Easy Cherry Hand Pies with Homemade Cherry Filling

Looking for a delicious cherry hand pies recipe? This one uses refrigerated pie dough and a homemade cherry filling for a sweet and easy treat!

This recipe was created in partnership with Ralcorp and The Motherhood. Thanks for supporting me and the brands I love!

Coming up with a recipe using Great Value refrigerated pie dough wasn't difficult. Pretty much from the moment I heard it would be this month's challenge, I knew that I wanted to make a sweet cherry hand pie recipe I've been working on.

Developing a delicious homemade sweet cherry pie filling for it was another story — but I think I've hit on a winner! This tasty filling uses a combination of frozen sweet cherries and dried cherries that are complemented by the addition of pure almond extract. I know this may not be an ingredient you have on hand, and you can certainly substitute vanilla extract if not.

But be sure to pick up some almond extract for next time. I just love the pairing of the sweet cherries and almond flavoring!

Making the cherry hand pies is really simple. First I pulled the Great Value refrigerated pie dough out and let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to warm up and become more pliable. Then I unrolled it and cut it using a heart-shaped cookie cutter.

You should be able to get four hearts per round initially (there are two rounds in a package), and if you re-roll the dough, you should be able to squeeze out at least another two, for a total of six hearts from each round.

Place a bottom heart on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and top it with a couple of room temperature spoonfuls of the cherry pie filling, making sure to leave room around the edges for sealing. Lay another heart on top, and use a fork to crimp the pies shut on all sides. After all of the hand pies are sealed, place them in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes have passed, pull the hand pies out and cut an X-shaped slit in the top of each one. Brush with the egg wash mixture and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 400-degrees for about 18 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

These are such a cute little treat for Valentine's Day and beyond!

Printable Recipe ↓

Cherry Hand Pie Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Additional Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 12 hand pies

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Ingredients

  

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For the cherry pie filling

• ▢ 1 (12-ounce) package frozen sweet cherries
• ▢ ⅔ cup dried cherries
• ▢ ⅔ cup sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon corn starch
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure almond extract - or vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt

For the cherry hand pies

• ▢ 1 (14.1-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough - (2 pie crusts)
• ▢ 1 egg white
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ coarse sugar

Instructions

1. For the cherry pie filling
2. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together, and add all of the cherry pie filling ingredients to a sauce pan.
3. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
4. When the mixture thickens, turn the burner off and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
5. For the cherry hand pies
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
7. Pull the refrigerated pie dough out and let it sit on the countertop for about 10 minutes to warm up and become more pliable. Unroll it and cut it using a heart-shaped cookie cutter or any desired shape.
8. Place a bottom shape on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and top it with a couple of room temperature spoonfuls of the cherry pie filling, making sure to leave room around the edges for sealing.
9. Lay another heart on top, and use a fork to crimp the pies shut on all sides.
10. After all of the hand pies are sealed, place them in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.
11. After 30 minutes have passed, pull the hand pies out and cut an X-shaped slit in the top of each one.
12. Make an egg wash mixture by whisking together one egg white and one tablespoon of water. Brush each cherry hand pie with the egg wash mixture and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
13. Bake at 400-degrees for approximately 18 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

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Nutrition information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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We also managed to squeeze in a batch of stained glass sugar cookies using the Great Value refrigerated sugar cookie dough. I found that the Great Value dough has a tendency to spread a little more than my favorite recipe for sugar cookies, but it it still worked well enough. And of course my kids will eat them either way!