There's a whole lot of goodness packed into these delicious Strawberry Hand Pies. Fresh strawberries are roasted with sugar to create a scrumptious strawberry jam filling, then encased in a buttery pie crust and baked until golden brown. If you love strawberries, then you'll love this hand pie recipe.
Mini hand pies are fun to make and even more fun to share. Spring and summer are the perfect time to make them when strawberries are in season and sweet. For more fruit-filled hand pies, check out my recipes for Rhubarb, Blackberry, and Peach Hand Pies.
How Roasting Intensifies the Strawberry Flavor
Roasting fruit intensifies the flavor, and strawberries are the perfect candidate. When using in season, strawberries and a little sugar go a long way.
After several batches of roasted strawberries, I discovered that vanilla and strawberries are the perfect pairing. When the two are cooked together the vanilla bean enhances the strawberry flavor and makes them taste a little sweeter. It’s a simple twist, but one that makes all the difference. The fruit's natural sweetness is deepened, and it’s the perfect complement to the flaky, buttery crust.
If you're looking for more ways to enjoy fresh and roasted strawberries, try this easy, delicious strawberry fool or this yummy strawberry shortcake.
Strawberry Hand Pie Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need for this easy hand pie recipe:
Strawberry Filling
- Fresh Strawberries: Local sweet strawberries taste best in this recipe because they become jammy while roasting in the oven. You can also use frozen strawberries for this recipe, but you may need to roast them longer because of the extra water.
- Granulated Sugar: The sugar adds sweetness and creates a jammy texture. The sugar can easily be adjusted according to the desired sweetness, but don’t use less than 1/2 cup.
- Vanilla Bean and Vanilla Extract: Vanilla brings an amazing flavor to the strawberries.
Flaky Pie Dough
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. Provides the structure for the pie crust.
- Cold Unsalted Butter. Butter provides the flavor and flakiness of the pie. Use unsalted butter, because different brands of salted butter contain different amounts of salt and it's better to control the salt by adding salt.
- Ice Cold Water. Water holds everything together. Ice cold water helps ensure that the butter stays cold. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of water. The dough will be a little wet, but as the dough rests and chills it will absorb the water. Start with half the water and add the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time. In most instances, you'll use all the water, but I've found that during the winter I might not use all the water because of the moisture in the air.
How to Make Strawberry Hand Pies
Start by making the dough first since it needs to chill. While it's in the refrigerator, roast and cool the strawberries.
How to Make Flaky Pie Dough
Baking Tip: Use a large stainless steel bowl to easily work the dough into the flour and smear it against the sides without making a mess.
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients together.
Step 2: Add the cold cubed butter and toss it with the flour.
Step 3: Flatten each piece butter and work it into the flour mixture.
Step 4: Add the water and work it into the dough. Then smear the dough up the sides of the dough.
Step 5: Shape the dough into a rectangle and fold the top third into the middle.
Step 6: Fold the bottom third over the top third.
Step 7: Rotate the dough, roll it out, and repeat the letter fold from the earlier steps.
Step 8: When the dough is ready, it will be a cohesive, smooth piece of dough with streaks of butter.
The process of folding and rolling creates multiple layers of fat and flour. When the dough is in the hot oven, the liquid in the butter will steam and create flaky pockets.
Step 9: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can make the dough up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate it or freeze it for up to 2 months.
How to Make the Strawberry Filling
This strawberry filling is made by roasting strawberries in the oven. It's a great way to make strawberry jam with less sugar and a more intense flavor.
Step 10: Toss the strawberries with lemon zest, juice, and sugar.
Step 11: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the strawberries onto the baking sheet.
Step 12: Roast the strawberries, stirring occasionally until the liquid is thickened and bubbly around the edges.
Step 13: Remove the strawberries from the oven and immediately scrape them into a large bowl. Cool the strawberries to room temperature.
How to Assemble the Hand Pies
Now we come to the best part - putting together the strawberry hand pies.
Step 14: Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 55 gram pieces.
Step 15: Roll the dough out until it is a little bigger than 4 inches. Cut out the 4-inch circle.
Step 16: Add the strawberry filling. Brush the dough edges with egg wash, fold it in half, and seal the edges.
Step 17: Chill the pies for 30 minutes. Brush each pie with the egg wash and cut small slits into the tops of the hand pies.
Step 18: Bake the pies until they’re dark golden brown and have risen. Remove them from the oven. Cool the pies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire cooling rack.
What Strawberries to Use for the Hand Pies
In Oregon, strawberries such as the Hood, the Seascape, and the Mary’s Peak are juicier and will take longer the cook, but produce a more flavorful jam.
The Albion Strawberry is the strawberry that you typically see in the grocery stores from California. They have less moisture, typically have a white center, and will cook faster than the other berries that I just listed.
The most important thing about strawberries is to use strawberries that taste good.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- To ensure the best dough possible, weigh the flour and butter on a scale and use cold butter and ice cold water.
- Keep a one-pint jar of water in the refrigerator to ensure you always have cold water for your pie crust.
- Use strawberries that taste good without sugar. Starting with fruit that tastes good will ensure the best hand pies.
If you make these buttery strawberry hand pies, please leave a rating and a comment below.
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Flaky Strawberry Hand Pies with Roasted Strawberry Filling
Ingredients
Flaky Pie Dough
- 3-1/4 cups (400 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (18 grams) (18 grams) kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (454 grams) unsalted butter, cold 82% butter fat recommended
- 1/2 cup water ice cold
Roasted Strawberries
- 8 cups (1075 grams) fresh strawberries sliced into round
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean optional
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Hand Pies
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon milk (or cream)
- turbinado (raw cane) sugar
Instructions
Make the Pie Dough
- Add the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Cut the butter into small cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Use your fingers to smush the butter into flat pieces. Continue smashing the butter until all of it is flattened and pieces are about the size of quarters. The flour should look like coarse cornmeal.
