Pumpkin Hand Pies
Pumpkin Hand Pies are perfect little treats to enjoy during the Fall season and holidays. Not only are they delicious, they’re also easier to make and serve than a full size pumpkin pie!
Servings: 9 hand pies
Equipment
Ingredients
Pie dough
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour 198 g
- 2 rounded tablespoon granulated sugar 35 g
- ¼ rounded teaspoon kosher salt 3 g
- 5 oz unsalted butter 141 g, cold & cubed
- 3 tablespoon cold water 44 g
- Extra flour for rolling
Pie Filling
- ½ cup pure pumpkin puree 119 g
- 2 oz cream cheese 55 g, room temperature
- ¼ cup brown sugar 50 g
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- A pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Melted butter for loaf pan
Egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon of milk
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
Make the pie filling
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Add all ingredients for the pumpkin pie filling to a small mixing bowl and beat with a hand whisk until smooth.
- Brush a loaf pan with some melted butter and pour the pie filling into the pan, use a spatula to even out the top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until just set, the filling should be slightly jiggly when you shake the pan.
- Allow to cool completely before filling the hand pies.
Make the pie dough
- Add flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse several times to mix. Add cubed cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and butter is about pea size. Add cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough starts to pull together.
- Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured board, gather together and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and rest in the fridge for an hour.
- Take the pie dough out of the refrigerator and roll out to between ⅛” to ¼” thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into circles using a 4.5” cookie cutter. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting into circles. One batch of pie dough should yield 9 circles. Place the circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Optional: if there are any extra dough scraps, use a pie crust stamp to cut out shapes for decoration if desired. You could also save some dough for decoration, or make an extra batch of pie dough.
Assemble the hand pies
- Beat an egg with one tablespoon of milk to make the egg wash.
- Take out one of the dough circles from the refrigerator, work with one piece of dough at a time while the remaining rest in the refrigerator. Use a small rolling pin to roll the top half of the dough circle to enlarge it just a bit. This will help it fold over the pie filling.
- Brush egg wash around the bottom edge of the circle, add a rounded tablespoon of pie filling on top. Use a spatula to nudge the pie filling into a half moon shape. Fold the top half over to cover the filling. Press the edges together and seal with a fork. Repeat for the remaining circles.
- Optional: if using decorations, brush the back of the decoration with egg wash and attach it to the top of the pie.
- Place the hand pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the refrigerator while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Just before baking, brush egg wash generously over the entire surface of the pies, including the decorations. Create steam vents on top of the hand pies by poking holes with the tip of a paring knife.
- Mix turbinado sugar with pumpkin pie spice and sprinkle generously over the top.
- Bake 18 - 20 minutes uncovered until golden brown
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Precooking the pie filling makes it easier to fill the hand pies because the filling is not as runny.
- The pie filling must be cooled completely before the hand pies can be assembled. Warm filling will soften the pie crust and make it soggy.
Nutrition
Serving: 86g | Calories: 277kcal
