Strawberry Hand Pies

A 30-minute dessert

My favorite kind of desserts? The ones that are super delicious, but don't take a lot of time to make. That's just the ultimate satisfaction. Especially if you're super impatient like me! Enter: Strawberry hand pies.

So what makes this recipe so quick and easy? Store-bought frozen pie crust.

I don't know about you, but I personally love store bought pie crust. I'm so glad it exists because it constantly comes in handy! I just keep it in the freezer and use it whenever I need.

Frozen pie crust is also the best because like I mentioned, I'm impatient. and I just can't be bothered to make pie crust at home when I can buy it already made from the store.

I know some people are ~pie crust purists~ and insist on making their own, so if that's you, totally substitute a homemade pie crust for the store bought suggested here! It will just make this recipe a little more complicated.

The perfect Valentine's Day treat!

Strawberry hand pies are a great idea for a quick and easy Valentine's Day recipe! Pie is so warm and comforting, plus if you make these hand pies heart-shaped, it just adds to the warm fuzzy feelings these pies elicit. Nothing says "I love you" quite like homemade pie!

The strawberry flavor is also super V-day festive. Strawberries always make me think of Valentine's Day, and the pinkish-red color of the filling is just perfect!

Strawberry hand pies ingredients, notes, and substitutions

Here's everything you need to make these strawberry hand pies, plus possible substitutions.

• Pie crust: I recommend store bought for the easiest and fastest strawberry hand pies! You may substitute with homemade if you wish.
• Strawberries: I used fresh strawberries. You may substitute frozen, but just keep in mind they will have much more liquid, which will effect the consistency of the strawberry filling.
• Lemon juice: balances flavor. Can be from fresh lemon or bottle.
• Vanilla extract: for flavor!
• Light brown sugar: you may substitute dark brown, if that's what you have on-hand.
• Corn starch: thickens the filling for the perfect consistency
• Egg: for egg wash
• Coarse sugar: for sprinkling over top the pies. optional but pretty! I use Sugar In the Raw.

How to make strawberry hand pies

First thing's first, prep the strawberries by cutting the tops off and slicing each one into quarters. Add them to a small saucepan over medium heat, followed by the lemon juice, brown sugar, and vanilla. Combine and simmer for about 5 minutes. At this point, you can use a potato masher to break the strawberries down into smaller pieces.

Now, Stir in the corn starch. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the strawberries are soft and the mixture looks saucy, about 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and let the strawberry filling cool completely before adding to pie crust.

Next, unroll the pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Start cutting out the shapes for your hand pies, re-rolling any scraps.

Add about 2 tablespoons of the cooled strawberry filling to the center of half of the cut-out shapes. Use the remaining shapes to top the ones with the filling. Using the tines of a fork, press along the edges of the pies to seal them. Using a sharp knife, slice a small "X" in the middle of the pie for a vent.

Brush the tops of the pies with a beaten egg, followed by a sprinkling of coarse sugar. Transfer the strawberry hand pies to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pies are golden brown. Remove the hand pies from the oven, and let them cool on the pan.

Recipe tips and tricks

• Be careful not to overfill the hand pies! Put just enough to cover the middle, leave plenty of room around the edges so that the strawberry filling doesn't squeeze out.
• The exact yield of the recipe will vary depending on the shape and size of cutter you use, but you should end up with somewhere between 8 and 12 hand pies.
• You don't need to use a cooke cutter to make these. You can simply use a knife to cut the pie crust into rectangles instead.
• Strawberry hand pies will keep for around 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

That's it for this recipe- thanks for reading! I hope you love these super simple and delicious strawberry hand pies.

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate if you left a comment and a rating below. Your support helps me continue to be able to bring you free recipes and content! You can also tag me on Instagram @lalaskitchentable if you make one of my recipes- I love to see what you’re making! 🙂

Strawberry Hand Pies

Strawberry hand pies are everything you love about pie, without the hassle of making it! A juicy strawberry filling is wrapped in flaky pie crust coated in crunchy sugar crystals, for a delicious and adorable dessert.

• 1 package pie crust (thawed)
• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 1 egg (beaten)
• coarse sugar (for sprinkling)

1. Measure 2 cups whole strawberries. Cut tops off strawberries and slice each one into quarters. Add strawberries to a small saucepan over medium heat, followed by the lemon juice, brown sugar, and vanilla. Combine and simmer for about 5 minutes. At this point, you can use a potato masher to break the strawberries down into smaller pieces.

2. Stir in the corn starch. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the strawberries are soft and the mixture looks saucy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and let the strawberry filling cool completely before adding to pie crust.

3. Unroll the defrosted pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Start cutting out the shapes for hand pies, re-rolling any scraps. Add about 2 tablespoons of cooled strawberry filling to the center of half of the cut-out shapes. Use the remaining shapes to top the ones with the filling. Using the tines of a fork, press along the edges of the pies to seal them. Using a sharp knife, slice a small "X" in the middle of the pie for a vent.

4. Brush the tops of the pies with beaten egg, followed by sprinkling of coarse sugar. Transfer the strawberry hand pies to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until pies are golden brown. Remove hand pies from oven; let them cool on the pan. Store at room temperature in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Dessert

hand pies, pie, strawberry