork for small vents so the filling doesn't leak out. Then place them in the fridge to chill for at least one hour. 
  2. Heat up 4 inches of neutral oil (like vegetable shortening or canola oil) in a deep pot (like a dutch oven) to 375ºF. Use a thermometer to keep an eye on the temp. Make sure you place the pot at the back of the stove, especially if you have kids. Hot oil is very dangerous and so are splashes. 
  3. Place 2-3 hand pies in the hot oil and fry 3-4 minutes until golden brown. 
  4. Drain on a paper towel and then dust in powdered sugar or cover in sugar glaze before serving. They are best when eaten the same day. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 2mg