Best Pear Hand Pies Recipes

PEAR HAND PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*F In a medium sized bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Mix well Add diced pears to sugar mixture and mix gently until well coated. Roll pie crust out. Using a bowl as a pattern that is approximately 4 - 5 inches in diameter, cut out round circles for your hand pies. Reroll excess dough to create more crusts. Place crusts onto a lined baking sheet. Place a small amount of pears in the center of one cut pie crust - leaving approximately 1/2 inch space around sides. Dot pear mixture with a small amount of butter. Sprinkle with few drops of lemon juice. In a small bowl beat egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush egg around the edge of the circle. This will act as a glue. Fold circle in half enclosing the pear filling. Crimp edges with a fork to ensure a good seal. Brush egg mixture on top of each hand pie. Slice slits on top and dust with course sugar if desired. Place on a lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

AUTUMN SPICED APPLE AND PEAR HAND PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Stir apple, pear, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together in a bowl. Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl.
• Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface; cut into circles with a 3- to 4-inch round cookie cutter. Spoon a small amount of apple mixture onto center of each pastry circle; fold circles in half and press firmly to seal edges. Crimp with a fork, if desired. Place pies on prepared baking sheet.
• Cut 3 small slits in top of each hand pie with a sharp knife. Brush surface of pies with egg mixture; sprinkle with decorating sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden, about 25 minutes; allow pies to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
• Melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 15-second intervals, stirring after each melting, 1 to 2 minutes. Drizzle melted chocolate over pies.

GINGER-PEAR HAND PIES

Steps:

• Crust:Combine flour, salt, butter, and cream cheese in a food processor; pulse until pea-size clumps form.
• With machine running, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture just comes together when pressed in your hand. Divide in half; shape each half into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.
• Filling:Whisk together eggs and 2/3 cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl until thick and pale yellow. Whisk in flour, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• In a shallow saucepan, heat 1 stick butter, vanilla seeds, and ginger over medium-high until butter foams and browns, about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into bowl with egg mixture, discarding solids. Whisk until well combined.
• Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add pears and remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until pears are soft, about 5 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes. Fold pear mixture into egg mixture.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to a scant 1/8 inch thick. Using a 5-inch round cutter or a paring knife, cut out 5 rounds. Repeat with remaining disk. Gently press rounds into 10 cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin, making pleats around edges and gently pressing to seal. Fill each with 1/4 cup filling. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake until crust and filling are golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack; let cool about 20 minutes. Unmold; let pies cool completely on rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

PEAR AND GRUYERE HAND PIES

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pears and the thyme and cook until the pears are tender and any juice has evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate to cool completely.
• Working with 1 sheet of puff pastry at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 10-by-15-inch rectangle. Trim about 1/8 inch off of each edge. Cut the dough into 6 equal squares. Transfer the squares to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Brush a 1-inch border of egg on each square. Divide the cheese among the 12 squares. Then divide the pear mixture among the squares. Fold the squares over into triangles and press to seal with a fork. Transfer the pies to the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Brush the tops and sides of the pies with the egg. Cut a slit in each pie to allow steam to escape. Bake the pies until deep golden brown and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly and serve warm.

SPICED PEAR HAND PIES

Steps:

• In a medium saute pan, heat the butter until melted. Add the diced pears to the butter and cook until they begin to release some liquid, about 5-6 minutes. Add the vanilla bean (and the seeds), agave nectar, dried spices and grated ginger. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook until mixture begins to thicken and the fruit is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Working on a floured surface, roll out the pie crusts so that they are about 1/3-inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cutter (I used a large mason jar lid), cut out rounds of the dough. Add a heaping spoonful of mixture to each round and fold over. Using a fork, crimp the edges to seal and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Once done, place the pies in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Before baking, vent each pie on the top with two small slits. Brush each with a bit of egg wash. Bake for 20-22 minutes (depending on your oven) or until bubbling and golden brown - it's okay if you get some oozing out of the top and sides. They're supposed to be rustic. Allow to cool slightly before eating - the filling is HOT!