Yummy Homemade Cherry Hand Pies

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With a buttery flaky crust and juicy cherry filling these Cherry Hand Pies make the perfect snack for a summer picnic, garden party or 4th of July soiree.

If you love cherry pie as much as I do, these cherry hand pies will be your new party (or anytime!) favorite. They are super easy to make, and your guests (especially the kiddos) will love them.

For this recipe, I am using my go-to Einkorn pie crust, but you can easily substitute your own favorite pie dough recipe or use store-bought pie crust if you are short on time. You can also use any filling you like such as Apple, Blueberry, or Peach. I personally love a slightly tart cherry filling to balance out the sweetness.

Why Einkorn Flour?

Einkorn flour is an ancient grain species that has not been genetically modified like modern wheat. It is easier to digest as it has less starch and less gluten making it a great option for those with gluten sensitivities. It also has a lower glycemic index than All-purpose flour, so it won’t spike your blood sugar as much. It has a wonderful nutty flavor and makes for an extra flaky and flavorful crust that seriously rivals a standard pie crust with traditional flour.

Tips for making Einkorn Pie crust:

• Spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level off with a straight edge. This will ensure you have the proper ratio of flour to water. Scooping it out directly will result in packed flour, which ends up being more flour than called for.

• Leave the butter in the fridge until you are ready to cut it. Cold butter makes for a flakier crust. You want it to remain in solid chunks in the dough so that it can melt into the layers during baking.

• Add your ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the right consistency. If you didn’t measure your flour exactly you may need more or less.

• Chilling the dough for 45 minutes will make it easier to roll out and make it more flaky. Longer is better if time allows. I like to make my dough the night before.

Tools you will need:

• Pastry Blender
• Rolling Pin
• A 4″ biscuit cutter, or bowl or cup that measures roughly 4″ in diameter. You can also use a 6″ size for larger hand pies.
• Parchment paper
• Measuring cups & spoons

Ingredients you will need:

• Einkorn flour. Or regular all-purpose flour.
• Salted butter. I recommend a high-quality butter like Kerrygold Grass-Fed Butter.
• Ice cold water. Just add several ice cubes to your bowl of water.
• Cherry pie filling. I am using the canned version, but you can also make your own.
• Egg. For the egg wash, to give them that toasty golden color.
• Cream. For the egg wash.

How to make Cherry Hand Pies:

1. Measure your into bowl.
2. Cut butter into small cubes and add to flour.
3. Cut butter into flour with a dough/pastry blender until it has a pea-like consistency. This will take some elbow grease, so roll up your sleeves and prepare to burn some calories.
4. Slowly add the ice water until combined. Do not over-mix. The Einkorn flour dough will be a bit stickier than All-purpose flour dough, so have plenty of flour sifted onto your surface, hands, and rolling pin. Turn out the dough and pack it into a ball.
5. Cut the ball in half and form into a disc then wrap each half in cling wrap and chill for a minimum of 45 minutes.
6. Once chilled, roll the dough out to approximately 3/16″-1/4″ thick.
7. Use your biscuit cutter (or in my case, I used a Tupperware bowl) to cut out your circles.
8. Place the hand pie circles onto a parchment-lined baking tray.
9. Chill the circle in the fridge for about 10 minutes. This makes it easier to handle them.
10. Add about 1 tablespoon of cherry pie filling slightly off center to each circle. I try to maximize the cherries and limit the sauce.
11. Brush the edge with egg wash to help seal it tight.
12. Fold the pie circles in half and pinch them shut with your fingers. Then go back and use a fork to crimp the edges.
13. Brush each hand pie with egg wash.
14. Cut large slits in each cherry pie for venting.
15. Bake at 425° for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Don’t worry if the cherry filling oozes out a bit. They will still taste delicious!

Tips for making Cherry Hand Pies:

• The cheap and dirty way to make this would be to use a store-bought crust. If you are feeding 15 little monsters at a birthday party… this is the way.
• I used Cherry Pie filling from a can, but you can certainly make it from scratch if you are super pro.
• No biggie if some cherry pie filling oozes out when you are crimping, it will create extra chewy gooey edges. Yum.
• This recipe makes about 15 hand pies (more or less) if you use all the scraps and stay close to the 4″ cutter size. If you use a 6″ cutter, it will yield 10 cherry hand pies.

Can I make Cherry Hand Pies ahead of time?

Yep. Once you have them on your parchment-lined trays cover them tightly with cling wrap and freeze them. Once frozen, store them in a freezer zip-lock bag until ready to bake. When ready to bake let them defrost slightly then pop them in the oven and bake as directed.

How do I store Cherry Hand Pies?

Best is at room temperature loosely covered. You can put them in the fridge, but they will get soggy faster. To reheat, pop them in the over at 350° for about 10 minutes. 

More Einkorn Recipes:

• Salted Butterscotch Einkorn Cookies
• Fudgy Cocoa Brownies
• Easy Einkorn Apple Pie
• Super Moist Einkorn Banana Bread

Now Milton, let's not be greedy. Share it!