Cherry Hand Pies

A pie you can take anywhere! Hand pies are a delicious way to have your pie and eat it too. Cherry is my favorite.

1 recipe Pie Dough (see below)
1⁄3 c sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 can red tart cherries (I used Oregon Fruit)
1⁄4 t vanilla
1⁄8 t almond extract (optional)
1⁄2 T unsalted butter
1 egg beaten with 1 T water
Demerara or sparkling sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment.

Drain cherries, reserve the juice. Add the sugar and cornstarch to a small saucepan, and whisk about half of the cherry juice. Heat slowly, whisking constantly over medium heat until juice has thickened. If too thick, add more juice and whisk. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla, almond extract, and butter. Gently stir in cherries and set aside to cool.

To assemble the hand pies, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1⁄8 inch. Cut out circles with a 5-inch diameter (I use a small bowl as a guide). Place a generous tablespoon filling at the bottom half of each circle. Paint egg wash around the border of the circle and then fold the top half over the bottom half to make a half moon shaped pie. Press down on the edges to seal, then use the tines of a fork to further seal and make a decorative edge. If you have time, refrigerate pies for 30-60 minutes before baking. Cut 3-4 slits in the top of each pie to vent. Transfer pies to the sheet pan, brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown. Let them cool to room temperature before serving.

Pie Dough

Make this dough ahead of time, wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze for 2 months. I always make a double recipe and freeze one.

1 1⁄4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T sugar (optional)
1⁄4 t kosher salt
7 T cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg yolk
2-3 T ice water, or half vodka/half water

Place flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour. You can also use a food processor, but be careful not to over process.

Add yolk and 2 tablespoons ice water, stirring (or pulsing) to work in the liquid. You want the dough to hold together, but not be too wet. Add more water if dough feels too dry. Transfer to a floured work surface and gather the dough together to form a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.