Cherry Mitten Hand Pies Recipes

FRUIT-FILLED HAND PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together fruit, sugar, orange zest and juice, salt, and cornstarch; mix until well combined. Set fruit mixture aside.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough to a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Trim to 15-by-10 inches. Cut into six 5-inch squares. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour. Working with one square at a time, place 2 tablespoons of reserved fruit mixture in the center. Brush two connecting edges with beaten egg and fold on the diagonal over the filling, pressing to seal. Repeat process with remaining squares.
• Repeat entire process with remaining pate brisee. Place hand pies on prepared baking sheet. Brush pies with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Using a pair of clean scissors, snip the center of one side of each hand pie to allow steam to escape.
• Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake until crusts are golden brown and filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm.

CHERRY-AND-CREAM-CHEESE HAND PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 1 1/4 cups cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 teaspoons flour, and a pinchof salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook 30 seconds more, then remove from heat and let cool completely, 30 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup cherries and lime juice (you should have 1 cup).
• Beat together cream cheese, lime zest, egg yolk, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and remaining pinch of salt on medium speed until smooth. Beat in coconut and remaining 1 tablespoon flour.
• On a lightly floured sheet of parchment, roll out dough to a 16 1/2-by-12 1/2-inch rectangle. Trim edges. Cut in half horizontally; cut each half into four 4-by-6-inch rectangles (8 total). Slide parchment onto a baking sheet; refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Remove dough from refrigerator. Place 1 tablespoon cream-cheese mixture on one short side of a piece of dough. Top with about 2 tablespoons cherry mixture. Brush edges with egg wash, then fold dough over to enclose filling. Press edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Cut a 1-inch vent in top of each pastry. Brush off excess flour, then brush with egg wash. Freeze 15 minutes. Transfer to oven, reduce temperature to 375 degrees, and bake until pies are puffed, golden brown, and bubbling, 32 to 37 minutes. Transfer immediately to a wire rack; let cool completely.

CHERRY MITTEN HAND PIES

Steps:

• For the filling: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the cherries, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries are juicy, the sugar dissolves and the liquid begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.
• Stir together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan and continue to simmer, stirring, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the lemon juice and let cool completely.
• For the crust: Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Unroll both pie crust rounds, dust them with flour and roll with a rolling pin just to flatten out any creases and thin the dough slightly. Use a 4-inch mitten-shaped cutter to cut out as many mittens as possible, rerolling the dough once; you should have 16 to 20 pieces in all.
• Arrange half of the mittens on the prepared baking sheets. Beat the egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Brush around the edges of the mittens with the egg wash. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each mitten (the amount you use will depend on the exact size of the cutter, but do not overfill). Cover each with a second mitten, pressing to seal with your finger. Brush the tops with the egg wash. Cut one small slit in the top of each mitten to let steam escape. Bake until the crust is golden and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the pies to a rack to cool completely.
• For the royal icing and decoration: Meanwhile, combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 6 tablespoons water and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft glossy peaks form, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons water if necessary to make a smooth, slightly thick icing. Remove a third of the icing to a small bowl. Add food coloring to the remaining icing to make a light blue color.
• Transfer the blue icing to a pastry bag fitted with a #6 or #7 round tip. Transfer half of the white icing to a pastry bag fitted with a #3 or #4 round tip and the other half of the icing to a pastry bag fitted with a #103 or #104 rose petal tip.
• Pipe a thin blue border around the edge of each cookie, leaving the cuff plain and uniced. Let set for a few minutes. Pipe a generous amount of blue icing inside the border of each cookie. Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the icing to cover the cookie, still making sure to leave the cuff plain. Sprinkle the icing with the snowflake sprinkles. Use white icing with the rose petal tip to pipe a ruffle on the mitten cuff. Pipe stitching around the edge of the mitten using the white icing with the plain round tip. Let the icing harden before serving, about 1 hour.