Raspberry Hand Pies

The only thing that is better than a freshly baked pie is a freshly baked hand pie! These raspberry hand pies are the perfect little handheld desserts, no plates or utensils required. These hand pies are loaded with the most delicious homemade raspberry filling that only takes 5 ingredients to make!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR RASPBERRY HAND PIES

To get started, you'll need to gather all of the ingredients needed to make these. And the good news is that you'll only need 6 things! Here's your shopping list:

• Premade pie crusts

• Fresh raspberries

• Granulated sugar

• Lemon zest

• Cinnamon

• Cornstarch

MAKING RASPBERRY HAND PIES

These hand pies come together in just a few steps! Here's what you'll need to do:

Step 1: Make your raspberry filling
Add 12 oz of washed and dried raspberries to a pan. Add in the lemon zest, sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for about 6-10 minutes until the raspberries have broken down and the jam is saucy. Allow your raspberry filling to cool for to room temperature.

Step 2: Prepare and cut your pie dough
One of the best parts of using pre-made pie dough is that you don't even need to roll it out. Pre-made pie crusts usually come with 2 sheets of dough that have already been rolled out to the proper thickness and are ready to use. Use a 3.5" heart-shaped (or any shape of your choosing) cutter for the pie crusts, and cut out the crusts one sheet at a time. You should be able to get about 8 cutouts from each sheet. *Note: You can to re-roll out some of your scrap dough to possibly get 9-10 hand pies.

Place the first layer from the first sheet of dough onto a cookie sheet and pop into the fridge while cutting out the second sheet. Repeat the same steps for cutting out the second sheet of pie crusts. These will be used for the tops of the hand pies. Once they're all cut out, carefully make small slits in the middle of the hearts. You can make an "X" or two parallel lines next to one another in the center of each one.

Step 3: Filling and prepping the hand pies
Start by grabbing the tray of bottom crusts from the fridge. Next, make the egg wash that you will use to help seal the pies together, as well as brush on top before baking. For the egg wash, beat together one egg with 2 tablespoons of milk. Scoop about 1 ½-2 tablespoons or so of raspberry jam into the middle of each heart, making sure to keep a little space from the edges. Repeat for all of the bottom crusts. Now, you'll need to brush the inside edge of your pie crust with egg wash.

Carefully place the top heart crusts onto each pie. Gently press the outside edge of the crust on with your finger. Then, use a fork to crimp/press the edges tightly down around the entire pie. Note: Be sure to press and seal the top "V" of the heart very well. The raspberry jam will seep out while baking if not sealed all the way. Repeat for all of the pies. Brush the tops of the pies with the remaining egg wash. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar, if desired.

Step 4: Baking the hand pies
Pop the hand pies into a 375°F preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops of the pies are nice and golden brown. Allow pies to cool for at least 15 minutes once out of the oven.

WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT THESE HAND PIES

♦ You only need six ingredients! Pies can be intimidating, especially when they call for a bunch of different ingredients. But these hand pies are so simple, and you'll only need six things to make them. It doesn't get easier than that!

♦ They use pre-made pie crust. While you are welcome to use homemade pie crust, this recipe will turn out just as delicious using store-bought! No fussing with butter and flour, and the dough is already rolled out for you!

♦ You can make the raspberry jam in advance. If you need to, you can absolutely make your raspberry filling 1-3 day in advance. Just make the jam, let it cool, and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST RASPBERRY HAND PIES

♦ Don't skip the egg wash. Egg wash is super simple to make. Take one large egg and beat it with 1 tablespoon of milk. You will brush to tops of the hand pies with this egg wash before baking, as well as use it to seal the pies.

♦ Seal your pies completely. Once you place the top crust on your hand pies, you want to me sure to seal them very well, so that none of the raspberry filling oozes out while they're baking. For this recipe, I recommend sealing the top and bottom crusts with egg wash. Once your filling is on the bottom piece of dough, brush the egg wash around the remaining outer edge of pie dough. Then place the top piece of pie dough on top.

♦ Sprinkle them with turbinado sugar. An optional but highly recommended. Once you brush your unbaked hand pies with egg wash, give them a a sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top, then pop them in the oven to bake. It gives them a great texture and the perfect little crunch.

If you give this recipe a try and love it, be sure to leave a comment and star rating! Be sure to tag @thehungrykitchenblog on Instagram so I can see all of your delicious bakes! Happy baking! ♥