Easy Hand Held Pies With Seasonal Fruit | Homemade Recipe

Overhead view of plum pies, coffee mugs, greenery and autumn flowers.

Easy Hand Held Pies With Seasonal Fruit | Homemade Recipe

Turn fresh plums into beautiful homemade handheld pies with a flaky butter crust and sweet-tart fruit filling. This rustic recipe makes six individual pies and can also be adapted for blackberries, cherries, or peaches. Perfect for making the most of seasonal fruit without fussing over a picture-perfect pie crust.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: Servings

Calories: 605kcal

Author: Carolyn Thomas

Cost: Varies

Equipment

Food Processor
Mixing Bowls
Fork
Rolling Pin
Baking Sheet
Pastry Brush

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt We use Redmond Real Salt. Use that link to automatically get 15% off your order!
1 Cup Unsalted Butter cold and cubed
12 Tablespoons Water ice cold

For the Filling

1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger grated
⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Pounds Plums Pitted and cut into ¾" wedges.
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
Add the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, and cold cubed butter to a food processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs form.
Transfer to a bowl, add the ice-cold water, and mix with a fork just until combined. Turn onto a floured surface and divide into six pieces.
Gently form each piece into a ball, then roll each into a flat disk. Transfer to a baking sheet and let the crusts rest.
Combine the cornstarch, ginger, and ⅓ cup sugar in a medium bowl. Add the plums and toss to coat. Drizzle with lemon juice and almond extract.
Divide the plum mixture among the six crusts, leaving 2 to 3 inches around each edge. Fold the crust over part of the fruit, leaving the center uncovered. Brush the pastry with heavy cream and sprinkle generously with sugar.
Place the baking sheet in the oven, close the door, and immediately reduce the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling bubbles and the fruit juices run clear. Cool before serving.

Notes

Tips and Troubleshooting:

If you've tried pie crust before and ended up frustrated, don't let that stop you. Pastry becomes much less intimidating once you know what you're looking for.

If the dough feels crumbly: Give it a moment before automatically adding more water. You want the mixture to come together, but you don't want a wet dough.

If the butter starts getting soft: Cold is your friend with pastry. If your kitchen is warm and the butter is becoming very soft while you work, chilling the dough briefly before continuing can help.

If the pies look uneven: Wonderful. They're homemade. You're folding pastry around pieces of real fruit, not manufacturing identical desserts. Don't let an imperfect edge convince you that you've failed.

If fruit juice escapes: A little bubbling juice around the edges isn't necessarily a problem. These are open, rustic pies. Make sure you've used the cornstarch and left enough crust around the fruit to fold securely toward the center.

If you're unsure whether they're done: Look for actively bubbling filling and clear fruit juices, just as the original recipe instructs. The pastry should also have good golden color.

And remember, you don't need to master pastry in one afternoon. Every batch teaches you something. That's how these skills eventually become second nature instead of something you have to Google every time.

Serving Homemade Hand Pies:

These plum hand-held pies are wonderful once they've had a chance to cool enough for the filling to settle.

You can serve these pies simply on their own, or with a dollop of this homemade vanilla ice cream recipe (for an ice cream maker). You get warm spices, tart-sweet fruit, buttery pastry, and cool vanilla ice cream melting down into all those little folds in the crust.

For a family gathering, set the whole tray out and let everyone choose a pie. There's something especially lovely about giving each person their own little homemade dessert.

Storage Instructions:

Allow leftover handheld pies to cool completely before storing them. Because this recipe contains cooked fruit, I prefer not to leave leftovers sitting out for extended periods.

Store the cooled pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For the best pastry texture, warm them gently before serving again rather than eating them straight from the refrigerator.

For longer storage, these pies can be frozen after baking and cooling. Wrap them individually before placing them in a freezer-safe container so you can pull out one or two at a time.

When you're ready to enjoy them, thaw and reheat until warmed through. An oven will generally do a better job of bringing back some of that lovely pastry texture than a microwave.

Nutrition

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