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Fresh Cherry Hand Pies with Homemade Pie Crust

With this delicious Cherry Hand Pie recipe, you'll learn how to make cherry filling and pie crust from scratch. Sweet fresh cherries (you can also use frozen) are used to make a tasty and flavorful cherry filling. Next, I'll show you how to make laminated pie dough from scratch which will turn into flaky pie crust when baked.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Chilling Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 409kcal
Author: Cheryl Norris

Equipment

Ingredients

Pie Dough

  • 1 pie dough recipe

Cherry Filling

  • 12 ounces (340 grams) fresh sweet cherries you can also use frozen cherries
  • 1/3 cup (68 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Egg Wash

  • 1 large (50 grams) egg
  • 1 teaspoon water

Topping

  • 3 tablespoons raw or turbinado sugar

Instructions

Make the Pie Dough

  • See my recipe for Homemade Pie Crust to get the list of ingredients and the full recipe for mixing the ingredients hand or with a food processor.
  • Once the dough is all mixed, shape the two pieces into rectangles. Shaping the dough into the shape you eventually want makes it easier to roll out the dough into even rectangles.
  • Chill the dough for at least 45 minutes for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Make the Cherry Filling

  • The weight in the ingredients is for unpitted cherries. By the time you pit the cherries, you should have about 310 grams of pitted cherries
  • Pit the cherries. Cut some of them in half and some of them in quarters. Place the cherries and the sugar in a saucepan. Let the cherries sit for 30 minutes. This step is called maceration. The sugar will draw out the juices in the cherries.
  • If using frozen cherries, pour them into the saucepan and let them thaw completely. You will all the juice from the cherries. Add the sugar and stir together.
  • Bring the cherries to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to medium low and lte the cherries cook until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Mash them 2 or 3 times with a potato masher to break the cherries up. Don’t over mash them, you want the cherry filling to be chunky.
  • Stir together the cornstarch and lemon juice. Pour the lemon-cornstarch mixture into the cherries and stir until the cherries become shiny again. Cook the mixture for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the ground cinnamon and vanilla.
  • Remove the cherries from the heat and pour them into a bowl. Let the cherries cool to room temperature, they should feel cool to the touch. If you’re not making the cherry hand pies the same day, store the cherries in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Assemble the Cherry Hand Pies

  • Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator and let it sit on your work surface for 5 minutes.
  • Roll the dough out to a 17 x 9-1/2 inch rectangle. Trim the dough to 16x9-inches. Next cut the dough into 4 equal rectangles. Use a ruler and a knife to mark the dough at 4-inch intervals. Use a pizza wheel or a sharp knife to cut the dough.
  • Stir together the egg and the water. On the lower half of the dough paint a square with a pastry brush on the outer edges of the dough. The egg wash is used to seal the dough and provide a guide to where the add the cherry filling.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of cherry filling in the center of the lower half within the border created by the egg wash. Use a spoon to spread the filling to the inside edges of the egg wash border. Fold the top half of the dough over the cherry filling and lightly press to seal the edges of the dough.
  • Use a pizza wheel or a sharp knife to trim the folded edge of the dough (that will allow the pie crust to rise) and the other end you just folded over.
  • Use a fork to crimp the dough for a decorative look. The egg wash is used to seal the dough, so you don’t need to crimp it but it does give a pretty look to the hand pies.
  • NOTE: At this point you can freeze the unbaked hand pies for up to 2 months. Arrange the pies in a single layer on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze them in the freezer until firm. Place the pies in a freezer bag and freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, bake them from frozen, but brush only once with egg wash.
  • Repeat these steps for the 3 remaining pieces of dough. Brush the top of each hand pie with the egg wash. Place the hand pies on a flat board and chill them for 30 minutes.
  • While the first hand pies are chilling roll out the second piece of dough and repeat all the steps.

Baking the Hand Pies

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the hand pies from the refrigerator and place 4 pies on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the pies with a second coat of egg wash. Cut 3 slits into the pies on the diagonal. Sprinkle the top of the pies with the turbinado sugar.
  • Bake the pies for 15-18 minutes, until the pies have risen, you can see the layers of pie crust and the pies are dark golden brown.
  • Remove the pies from the oven. Let them sit for 5 minutes then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
  • Let the baking sheet cool to room temperature before baking the second set of hand pies.

Storing the Hand Pies

  • Cool completely: Allow the hand pies to cool completely to room temperature before storing. This will prevent them from becoming soggy.
  • Store at room temperature: These hand pies can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you need to store them for longer, refrigerate them for up to 3 days or freeze them.
  • How to Freeze: To freeze baked cherry hand pies, wrap each pie individually in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.
  • Reheat before serving: To reheat frozen hand pies, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and then bake them in a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven or in an air fryer (using the reheat function) for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through. You can also reheat them in the microwave, but the crust will be soggy and not crisp.

Notes

Weigh Your Ingredients:  For the most consistent results, weigh the ingredients for the pie dough.
Substitutions:  You can use frozen cherries for this recipe.  Buy a 10 or 12-ounce bag.  Thaw the cherries in the saucepan and add the sugar once the cherries are completely thawed.

Nutrition

Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 952IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg