There is no better season than summer! The sights, sounds, fragrances and tastes of summer just can’t be beat.
It’s hard not to take advantage of the plethora of fresh fruit that is available during the best season of the year, and that includes fresh peaches.
I don’t know where you come from, but I love it when my local farmers market has fresh picked peaches, or whenever I find a peach stand on the side of the road.
I’m a sucker for local, fresh produce! And that’s where this recipe for peach hand pies comes into play.
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What you will love about this peach hand pies recipe
You will absolutely love the flavor of fresh, ripe peaches baked in an easy pie crust.
The thing that I really love about this recipe is the convenience of these hand pies being hand help and easy to eat!
Yes, hand pies mean that they are easy to hold in your hand and easy to eat on the go!
Not only are they conveniently portioned, but they are also freezable. You can freeze peach hand pies and pull them out on a sad winter day to give you a lift.
Tips
I want to make sure that this recipe is as easy as possible, that’s why I have opted to use store bought pie crust.
If you want to make your own homemade pie crust you can, but I’m going for ease here.
If you want to cut down on your prep time and dishes, use store bought pie crust!
Ingredients
Nothing is better than a soft, fresh, juicy peach! If you have ever had one straight off of the tree, then you know what I’m talking about!
When I was growing up, we had a few peach trees. When those peaches started to ripen on the tree, you could smell the aroma of fresh peaches from across the yard.
We couldn’t wait for peach season. We would eat peaches on ice cream, peaches in cereal, peach cobbler, and peaches for every meal and snack.
For this peach hand pie recipe, I am begging you to use fresh peaches. When you pick out good peaches at the store, let your nose guide you.
If the peach has a fragrant, sweet smell to it then it will be a good peach, even if it is still hard. As long as it has a good peach smell to it, it will have flavor.
If your peaches are hard, put them in a brown paper bag on the countertop for 1 day and they should soften up and be ready for use.
But whatever you do, DON’T refrigerate your peaches. If you put them in the fridge, you will end up with a stringy textured peach.
Ripening your peaches on the counter in a paper bag is the way to go.
Here are the ingredients for peach hand pies:
- 1 box (14.1 oz) of premade pie crust (like Pilsbury or something similar)
- Fresh peaches
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Cinnamon (optional)
- Corn starch
- Egg
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
How to make peach hand pies
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Peel 4-5 medium peaches and dice them into bite sized pieces, placing them in a medium mixing bowl.
Take a few tablespoons of water and add the cornstarch to it, whisking it until all of the lumps are gone.
Add the sugar, cornstarch mixture, a dash of salt, vanilla and cinnamon (optional) to the peaches and stir it together.
The cornstarch is necessary so that the peach filling isn’t too runny. It will help thicken it up.
Let it sit for a few minutes while you prepare the pie crust circles.
Open the premade refrigerated pie dough and lay it out flat on a cutting board or pastry mat.
You will want to cut out circles, either with a round cookie cutter, or a large round cup. The smaller you make the hand pies, the more you will get.
However, if your hand pies are too small, they will be harder to seal closed. I prefer to make my circles about 3.5-4 inches in diameter.
Take your leftover dough and roll it out again to make more cutouts. I usually end up with about 12 or more dough circles.
Carefully spoon 1-2 heaping tablespoons of the peach filling into the center of each pie crust circle.
Make sure not to let it run or drip onto the edge of pie dough, otherwise it will hinder it from sealing well.
To ensure that the edges seal well, dip your finger in some water and run it along the edge before sealing them.
Fold each pie circle into a half moon shape and press down on the edges to seal it well. You can even fold the edge in on itself to really make sure it is closed.
Take a fork and crimp the sealed edges. This will make it seal better and look nicer.
These end up looking like empanadas. They really are like a sweet empanada with fruit filling, if we take it down to the essence of what this recipe is.
Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place each peach hand pie on top, leaving a few inches between them.
With a fork, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Take a pastry brush and brush the top of each hand pie with a thin coating of the egg wash mixture.
This will give it that golden flaky crust as it bakes.
Place the cooking sheet in the middle of the preheated oven and bake it for about 20 minutes, or until it is golden brown on the top.
Remove the peach hand pies from the oven and let them cool for about 15 minutes before drizzling with frosting.
With a whisk, mix together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add ½ teaspoon of milk at a time until it gets to the right consistency.
Drizzle the top of the hand pies with the icing. Serve and enjoy!
Variations
These homemade fruit hand pies can also be made with fresh pitted pie cherries. If you use pie cherries, you will need to add about twice as much sugar since they are very tart.
Substitutions
If you can’t find fresh peaches at the store, or if they are not in season, I would recommend substituting with diced, frozen peaches (make sure to thaw them completely).
I do not recommend using pie filling since that will take away the fresh flavor for which this recipe is intended.
Serving Suggestions
These hand pies are best served slightly warm. They store easily in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Reheat it in the microwave until slightly warm.
Freezing instructions
After you seal the peach hand pies and before baking them, place them in the freezer until they are completely frozen.
After they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container. They can be frozen for up to 6 months in a deep freezer.
When you are ready to bake them, pull them out of the freezer and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and thaw them for 30-45 minutes before baking them.
Brush with the egg wash right before baking them and bake them according to the instructions.
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
FAQ’s
What’s another name for a hand pie?
Hand pies can go by different names, depending on where you are from. Hand pies can also be called “turnover”, “pasty” and “empanada”.
How do I stop my hand pies from leaking?
Check to make sure that you properly seal each hand pie and use an egg wash on the top. Dip your finger in water and barely wet the edge of the circle before closing it up.
Press the edges together, make a slight fold along the edge and crimp it with a fork.
How do you reheat hand pies?
You can easily reheat hand pies in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds until it is warm.
📖 Recipe
Peach Hand Pies
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 package 14.1 oz refrigerated premade pie dough crust (like Pilsbury)
- 4-5 medium peaches
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons water separated
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dash of salt
- ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon optional
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Remove the skin from the peaches and dice them into small bite size pieces, add them to a medium mixing bowl.
- Whisk the cornstarch together with 2 tablespoons of water until all of the lumps are gone.
- Add the sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon (optional) and cornstarch mixture to the peaches and stir it together. Set aside.
- Place the pre-made pie crust on a cutting board. With a round cookie cutter or a large cup, cut out 3 ½-4 inch circles. Take the extra pie dough and roll it out again, continuing to cut out circles until you have used all of the pie dough.
- Carefully spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the peach filling onto the center of each pie dough circle, taking care not to drip any along the edge.
- Dip your finger in water and run it along the edge of the pie dough circles. This will help them to seal well. Fold the circles in half to make a half-moon shape, pressing the edges together to fully seal it.
- Fold the edge over on top of itself and press it again. Using a fork, crimp the sealed edges.
- Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and put the assembled hand pies on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water. With a pastry brush, brush a thin coating of egg wash onto the top of each hand pie.
- Bake in the oven for 18-23 minutes, or until golden brown on the top.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes.
- While they are cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until a thick icing forms. If it is too dry, add ½ teaspoon of milk at a time until you get a good consistency for drizzling.
- Drizzle the top of each hand pie with the icing. Serve while warm and enjoy!
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