Cherry Hand Pies

I wanted to bake something for Doug and Alex to have at the start of their camping trip to the Grand Tetons. I also had been thinking about last month's BakeAlong at King Arthur, so I made Cherry Hand Pies.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 8 1/2 ounces All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (16 tablespoons, 2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
      
• 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

Filling:

• 2 cups fresh pitted cherries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch
• (1/8 teaspoon lemon oil - optional)

Instructions:

1. Make the pastry: 
   Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. 
2. Work the diced butter into the flour mix to make a coarse/crumbly mixture. (Leave most of the butter in large, pea-sized pieces.)
3. Add the Greek yogurt, and stir until the mixture starts to come together in chunks. 
4. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface, and use a few kneads to bring it together.
5. Pat the dough into a log, then roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle. 
6. Dust the dough with flour, and starting with a shorter end, fold it in three times like a business letter.
7. Flip the dough over, rotate it 90 degrees, dist with flour again, then roll it again into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Fold it in thirds again.
8. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.
     
9. Make the filling:
   Combine the pitted cherries and 1 cup water in a sauce pan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. 
10. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together, removing all lumps. 
11. Add the sugar mixture (and lemon zest if using) to the cherries. 
12. Continue to cook the cherry mixture until it comes to a rolling boil. 
13. Cook 1 minute more, until thickened.
    
    


14. Allow the cherry filling to cool slightly while you prepare the crust.
15. Preheat the oven to 425°F; place a rack on the middle shelf. 
16. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
17. Assemble the pies:
    Roll the dough into a 9 x 18” rectangle. 
18. With a ruler and pizza cutter, cut out eighteen 3" squares.
19. Divide the filling among nine of the squares, using about a heaping tablespoon  or a large cookie scoop. (I made sure each square had at least 3 cherries, and then divided up extra cherries.
    
    


20. Brush some of the beaten egg along the edges of each filled square.
21. Cut a couple of vents into each of the remaining nine ‘top’ squares.
22. Top each filled square with a ‘top’ square, and press down along the edges, and then seal with the tines of a fork.
23. Brush the top of each pie with some beaten egg, and sprinkle with (sparkling) sugar. 
24. Transfer the pies to the prepared baking sheet.
    (If the dough becomes sticky and hard to work with, simply refrigerate them for about 20 minutes until firm.)
    
    


25. Bake the pies:
    Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until they're a light golden brown. 
26. Remove them from the oven, and let cool on a rack for 20 minutes before serving.
27. Store pies, lightly wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage.

Carole's Notes:

Hand size cherry pies - of course we liked them!

This recipe is lightly adapted from http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/blueberry-hand-pies-recipe
and
http://carolelikesroundfood.blogspot.com/2015/07/mini-cherry-pies.html