Using one sheet of frozen puff pastry can make the cutest hand-held desserts! These fresh Cherry Hand Pies are irresistibly delicious and made in just minutes. It’s such a cute portable dessert for 4th of July!
I’m positive your 4th of July plans include more than two people, however, hear me out: this recipe is easily scaled up to feed your crowd. This recipe is a starting point for you. Simply multiply the ingredients by how many guests you have, and then bake!
I plan on making these fresh cherry hand pies. Puff pastry makes this recipe easy peasy, and I bet you even have the other ingredients in your pantry already. I’m one of those people that always keeps puff pastry in my freezer (because you can even make puff pastry donuts with it!),
In case you don’t want to use the pre-made frozen stuff, don’t miss my recipe for homemade puff pastry from scratch. And once you make your own puff pastry, you can also make ham and cheese puff pastry squares or apple turnovers. Did you know?!
I hope y’all have a wonderful 4th of July!
Ingredients for Cherry Hand Pies
- Cherries. Five ounces of fresh cherries (weigh them with their pits). After pitting you should have a little less than 1 cup.
- Brown Sugar. One tablespoon of brown sugar for sweetening the filling.
- Almond Extract. We’re adding 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract because it tastes remarkably like cherries, but if you don’t have any, vanilla extract is fine, too!
- Lemon. One teaspoon of lemon juice for the filling.
- Cornstarch. To thicken the filling, two tablespoons of cornstarch.
- Puff Pastry. One sheet of puff pastry, defrosted at room temperature for about an hour (or defrost in the fridge overnight). One box comes with two sheets, so you only need one for this recipe. If you’re scaling up, adjust accordingly.
- Egg. A beaten egg yolk and heavy cream brushed on puff pastry before baking is responsible for creating a golden brown crust. You can skip this step, but know that your pies will look very pale after baking.
- Heavy Cream. Two teaspoons (see above).
How to Make Fresh Cherry Hand Pies
First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Yes, this is very hot, but we’re baking puff pastry and it needs the high heat blast to get the ‘puff’ going in the pastry. (The puff in puff pastry is caused by the water in the dough evaporating in the heat of the oven, if you didn’t know).
Pit the cherries to total almost 1 cup. I like to leave them whole for more juiciness and less liquid release. Combine the pitted cherries with the brown sugar, almond extract, lemon juice and cornstarch
Next, flour the counter and unfold the pastry sheet. Gently roll it out to be about 1/2″ larger on all sides. Using a 6″ round cutter or any cup as a guide, cut out 2 circles with a knife. Move the pastry to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Divide the fruit filling evenly between the dough rounds, leaving a 1/2″ border. Beat together the egg yolk and heavy cream in a small bowl, then brush the entire dough with it.
Fold over the dough and crimp with a fork to seal the edges. Make 3 small holes in the top of each pie and sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake these cherry hand pies for 18-21 minutes, until nicely golden and puffy.
Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. If you don’t let cherry hand pies cool before serving, it is literally like biting into cherry lava.
Other 4th of July treats:
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
21 minutes
Total Time
36 minutes
Ingredients
- 5 ounces fresh cherries
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry (1/2 of a box), defrosted
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons heavy cream
- granulated sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- First, pit your cherries. You should end up with almost 1 cup. Place them in a bowl and add the brown sugar, extract, lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir to combine, then set aside.
- Flour the counter and unfold the pastry sheet, and then lightly roll it out pastry to be about 1/2″ larger on all sides. Using a 6″ round cutter, cut out 2 circles. Move the circles to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Divide the cherry filling evenly between the dough rounds, placing it on one side of the circle about 1/2″ from the edge.
- Beat together the egg yolk and heavy cream in a small bowl, then brush the entire edge of the dough circles with it. Fold over the dough and crimp to seal the edges. Slice 3 slits in the top of each pie and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 18-21 minutes, until nicely golden and puffy.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before serving (or hot cherry lava will erupt in your mouth upon the first bite).
Notes
This recipe easily multiplies up to feed a crowd. Enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 265Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 76mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 2gSugar: 17gProtein: 5g
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