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Bing Cherry Hand Pies

Bing Cherry Hand Pies
Bing Cherry Hand Pies get eaten up so fast at my house! I think we almost never finish a whole true pie, but when I make these delicious pastries they quickly disappear. The easy pie filling is made from frozen pitted cherries that takes just minutes to make and the pastry crust is so simple but turns out flaky and buttery every time.
Bing Cherry Hand Pies

I like to make the small ones so I don't feel so guilty about having one as a treat now and then. These are so cute and so convenient to take along in a sack lunch or to a picnic or party. A perfect portable dessert!

 

Bing Cherry Hand Pies

But then sometimes I get tired making the little perfect ones and move on to the man sized rustic hand pies. They are super fast to make and I don't worry about them being perfectly formed. Individuals with character can be very pleasing too.

These are absolutely delicious and the ratio of pie filling to pie crust goes up making them even more sweet and gooey than the little ones. 

 

Choose your favorite or make them both! Here's a look at how to put them together.

Let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container at room temperature. If we have any left after 4 days they still taste delicious. 
Make some soon for the ones you love.
Cheers!
~Melisa
Bing Cherry Hand Pies

Bing Cherry Hand Pies

Ingredients

For the Filling

2 cups Frozen Bing Cherries, pitted, halved

2 tablespoons Cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon water

dash of salt

For the Pastry

2 cups pastry or all purpose flour

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar (optional)

1/2 to 3/4 cup butter

4 to 7 tablespoons tablespoons ice water

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk

Method

For the Pastry

Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl or mixer bowl.

With an electric mixer, food processor, pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips, cut or rub the fat into the flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal with some larger pieces still remaining.

 

Sprinkle in the ice water, one tablespoon at a time. Continue until the dough is just moist enough to hold together. Then gather it into a ball by pouring the bowl out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and gathering the edges together pressing the dough crumbs into a flat disc. Divide the disc in two, wrap separately and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

For the Filling

Add 2 cups of halved, frozen pitted bing cherries, sugar, cornstarch, a dash of salt and 1 tablespoon of water to a small pot. Stir well to coat the cherries over medium heat. After it begins to boil and thicken, remove it from the heat and allow to cool completely. I move the cherries from the hot pot into a cool bowl to help them cool faster.
 

 

To Finish the Pies

After your pastry crust has chilled, roll it out and cut circles with the largest circle cutter you have to make the small hand pies. Mine is about 3 inches in diameter. Remove the excess dough and save it to roll out for the next batch.

Top the circles of pastry with about 1 tablespoon of filling. They will be very full. Use one beaten egg to seal them using your finger or a small pastry brush, then crimp them with the tines of a fork.

For the large hand pies, divide half of your dough into 4 small balls and roll them out free form. Top each of the pastries with 2-3 tablespoons of cherry pie filling.

Use a small pastry brush or your finger to paint the edge of the dough with the beaten egg, then fold one side over onto the other. I roll the edge back on itself to get a better seal, then crimp the edges together using a fork.

Brush the pies completely with the beaten egg then score them three times across the top using a sharp knife, blade or bread lame.

 

When all of the pies are prepared, bake on a parchment covered baking sheet in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are golden brown. 

 

Allow them to cool for a few minutes before breaking into all that yummy goodness inside. They will be very hot.

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