Pumpkin Hand Pies

Pumpkin Hand Pies | Once Upon a Recipe

Hand pies. Mini pies. Pop tarts. Toaster strudels.

I wasn’t sure what to call these little gems of pastry stuffed with pumpkin and spice. Hand pies seemed most appropriate because they’re mini pies that you can most definitely hold in your hand. They’re flakier than pop tarts, and while they do remind me a little of toaster strudels, I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable putting one in the toaster. However, you most certainly should eat one of these hand pies for breakfast, alongside a strong cup of coffee or tea, because no day that starts with pie is going to be a bad one. It’s just science.

Pumpkin Hand Pies | Once Upon a Recipe

You guys, these hand pies are so flaky! Their flakiness is owed to the all-butter crust that has become my go-to crust recipe ever since I first tried it. The dough is so manageable and easy to work with. We have Deb from Smitten Kitchen to thank for that. Don’t fear the dough, it’s friendly and won’t give you a hard time. Oh, and there’s no need to be perfectionists here. I mean, take a peek at the photo below. The perfectionist in me was having a near meltdown, but I just had to tell her shut her face. The good news is that the crust layers will melt into each other and puff up a little during their stint in the oven and no one will be the wiser. Magic!

Pumpkin Hand Pies | Once Upon a Recipe

Now that we are really truly into Fall, a pumpkin filling felt like a must. However, I don’t doubt that these hand pies would taste delicious filled with whatever your little heart desires. So if pumpkin isn’t your thing, change it up. Do what you want!

Pumpkin Hand Pies | Once Upon a Recipe

I made these pies a couple of weeks ago when my cousin was visiting from Ontario. She’s kind of a pie crust junkie – meaning, she’d gladly eat the pie crust and leave the pie filling on her plate. I figured the crust to filling ratio of these pies would really float her boat and I was definitely right. In fact, everyone loved them. Sharing food that you made with your own two hands with people is super fun and amazing, but when they really love what you share, it’s kind of the best.

Pumpkin Hand Pies | Once Upon a Recipe

Pumpkin Hand Pies (crust from Smitten Kitchen, filling and process from Joy the Baker)

This recipe will make 9 pies. However, you may have some dough left over, in which case you can try to make a couple of extra pies, or bake up the pie scraps with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar. (Totally delicious). Feel free to change up the filling if pumpkin isn’t your jam. I think any fruit would work well here, and I’ve kind of been dreaming about a banana/Nutella combination.

For the crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 TBSP. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter (cut into cubes)

Cold water

For the filling:

3/4 cup pure pumpkin

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

+1 egg (beaten) for sealing the pies

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 TBSP. milk

To make the crust: Fill a one-cup liquid measuring cup with cold water and add a few ice cubes. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt, and whisk together. Add the butter and start cutting it into the flour mixture using a pastry blender. Once you have a coarse meal, add about 1/2 a cup of cold water. Using a spatula, start to bring the dough together. Add more water as needed – you’ll probably need at least another 1/4 cup, and gently knead the dough to bring it together. The goal here is to minimize the hands-on time on the dough, so as not to melt those lovely little chunks of butter that are dispersed throughout (they are going to make the dough deliciously flaky). Divide the dough in half, press into two discs, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour or two, but preferably overnight.

To make the filling: In a small saucepan, heat the pumpkin and spices over medium heat, just until fragrant. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Whisk in the egg, salt and sugar and refrigerate while you roll out the dough.

To assemble the pies: On a well-floured surface, roll each disc of dough into a 9 x 12-inch rectangle. I used a measuring tape to make sure I had a uniform rectangle. Cut each side into thirds, creating 9 (3 x 4-inch) squares. Refrigerate the first set of squares while you roll out the second disc of dough. We gotta keep that dough cold!

Brush the first set of squares with the beaten egg. Spoon about 1 TBSP. of the pumpkin mixture into the centre of each square. Top with another square of dough, and seal the edges with a floured fork. Use the fork to create vent holes in the tops of each pie. Place the pies on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

Put the pies back in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Combine the glaze ingredients. Drizzle over the pies once they have cooled. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Hand Pies | Once Upon a Recipe

Comments

  1. Your cousin sounds like me. I could totally eat all the crust and leave the filling so i’m happy to hear these hand pies have the perfect ratio!

  2. These turned out fabulous! I have often toyed with the idea of making pop tarts/hand pies. Now I know where to go for a good recipe when I’m ready to do it! The pumpkin filling is so very seasonal. What a nice treat!

  3. Heyyy, Deb’s crust is my go-to as well! Twinsies!

    These are gorgeous. I’m loving that drizzle, and I love that your peeps appreciated all you put into these. Awesome!

  4. Love these! Yay for fall!

  5. These look delicious! Pumpkin is like $5/can in London, so I might wait until we are back to try making these 🙂

    http://www.inloveinlondon.com

  6. These pies look delicious! Love the spiced pumpkin filling – so perfect for autumn! The pastry looks delicious, so flaky and buttery. 😀

  7. I like your theory that any day that begins with pie is going to be a good day 🙂 looks yummy!

  8. These look WAY better than Pop Tarts! Perfect for fall and Halloween ; )
    Also just wanted to say thank you for your sweet comments on my blog! I’m so glad we’re friends over social media and that I get to see you every once in awhile ; )

  9. Yesss these look so so good! Love the flakiness of that crust, and the pumpkin filling sounds so delicious.

  10. Can I use canned pumpkin pie filling ? Really wanna make these and its all I have at the moment

    • Hi Allie, I know this reply is very late, but…I wouldn’t recommend using pumpkin pie filling in place of the pumpkin as it already has spices and sweetener added to it. But you could probably just make the pastry and fill it with pumpkin pie filling!

Trackbacks

  1. […] These hand pies are flaky and so yummy! They would taste delicious filled with whatever your little heart desires. So if pumpkin isn’t your thing, change it up. Do what you want! Via onceuponarecipeblog.com […]

  2. […] Make the Dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the diced cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with small chunks of butter still visible. One tablespoon at a time, add ice water to mixture until it holds together. It should stick together when pinched but not feel sticky. Work dough sparingly with cold fingers or pastry cutter, but do not overwork dough. Form 2 dough balls, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 1 hour. Recipe from Once Upon A Recipe […]

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