Mulled Cherry Hand Pies
The flakiest, easiest pie crust filled with a rich, fruity cherry filling. These hand pies are the foolproof summer treat you can always rely on to be simple and delicious!
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A few weeks ago, I made hand pies for the first time. How is that possible? Why has no one ever explained how crazy easy they are to make?? Why have I been bothering with frustrating pie pans all these years???
Yes, I know I’m fangirling about pies a bit, but I just couldn’t believe how easy these were to make and have turn out perfectly. Flaky crust, thanks in part to my new fav: sour cream pie crust. And a super flavorful filling, thanks to a rich mulled cherry pie filling.
Even though mulled flavors are typically a wintery thing, these hand pies are perfection in the middle of summer, when cherries are fresh.
Why this recipe works
The two elements of this recipe are both amazing on their own. The sour cream pie crust is seriously my new favorite. Not only does the sour cream help prevent over kneading or a too-dry or too-wet crust (which is my problem at least half the time), but it adds a tartness that pie crusts need! My professional baker friend—the kind who actually went to pastry school—said you need something tart or acidic in a pie crust. I’m not sure if this is just for taste or actual science, but there is some sort of pie magic in this crust. The taste and flakiness are just beyond belief. Plus, it rolls out perfectly. It’s the easiest crust to work with!
The filling is also one of my personal favorites. Just a little bit of cinnamon and some red wine really bring out the flavor of the cherries in a new and wonderful way.
Key ingredients
Double batch of sour cream pie crust. This is such an easy crust that works SO well with hand pies! You can use your favorite pie crust or even store bought. Just be sure you have a double batch.
Cherries. Dark are best for this recipe, but you can use your favorite (or most available) kind.
Red wine. Again, you can use your favorite kind here. I used a cabernet sauvignon, but a merlot would work well, too. Anything with a cherry profile would compliment the cherries (obviously).
Cornstarch. This thickens the filling but needs to be cooked sufficiently to cook out the cloudy color. Usually, baking in a pie will achieve this.
Brown sugar. Brown sugar works well here to achieve that warm, mulled flavor, but granulated can be subbed in a pinch.
Cinnamon. I used quite a bit of cinnamon, but you can cut back to taste.
Vanilla. Always necessary to create a warm, well-rounded flavor. Use pure extract, not imitation.
Cloves or allspice. Optional, and use just a tiny pinch of one or the other.
How to make mulled cherry hand pies
1. Make the sour cream pie crust ahead of time. You can do this an hour ahead (and make the cherry filling while it chills) or a day or two ahead—the crust will last 1-2 days in the fridge or 1-2 months in the freezer.
Make the cherry pie filling
2. Wash, dry, pit, and halve cherries. I love my cherry pitter for this!
3. Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cup wine.
4. Cook cherries, 1/2 cup wine, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer or gentle boil over medium heat, cooking until sugar is dissolved.
5. Add cornstarch mixture. Pour slowly while stirring to prevent clumping.
6. Cook up to 1-2 minutes longer (until it begins to thicken). Don’t overcook it, as the baking will thicken it up.
7. Cool while you roll out your crusts. Cooling (ideally in the fridge) is key to prevent it melting the butter in the crust before you cook it.
Assemble hand pies
8. Roll out crusts and cut into circles. I used my 4” (10 cm) round cutter and it was perfect, but you can go as large as 6” (15 cm).
9. Fill half of the circles with cherry pie filling. Do one practice pie to get a feel for how much filling to use—I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons.
10. Top with remaining crusts. Be sure to seal each one well (brush them lightly with water to “glue” them together if needed) then fully seal by pressing a fork all the way around.
11. Cut slits to vent. You can also brush them with 1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of milk and top with coarse sugar.
12. Freeze! Freeze for just 10-15 minutes for the flakiest crust and a sturdy hand pie.
13. Bake until golden and filling bubbles. Tent with foil if it’s fully browned before the filling bubbles.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
FREEZE BEFORE BAKING
This is one of my foolproof tricks. Always freeze your pie crust/filled pie before baking. I’m not a scientist, but there is some kind of pie magic in doing this which prevents the crust falling and creates a flaky, sturdy crust. Just 10-15 minutes in the freezer with these babies before baking will make a perfect hand pie.
Is the wine taste noticeable?
Not to me. I think it really just brightens the cherry flavor and adds a bit of sweetness. Try to get a smooth wine like a grenache or a pinot noir if you want a mild wine taste. However if you don’t like the taste of wine, you could replace some with water or cherry juice. The spices will still give that mulled taste.
Is this suitable for children or pregnant women?
That depends on what you use this in. The entire recipe has a little over one glass of wine in it. It’s cooked down a bit in the pan, but not all the way. If you bake this into a pie, almost all of the alcohol will bake off, leaving about the same amount you’d get in kombucha. However, I’m not a scientist, I only know this from what I’ve read over the years and estimations of remaining amounts. You could always use half cherry juice and half water in place of the wine. Another option is to cook just the wine itself for about 10-15 minutes on a simmer to cook off the alcohol before proceeding with the recipe. Just be sure you cool the wine that will go into the cornstarch (or sub water), as it will congeal as soon as you mix it with warm wine.
