These Cherry Hand Pies are made with cherry pie filling and pre-made refrigerated pie crust and could not be easier to put together and bake. The recipe has just 5 ingredients, and one of them is water. (Does that even count?)
If you love the part of a traditional cherry pie where the fruit filling meets the pie crust (I do, I do), then you’re going to love this handheld pie. It’s a bit like a cherry turnover with pie crust.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Quick Recipe. A pie recipe may conjure up images of making dough from scratch and a mess of flour everywhere, but this quick and easy cherry hand pie recipe is really about assembling ready-made pie crust, like those rolled up Pillsbury pie crusts, with canned cherry pie filling.
Make the hand pies any shape you want! Heart-shaped cherry hand pies are an easy Valentine’s Day treat, but you can cut out stars for Fourth of July or Christmas trees for the holidays.
For any occasion, I like to make round hand pies, but rectangles like a pocket, or triangles like a typical turnover have lots of space for cherry fruit filling.
Enjoy as a sweet breakfast treat. Hand pies aren’t just for dessert. They also go great with your morning coffee or tea. This super moist banana bread is another breakfast and brunch favorite.
Ingredients Needed
- cherry pie filling
- pie crusts
- egg
- water
- sugar
Cherry Pie Filling – For this quick and easy recipe, use canned pie filling. You won’t use the entire can, so see my list of suggestions below for ideas on how to use the remaining cherries and glaze.
Pie Crust – Again, this is a quick and easy hand pie recipe, so grab some Pillsbury pie crust or your favorite brand.
TIP – Buy refrigerated pie crusts when they’re on sale. Then put them in the freezer before the “Use By” date for up to 2 months.
Egg and Water – A simple egg wash is used to seal the top and bottom pie crusts together and for making them shine on top.
I use the full egg including the yolk, but you can just use egg whites if that’s your preference.
Sugar – For the finishing touch, sprinkle some sugar on top of the egg wash. It gives the pies a little sparkle, sweetness and crunch.
White course sugar gives your hand-pies professional bakery vibes, but if all you have on-hand (like me) is regular granulated white sugar, that’s fine, too.
How to Make Cherry Hand Pies
Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- Roll the dough so it’s 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Using a large cookie cutter that’s about 4 inches (or a template like my heart-shape cutout), cut the shapes out of the dough. Roll any excess crust, and cut out remaining shapes. (I got 16 total hearts, enough for 8 hand pies.)
- Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl. This will be used to seal the top and bottom pieces of dough together and as an egg wash to add shine.
- Work on one hand pie at a time, then repeat until all pies are assembled. First, add 1-2 tablespoons of cherry pie filling in the center of dough cut-out. (Don’t overfill.) Using a pastry brush or clean finger, put a little egg mixture all the way around the edge of the dough. Then, place another piece of dough over the cherries. Gently press around the edges with your finger to seal. Using a fork, lightly press the outer edges of the pie crust together. Wipe off any filling that may have oozed out, then place on the baking tray. Repeat for all the hand-pies.
- Using a sharp knife, cut 3 small slices in the top of each pie. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle on the sugar.
- Bake for 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through for even baking. Remove from oven when light golden brown.
Roll the pie crust and cut out hearts.
Make your hand pies any shape you want. But it’s best to keep it simple.
If you don’t have a 3-4 inch cookie cutter make a template out of cardboard like I did. You can also cut around a large mug for a round hand pie or make simple rectangles.
To make hand pies that are one piece of dough folded in half, cut out larger pieces of pie crust (about 5-6″), add pie filling to one side, then fold over and press to seal. Circles can be folded into half moons, and squares can be folded into rectangles or triangles.
Assemble the cherry hand pies.
It’s best to make one hand-pie at a time so the egg wash seal (between the top and bottom hearts) doesn’t dry out as you work.
Bake and cool.
If your oven cooks unevenly, rotate the tray halfway through. (Mine always cooks faster towards the back.)
Recipe Notes
- Don’t overfill the pies.
- Wipe off any filling that oozed out before baking the pies.
- Rotate pies in oven for even baking (if your oven has hot spots like mine).
- Simple cut-out shapes work best for filling.
How to Freeze the Pies & Bake Later
Want to freeze pies to bake later? Make the hand pies (steps 2, 3 and 4). Do not cut slits or add egg wash and sugar until ready to bake.
Freeze the pies on a tray for 1-2 hours, then place the frozen pies in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
You can bake from semi-frozen. I like to let them thaw for about 15 minutes so it’s easier to cut the slits.
Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Cover with foil towards the end to prevent burning.
Suggestions for Using Remaining Cherry Pie Filling
- Dust off your ice cream machine and make homemade cherry garcia ice cream!
- Use it as a dessert topping, for cheesecake, mousse, ice cream and more.
- Warm up the cherry filling and spoon some over pancakes, waffles or crepes.
- Make individual cherry crisps or cobbler.
Cherry Hand Pies
Cherry Hand Pies are an individual-size, fruit-filled dessert that bring together flaky pie crust with a sweet cherry filling. These little turnover-style handheld pies can be cut into a variety of shapes, only take minutes to make, and are great for summer picnics, holiday parties, Valentine's Day and more.
Ingredients
- pie crust for 9" double-crust pie
- 1 cup cherry pie filling
- course sugar, turbinado sugar or granulated white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- Roll the dough so it's 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Using a large cookie cutter that's about 4 inches (or a template like my heart-shape cutout), cut the shapes out of the dough. Roll any excess crust, and cut out remaining shapes. (I got 16 total hearts, enough for 8 hand pies.)
- Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl. This will be used to seal the top and bottom pieces of dough together and as an egg wash to add shine.
- Work on one hand pie at a time, then repeat until all pies are assembled. First, add 1-2 tablespoons of cherry pie filling in the center of dough cut-out. (Don't overfill.) Using a pastry brush or clean finger, put a little egg mixture all the way around the edge of the dough. Then, place another piece of dough over the cherries. Gently press around the edges with your finger to seal. Using a fork, lightly press the outer edges of the pie crust together. Wipe off any filling that may have oozed out, then place on the baking tray. Repeat for all the hand-pies.
- Using a sharp knife, cut 3 small slices in the top of each pie. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle on the sugar.
- Bake for 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through for even baking. Remove from oven when light golden brown.
Notes
- Don't overfill the pies.
- Wipe off any filling that oozed out before baking the pies.
- Rotate pies in oven for even baking (if your oven has hot spots like mine).
- Simple cut-out shapes work best for filling.