Description
Handcrafted strawberry heart hand pies embody sweet romance and rustic charm from Southern kitchens. Delicate pastry pockets filled with fresh strawberries offer a delightful treat you will cherish with each tender bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 premade 9-inch pie crusts (or homemade pie dough)
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) strawberry jam
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) water
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) milk
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour (for dusting)
Instructions
- Prepare the oven environment by heating to 400°F and positioning parchment-lined baking sheets for optimal pie placement.
- Create an egg wash by whisking egg and water until thoroughly blended, reserving for later application.
- Dust work surface with flour and carefully roll pie crusts to maintain consistent thickness, aiming for approximately 13-inch diameter.
- Utilize a heart-shaped cookie cutter to extract 24 precise dough pieces, strategically maximizing dough usage by re-rolling remaining scraps.
- Perforate top crusts with fork tines to facilitate steam release during baking, preventing potential structural compromise.
- Position bottom dough pieces and center a tablespoon of strawberry jam, then delicately overlay perforated top crusts, meticulously sealing edges with fork crimping.
- Enhance visual appeal by gently brushing assembled pies with prepared egg wash, ensuring even golden coverage.
- Carefully transfer pies onto prepared baking sheets, maintaining spacing between each piece, and bake for approximately 20 minutes until achieving rich golden-brown coloration.
- Extract pies from oven and transition to wire cooling rack, allowing complete temperature reduction before glazing.
- Construct vanilla glaze by blending powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until achieving smooth, pourable consistency.
- Embellish cooled pies with delicate glaze drizzle, permitting two-hour setting period for optimal presentation and texture.
Notes
- Make extra dough for perfect heart shapes, preventing waste and ensuring consistent sizing.
- Chill the cut-out dough pieces for 15 minutes before filling to maintain crisp edges and prevent spreading during baking.
- Use room temperature jam for easier spreading and more even distribution inside the hand pies.
- Consider freezing assembled uncooked pies for quick future baking, storing them between parchment layers to prevent sticking.
- Experiment with alternative fruit preserves like raspberry or mixed berry for flavor variations.
- Sprinkle coarse sugar on top before baking to add delightful texture and extra sweetness.
- Use gluten-free pie crust to make recipe suitable for those with wheat sensitivities.
- Reduce baking time by 2-3 minutes if using smaller cookie cutters to prevent over-browning.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 230 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg