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VALENTINE HAND PIES

A scrumptious heart-shaped hand pie filled with berry goodness! EAsy to make and a sweet treat for anyone on your Valentine list. 
Servings 8 hand pies

Ingredients

  • 1 TBS sour cream
  • 1 TBS fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 TBS ice water more if needed
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 STICK cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup fresh fruit this can be a mix of fruit
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 TBS cornstarch
  • 1 egg large
  • 1 tsp water
  • 2 TBS sanding sugar can use regular sugar too

Instructions

  • DOUGH
    Put sour cream and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.
    In a food processor, add flour, salt, and sugar. Whirl until mixed… just a couple of seconds.
    Add cold butter to flour mixture and pulse until butter is incorporated into the flour, about 15 seconds.
    Add ice water to sour cream and lemon juice. Whisk together. Add to processor and pulse until it makes a crumbly dough. Press the dough between your fingers to see if it sticks together. If it does not, add a few drops of water to the processor while it is running to mix.  Check if the dough sticks together. The dough should not be wet or too “shaggy”.
    Shape the dough into two equal discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30~ 45 minutes. The dough must be chilled to work with.
    Roll out each disc one at a time, to an average dough thickness, about 1/8", and cut out 16 hearts with a large heart cookie cutter. My cutter was 3 1/3 inches tall and 4 1/2 inches at the widest part of the heart.
    Put the dough hearts onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets and chill for an additional 15 minutes.
    Preheat oven to 375.
    FILLING
    Meanwhile, make the filling.
    (Fruit that is very large, like strawberries, need to be cut into smaller chunks)
    Add the fruit to a bowl. Add sugar and corn starch. Mix and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
    *My cherries were frozen, thawed and the excess liquid squeezed out. I used fresh strawberries and blueberries and found them to be a much better filling. Use fresh fruit if possible.
    ASSEMBLY
    Mound 1 TBS of fruit mixture in the center of a heart cut out. This is a judgment call. The more fruit, the better the hand pies taste. But too much fruit make the hand pies hard to work with.
    Put water in a cup and using your clean finger, dip it into the water and run it around the edge of the heart cut out.
    Put a dough heart on top of the bottom heart with the filling and match up the edges. Using a fork, press the edges together so they are secure.
    Cut little x’s into the top of the heart to vent steam.
    Continue making the remainder of the little pies.
    Put the 8 hand pies on 2 parchment-lined baking sheet. Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl. Brush it over the pies. Sprinkle with sugar.
    Bake pies on two racks in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Watch them very carefully… don’t let the crust get too dark!
    Remove the little heart hand pies to a wire rack and cool completely