So after sharing a picture of some hand pies I made last week, a lot of you asked for a recipe. I decided if so many people were interested maybe I would share it, although after taking some pictures of the steps it is very obvious that I am definitely NOT a food blogger. So with that in mind, here comes the recipe!
First off, this recipe is pretty simple. I usually just toss things in it and taste as I go so it took me a bit of time I have some tools that make it even easier but if you don’t have them you can still make these hand pies! Fresh cherries are glorious to eat but if you get a hankering for a cherry pie out of season or live in an area you can’t get them you can still make an awesome pie with frozen cherries, or if you want to make it even easier you can used cherry pie filling in a can.
So the first step is to gather up your ingredients. For the pie filling you will need your cherries-fresh or frozen cherries, sugar, cornstarch, chai spice or cinnamon, and vanilla. You will also need your favorite flaky pastry or pie crust. I made enough for two pie crusts. I also used a cherry pitter and a hand pie press.
Great! now we’re ready to get to the fun part! First pit the cherries. You can use a cherry pitter or a knife to cut the cherry open. I have also seen people use straws. I have not had success with that technique but I may have done it wrong also.
When you’re done with pitting it will probably look like you’ve come out of surgery, which I guess you kind of have. Now take your cherries and put them in a sauce pan. Add your water, sugar, and spices and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down now and simmer about 10 minutes. While your cherries are boiling combine the cornstarch and sugar. Whisk them together to get any clumps out of the cornstarch, this will help avoid clumps of starch in your pie filling. Because everyone has different tastes it’s important to taste as you go. I ended up adding another tablespoon of sugar for a total of 3 tablespoons.
Continue stirring until the liquid turns from opaque to clear, then remove from the heat and let cool. If you put your hot filling on your pastry you will end up with soggy pies. While it cools you can tidy up, make your pie dough, or sample a few spoonfuls of filling for quality control. Now is a good time to preheat the oven to 375 F. as well.
Once your filling is cool and your dough ready, roll out half of the dough as flat as you can get it- the thicker the dough the less flaky it will be. Then using your hand pie press cut out as many circles on it as you can- I ended up with 13 on this batch and just re-rolled it.
Spoon some filling in the middle of half of the circles. On the other half cut small air spaces in. It can be any shape, I did just a few slits but you could do circles, flowers, hearts, patterns, anything. These just lets steam escape from inside the pie so you don’t get a soggy pie.
Now place the top over the filling, and using the pie press seal the pie. If you aren’t using a press you can use a fork, or even just your fingers. Put the pies on your cooking pan and dust with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown. Repeat with your remaining dough and enjoy the fruits of your labor!
They don’t look perfect but they sure taste yummy! This made about 24 pies with a little filling left over. You can use this same recipe to make one big pie as well. I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
[recipe title= “Fresh Cherry Pie” time=”2 hours” difficulty=”medium”]
Ingredients
- 2 lbs unpitted cherries or 20 oz. pitted cherries
- 5-6 Tbsp Granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tsp. Chai spice or cinnamon powder
- 1/2 c. water
- 2-3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
- Flaky pastry or pie crust
- Cinnamon and sugar, for dusting
Directions
Wash and pit the cherries.
In a sauce pan combine cherries, 3 Tbsp sugar, chai or cinnamon spice, and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 10 minutes.
While cherries are cooking combine 2 Tbsp. sugar and 2 Tbsp. cornstarch. When cherries have cooked, stir in cornstarch mixture and and stir until it turns from opaque to clear.
Taste to see if it needs more sugar or thickening. If it’s where you like it, add the vanilla, then remove from heat and cool.
While filling is cooling preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit.
Divide pie dough and roll one half out. Cut circles out, then spoon a little filling in to half the circles. Cut little slices in the other circles, then place on top of the filling and press the edges to seal.
Dust with cinnamon and sugar and and bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
recipe makes about 24 hand pies
https://wordpress.com/post/thewinderfamily.wordpress.com/648
[/recipe]