Cherry Hand PIes with Frozen Cherries (Gluten-Free)
These rustic cherry hand pies are made with fresh or frozen cherries and your choice of regular or gluten-free puff pastry. Buttery, flaky pastry pies filled with sweet cherry filling make a memorable dessert or hand-held snack!
1package (2 sheets or ready-to-roll blocks)puff pastry, regular, or gluten-free,thawed
Cherry Pie Filling
12oz (2 ¼ cups)fresh or frozen cherries,pitted,
⅓cupsugar
1teaspoonfresh lemon juice
1pinchsea salt
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
1 ½tablespoonscornstarch
1 ½tablespoonswater
Egg Wash
1largeegg
2teaspoonsmilk,any type
Instructions
Thaw both the cherries and the puff pastry. It's best to thaw them overnight in the fridge. Drain most of the excess liquid from the thawed cherries.
Cherry Pie Filling
Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl to make a slurry, stirring until completely smooth. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon. Once warm, stir in the cornstarch slurry and gradually bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Once it has boiled, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let the cherry filling cool completely before making the hand pies.
Puff Pastry
Most brands of puff pastry come in sheets. Once thawed, slice the sheets in half, then slice each half into three equal pieces, so you'll end up with 12 rectangles (each sheet will yield 6 rectangles.) You'll have 6 bottoms and 6 tops.A pizza wheel works well to slice the pastry.If you're using a frozen block of puff pastry, thaw it, then roll it into a square about 10-12 inches. It should be ⅛th to ¼ inch thick.
Place 3 of the rectangles on each of two parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheets.
Add 2 - 3 tablespoons of the cooled cherry pie filling to each of the 6 bottom rectangles.
Place the remaining 6 pastry rectangles on top of the cherry filling, matching the edges. Use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges, sealing the pies.
Use a pastry brush to brush egg wash over the top layer of pastry.
Important! Place the baking sheets in the freezer for 10 - 15 minutes or in the fridge for about 30 minutes to thoroughly chill the dough. Puff pastry must be chilled before baking to create flaky pastry. See the post for an explanation.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Bake for 30 - 32 minutes. Cool slightly before serving as the filling will be piping hot. Best served warm, but delicious at room temperature, too!
Notes
To store: Wrap the cherry hand pies individually in plastic wrap or in small reusable bags and refrigerate them for up to 5 days.To reheat: They're delicious cold or at room temperature, but if you want to reheat them, it's best to use your oven or even a toaster oven. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in case they leak a little and reheat at 300°F. until warmed through.Freeze them! Bake, then freeze these cherry hand pies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.