Peach Hand Pies

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Flaky sweet homemade Peach Hand Pies

Peach Hand Pies made with farm fresh sweet, juicy peaches.

Fresh Peach Hand Pies with a soft, flaky crust and drizzled with a little almond flavored icing. This is summer dessert perfection!

Our favorite local farm must have my direct number. They’ve figured out this marketing thing and have a very effective strategy for selling their fresh fruits and vegetables. Miller Farms Market often sends out early morning emails  announcing “fresh picked sweet summer corn” or “come early for the best blackberries before they’re all picked out.”

I had so many plans but then I heard that little ping on my iPhone. Peaches are in the market.

I pushed back all other recipes and rushed over to get a “busket” (half basket, half bucket) of fresh, juicy, fuzzy, ripe peaches. I like to think of myself as highly adaptable, go with the flow, pick while the pickings good, kinda girl. Some people run for purses and shoes on sale, I run for fresh fruit and produce!

And, what better way to savor a sweet, juicy peach than in a homemade batch of super tasty Peach Hand Pies!

Ingredients needed for homemade Peach Hand Pies:

For the pastry crust:

• one recipe of our double crust pie dough
• or, use two store-bought refrigerator crusts
• 1 large egg mixed with milk for brushing over the pastry rounds to seal

For the peach filling:

• fresh peaches
• granulated sugar
• cornstarch
• ground cinnamon
• salt
• lemon juice
• almond extract

For the glaze:

• powdered sugar
• milk or cream for thinning
• almond extract

Overview: how to make Peach Hand Pies

1. First prepare the peaches:

Peel and dice the peaches into 1/2-inch pieces. Sprinkle sugar over the peaches and toss gently to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to macerate.

While the peaches are making their amazing juice, prepare a double homemade pie crust. Divide the dough in half and form into disks. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. This step can be done the day before making the hand pies.

Drain the peaches into a saucepan. Set the drained peaches aside. Whisk cornstarch, cinnamon and salt into the peach juice. Cook over medium heat until the mixture boils. Cook for a few minutes while whisking constantly, or until the mixture thickens into a syrup.

Remove from the heat and add lemon juice and almond extract. Gently fold the peaches into the syrup. Set aside to cool.

2. To assemble the hand pies:

Roll one pastry crust to about 1/8th inch thick on a floured work surface. Cut as many as you can at first pass using a 4-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter. Set the scraps aside.

Place the 4-inch dough rounds on a large piece of parchment paper.

Beat the egg and milk together then brush over the surface of the pastry rounds. Place one heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each pastry. Pull up the sides to make the hand pie look like a taco. Start sealing the edges working from the bottom up to the middle. Press the edges of the pie together using the tines of a fork.

Cut a few small slits in the top too vent. Refrigerate the unbaked pies for 30 minutes before baking.

Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

3. To bake the hand pies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the tops of the pies with a little milk or egg wash mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the hand pies to a wire rack to cool.

4. Prepare the icing:

Whisk together the icing ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over the top of each hand pie serve immediately.

To drizzle or not to drizzle?

Since the filling is not over-the-top sweet, the little drizzle really adds just the right amount of icing. Almond extract gives this simple icing that special extra something, and it pairs perfectly with the peaches.

You can also sprinkle coarse sugar on top before baking for a sweeter, crispier pie.

Can you freeze Peach Hand Pies?

These Peach Hand Pies can be frozen before they are baked or after. If you plan to freeze them after baking, wait to add the icing until ready to serve. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring the pies to room temperature before serving.

Peach Hand Pies are really just little pan-free peach pies you can hold in your hand.

No fork or plate required and that can be good or bad. Maybe you’re feeding a crowd at a picnic, or contractors that are still working in your kitchen. Whoever you share these little treats with, they will be thrilled.

The peach filling is not overly sweet, which is something I love. You can taste fresh peaches in each bite.

We also have a terrific traditional Peach Pie recipe that’s always a hit. And, if you’re not into rolling out the dough, try our Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler. Don’t forget to have some vanilla ice cream on hand for the both!