Can I use frozen cherries?
You can use frozen cherries, but you may not end up with as thick and sturdy a filling. You’ll want to defrost and drain the cherries first. Ideally, use halved cherries or slice them after they’ve defrosted. Cooking time will vary depending on your stove and how frozen the cherries were.
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making these hand pies. Affiliate links provided.
Mulled Cherry Hand Pies
- prep time: 30-35 minutes
- chill time: 1 hour
- bake time: 15-20 minutes
- total time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
servings: 10-12 (depending on size)
Ingredients:
- double batch sour cream pie crust (or your favorite pie crust)
- 4 cups (about 560g) fresh cherries (see note if using frozen*)
- ¼ cup (30g) cornstarch
- ¾ cup (177g) red wine, separated
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- 1-1 ½ teaspoons (3-4g) ground cinnamon, to taste
- optional: a tiny pinch cloves or allspice
Instructions:
- Make the pie crusts ahead of time, at least one hour but ideally a day ahead. Be sure to double the recipe (but you can make it all in one bowl) and divide into two discs to chill.
- While the pie crusts chill or when ready to bake, make the filling. Wash and dry the cherries. Remove stems. Using a cherry pitter or the method found here, remove pits and cut cherries in half. You can leave them whole if you prefer, but I like packing as many cherries in a dessert as I can, so halving them allows for this.
- Add the cornstarch and ¼ cup red wine and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine cherries, ½ cup red wine, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and cloves (if using) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil/simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Turn down to low and let simmer 1-2 minutes, until sugar is dissolved.
- Stir the cornstarch again and slowly pour into the saucepan, stirring the cherries as you pour.
- Cook for about 1-2 minutes (until slightly thickened) after adding the cornstarch then remove from heat. Let cool in the fridge at least 15 minutes while you roll out your chilled pie dough.
- At this point, preheat your oven to 400F/205C. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Place the first pie dough disc on a lightly floured surface, then sprinkle the top with a little more flour. Begin rolling out the dough, rotating the rolling pin as you go. Be sure to flip and rotate the dough every so often, sprinkling a tiny bit more flour as needed to 1) keep it from sticking and 2) ensure you’re rolling evenly. I tend to roll the bottom left too thin and the top right too thick. Rotating balances this out.
- Roll the dough out to ⅛” or ⅓ cm thick, or about 12” or 30 cm in diameter. Don’t worry about it being perfectly circular.
- Using a round cookie or biscuit cutter that is at least 3 1/2” or 9 cm in diameter, cut out circles of dough. Keep the cuts close together to get as much use out of the dough before needing to roll it out again. Using a spatula, remove the circles to your prepared cookie sheets. Take the excess dough and set it aside.
- Repeat the process of rolling and cutting with the second disc of dough. Set the circles aside (these will be your tops), making room on your rolling surface for the excess trimmings to be rolled out.
- Take the excess dough from both discs and form it into a disc again. Roll it out to ⅛” or ⅓ cm again. Again, cut out circles. Place half of these on the lined cookie sheets and half with the tops that you set aside. If you still have quite a bit of excess trimmings, you can repeat this process again until all of the dough is used up.
- Spoon about 1 ½ tablespoons of cherry filling into the middle of each bottom circle of dough (on the cookie sheets). Fill a practice one to start, topping it with one of the reserved circles, ensuring there is enough of a perimeter to seal the edges together (you only need about ¼” or less than 1 cm). This will help you know how much to fill each hand pie.
- Fill all bottom circles with this same amount of cherry pie filling. Top each one with a reserved disc. Gently press each hand pie all around the edges to seal it. If they aren’t staying together, you can lightly brush the edges with water to help seal them. Gently press a fork all the way around the edge of each hand pie to completely seal it.
- Use a sharp knife to create slits in the top of each pie. Feel free to do just one, a cross (like I did), three parallel cuts, or any shape you’d like. If you want something whimsical like a heart, this should be done with a very small shaped cookie cutter before topping and sealing each filled pie.
- If desired, you can brush each pie with 1 egg whisked well with 1 tablespoon milk (or just milk for a matte appearance). Optionally, you can also sprinkle each one with some coarse sugar.
- Freeze! Yes, it’s an extra step, but it really makes a flakier crust and sturdier pie. Freeze these for just 10-15 minutes before baking and you will get a perfect hand pie.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crusts are golden brown and the cherry filling bubbles. If the crusts begin to brown unevenly or are done before the filling bubbles (which means the inside and bottom crusts are cooked), tent the pan loosely with foil.
Enjoy!
*If subbing frozen cherries, defrost and drain first then slice in half to get a thicker, more cherry-filled filling.