- Add about 4 tablespoons of water initially and quickly fold it in with a wooden spoon to distribute the water. The dough should appear shaggy. If you need to add more water, add it one (1) tablespoon at a time until it appears shaggy (you may not need all of the water). Keep the dough in the bowl and use your fingers or the palms of your hand to smear the dough up the sides of the bowl.
- Once you've done this all the way around the bowl. fold the dough over itself to pick up any dry bits from the bottom of the bowl. Pour the dough onto a floured work surface (I use a wooden board). Press the dough into a rectangle, lightly flour the top and use a rolling pin and roll out to a rectangle, approximately, 10 x 8-inches. Use a bench scraper to fold the dough into a letter fold. Repeat the rectangle and the letter fold two more times.
- Divide the dough into two pieces and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 45 minutes. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 month.
Make the Strawberry Filling
- Preheat the oven to 425°F for 15 minutes. Time will vary depending on your oven brand.
- Place the sugar in a small bowl. Lay the vanilla bean flat. Look for the rougher, matte side – this is where the bean naturally splits open and where you want to cut. Hold the tip of the bean down with your finger. Using the sharp tip of a paring knife, carefully cut lengthwise down the center of the bean, following the matte side. Don't cut all the way through! Leave the end intact so the bean unfolds like a book.
- Use the blunt back of the paring knife to scrape the fragrant vanilla bean seeds from the bean gently. Place the vanilla bean seeds into the small bowl with the sugar. Use your fingers to rub the vanilla seeds into the sugar until they are distributed throughout the sugar.
- If you don't use all the sugar, use the remaining sugar for another recipe.
- Combine the chopped strawberries, lemon juice and lemon zest, 1/2 cup of the vanilla sugar and salt in a large bowl. With a large spoon gently mix all the ingredients together. Spread the mixture on a half-sheet pan and place in the oven.
- After the first 15 minutes, taste the mixture (careful it's hot) and add more sugar 1/4 cup at a time stirring after each addition. Continue to roas the strawberries, stirring them every 10 minutes until the strawberry syrup starts to thicken and bubble at the edge of the pans.
- When done, remove them from the oven and use a large heatproof spatula to scrape them into a large bowl. Allow the berries to cool until room temperature. Once cooled the berries can be used immediately or refrigerated up to two weeks.
Assemble the Hand Pies
- Remove 1/2 of the dough from the refrigerator. If the dough has been in the refrigerator over night let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to make it easier to roll.
- Whisk the egg and milk together. This egg wash is used to seal the pies and brush the top of the assembled pies.
- Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Divide the dough into sections that weigh about 55 grams each. Roll out each pie a little larger than a 4-inch cookie cutter, then use the cutter to cut out a circle.
- Gather up the scraps into a ball, press it into a circle, wrap it in plastic, and put it in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes and reroll for additional pies.
- Place about 1 tablespoon of strawberry filling in the center of each circle. Brush half of the dough circle with the egg wash using a pastry brush, fold the top half of the dough over the filling, and lightly press it into the bottom piece. Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges.
- Lightly flour a sheet tray or cutting board and place the pies on the sheet tray and chill for at least 30 minutes. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the remaining dough. I use a 1/4 sheet tray to chill the hand pies in the refrigerator because that is what will fit into my refrigerator, but I bake the pies on a 1/2 sheet tray. See the information below for sheet tray dimensions.
Bake the Hand Pies
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Remove the pies from the refrigerator and place them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Brush each pie with the egg wash and then cut three slits into each pie. Heavily sprinkle each pie with raw sugar.
- Bake the pies for approximately 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. The pies will rise slightly. Remove the pies from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool. The pies can be eaten warm or completely cooled to eat later.
Store the Hand Pies
- After the pies are baked, store them at room temperature for up to two days and in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can rewarm them in the oven at 300°F until they are warm (not hot) to the touch.
Gail Hinchsliff says
Very interesting facts on rhubarb and roasting fruit. I have always been told that rhubarb is like the spring tonic. we used to make rhubarb strawberry sauce or use apples with the rhubarb.. May God bless you in all you do..
SK says
The roasted strawberry filling was wonderful if you have the time for that process
I did find the pastry too rich
suevv says
This comment is way overdue - roasting fruit for handpies has been a huge game changer for me. It's just a brilliant way to concentrate flavors while avoiding soggy pie syndrome. I've used this for strawberries, peaches, apples, blackberries and lots of combinations of every sort of fruit. Rave reviews on my hand pies - kudos to you, Cheryl! Warm regards from another engineer-turned-baker!
Terra says
Can this be done using frozen strawberries? Or will the texture be off?
They aren’t in season right now, but I do have some from last year in the freezer I’d love to use up
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Terra
I haven't tried roasting frozen strawberries so I don't know how it will turn out. The strawberry filling in my Strawberry Filled Vanilla Cupcake recipe will work for these pies if you're using frozen berries. You may need to cook the berries a little longer to cook off some of the liquid before adding the cornstarch slurry. Let me know if this helps and if you have more questions.
Suz says
CHERYL!!! When I saw you referencing PNW strawberry varieties I thought, “She’s from Oregon???” I’m your new fan and follower. Roasting strawberries with vanilla sugar is a game changer. I wish I could can the jam to enjoy in the dead of winter! My hand pies turned out beautifully — flaky as promised. Really appreciate the science and precision, I weighed my 55 grams of pie dough with confidence in the outcome. DEE-LISH! Looking forward to trying more berry recipes!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Suz
Thank you for being a new fan and a follower. I'm so excited! Aren't Oregon strawberries the best? Thank you for trying this recipe and leaving this amazing review. I really appreciate it.