Strawberry hand pies made with a buttery and flaky homemade pie crust and filled with sweet and juicy strawberries! Delicious and beautiful, they’re the perfect treat all year round, specially around summer when berries are in season.
Pie Dough Recipe
I used my favorite all-butter pie crust which you can find the recipe plus a video tutorial here. It’s super easy, turn out super flaky and delicious and just works every time! You can make this pie dough 3 days ahead of time and refrigerate it until ready to use.
Then roll out the dough into 1/8 inch thickness, cut into hearts using a cookies cutter, then freeze the dough for 5 to 10 minutes. Just keep in mind that working with a cold dough is so much easier so make sure you pop it into the freezer or refrigerator whenever it gets warm.
I used a 3.5 inch heart shaped cookie cutter for the pies, then used a knife to draw a + on top of each pie to help the steam come out.
This post contains affiliate links. It means when you purchase something using these links, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting my blog!
How to Make Strawberry Heart Hand Pies
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- 2 Homemade all-butter crusts - Find the recipe link in Instruction & Notes
Filling:
- 2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 3-4 tbsps granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- ¾ tbsp cornstarch
Topping:
- 1 egg - slightly beaten
- 1 tbsp cream or milk
- coarse or granulated sugar - to sprinkle on top
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Make double the pie crust recipe here. Divide the dough in half, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Prepare the filling:
- Add strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch to a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir and let it come to a simmer. Let it cook for about 2 minutes, until it thickens. Mash the strawberries into chunks with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. Taste the filling and add more sugar if you like. Take it off the heat, add in lemon zest and vanilla extract. Stir. Let it cool down then refrigerate until ready to use. You can prepare this filling the day before.
Rolling out the dough:
- For the hand pies to keep their shapes, it's important to work with a cold dough. So anytime you feel like the dough is getting warm, transfer the dough to a lined baking sheet and place it in the freezer or refrigerator until it's cold again (about 15-30 minutes in the fridge or 5-10 minutes in the freezer).
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled pie dough with a rolling pin to about 1/8" thick. Keep rotating it and rolling it so that it doesn't stick to the surface.
- Using a 3-4 inch heart shape cookie cutter, cut the rolled out dough hearts. Re-roll the scraps and cut into hearts. Transfer the hearts onto a lined baking sheet and refrigerate/freeze them until cold. Repeat the same for the other disc of chilled dough and refrigerate.
Assemble the pies:
- Make the egg-wash by whisking one egg and one tablespoon of cream or milk together. Also, have a pastry brush ready nearby.
- For each hand pie, you need two hearts. Place about 1-2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of bottom piece, leaving some space around the borders.
- With a pastry brush, apply a little bit of egg-wash around the edges. This will work like a glue to stick two pieces together. Place another heart on top. Use a small fork to press the edges of two pieces together. Use a sharp knife to create a + on top. This will help release the steam. Repeat the same for other pies.
- Place the hand pies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze them for 15 minutes. Refrigerate the egg-wash in the meantime, you'll need more of it later.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Baking:
- Brush the hand pies with egg-wash and sprinkle some coarse or granulated sugar on top. The egg-wash gives them a beautiful golden color and the sugar adds some crunch.
- Bake at the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown. Rotate the pan half way through.
- Enjoy with tea or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They can be served warm or cold depending on your preference.
Notes
- Easy Pie Crust Recipe: Click here to see my pie crust recipe.
More Pie Recipes:
2 comments
Those are adorable! Perfect for Valentine’s Day, I’m going to make them next year. What great photos too!
Thank you! So glad you like them!:)