It’s hard to mess up this recipe! Even “flaky-crust newbies” can make these fun little desserts.

I got a little carried away trying to stuff as much filling as possible into these 4-inch rounds of flaky dough. Don’t be like me and overstuff the pockets.

I also forgot to brush the egg wash on a few pies so the pockets would seal, but they baked up great anyway.

All that to say, they don’t have to be perfect to be incredibly delicious!

Family food memories are the best!

Combine a flaky soft crust, farm fresh peaches, and a little drizzle of icing and make some food memories of your own.

Hand pie recipes take me back to a simpler time when Grandma snapped her own beans and I had no doubt she was the best cook in the county!

Thanks for PINNING!

Peach Hand Pies

Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Yield: 20 pies

Course: Dessert

Author: Tricia

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5 from 38 votes

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A flaky, soft crust, farm fresh peaches and a little drizzle of almond flavored icing - just like grandma used to make!

Ingredients

For the pastry crust:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (318g)
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch pieces (4oz or 113g)
• ⅓ cup solid shortening like Crisco (63g)
• 6 tablespoons ice cold water plus 1 T if needed
• 1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk for brushing on the pies

For the filling:

• 5 medium to large peaches
• ½ cup granulated sugar (110g)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of table salt
• juice of ½ a lemon
• a few drops of almond extract

For the icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar (115g)
• 1 tablespoon milk or cream more or less for desired consistency
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

• Peel and dice the peaches into ½-inch pieces. Place the diced peaches in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with ½ cup granulated sugar Gently toss to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for an hour.
• While the peaches are making their juice, mix up the pastry dough.
• Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the cold water and pulse just until the dough starts to hold together. Don't over process.
• Gather the dough together and divide in half. Form each half into a disc. Wrap each tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Once the peaches have rested for an hour, drain the juice into a medium saucepan. Set aside the diced peaches. Whisk in the corn starch, cinnamon and salt until combined. Cooke over medium heat until the syrup boils. Whisking constantly, cook for about 2 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and almond extract. Gently fold in the peaches and any extra juice. Set aside to cool while rolling out the dough.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to rest 10-15 minutes. Lightly flour a clean work surface and dust the dough with flour. Roll out one of the discs to about ⅛-inch thick and cut out as many 4-inch rounds as you can at first pass. Gather dough scraps together and set aside.
• Place the 4-inch rounds of dough on a large piece of parchment or wax paper.
• Beat together the egg and milk. Brush the egg mixture all over the pastry rounds. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each pastry. Pull up the sides to make the hand pie look like a taco and start sealing the edges starting on the bottom working your way up to the middle. Lay the pies on their side and seal the edges together using the tines of a fork. Cut a few small slits in the top to vent. Move the unbaked pies to a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before baking. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. If the dough become hard to handle or sticky, refrigerate 15-20 minutes and try again.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Remove the pastries from the refrigerator and brush the tops of the pies with a little bit of the egg and milk mixture. Bake or 30 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer hand pies to a wire rack to cool.
• Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk or cream and almond extra until smooth. Add additional sugar or milk to reach the desired consistency.
• Drizzle the icing on the cooled pies and serve immediately. Refrigerate left over pies in a single layer in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes

If you have leftover peach mixture, pour it into a lightly greased ramekin or small baking dish. In a small bowl combine a few tablespoons of old fashioned oats, a tablespoon of melted butter, a dash of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Spoon on top of the peaches and bake until bubbly and lightly browned. Yummy 🙂

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 126mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

Juicy, flaky and delicious homemade Peach Hand Pies

It’s hard to beat a great peach dessert. We’re smitten with hand pies and even turned strawberry jam into a homemade PopTart. Another great recipe is for our Mixed Berry Pies. This recipe is so very simple, yet memorable.

Don’t miss our recipe for Blueberry Hand Pies. If you love homemade blueberry pie, you’ll love our hand pie version.

And finally, I can’t wait to try these baked Apple Hand Pies with caramel drizzle. They look phenomenal with loads of apple filling.