hand pie

Blueberry Lemon Pop-Tarts

Blueberry Lemon Pop-tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are simple hand pies filled with lemon zest, fresh blueberries, and sugar. They're topped with a sweet and tart glaze and a a bit of sugar. The homemade pie dough is flaky and easy to assemble for personal handheld desserts. Find the recipe and learn more about this end of summer treat on thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood

IT’S FRIDAY, IT’S FRIDAY. I’m the happiest girl in the world because I have just survived one of the busiest weeks I’ve had in forever. Remember last week when I said I needed to slow down a little, stop and smell the roses for a minute? Well let’s just give that notion a big fat LOL, because my life is moving along at 90 MPH and there’s not a thing I know to do about it.

Blueberry Lemon Pop-tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are simple hand pies filled with lemon zest, fresh blueberries, and sugar. They're topped with a sweet and tart glaze and a a bit of sugar. The homemade pie dough is flaky and easy to assemble for personal handheld desserts. Find the recipe and learn more about this end of summer treat on thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood

First, we celebrated Aimee’s birthday. Not surprisingly, it was the most adorable thing ever. She takes so much joy in every intentional act of love towards her, and it made loving on her all the more fun. Every gift, every cupcake, every rendition of the “Happy Birthday” song put the cutest little smile in between those squishy chipmunk cheeks, and the look on her face, that bubbling over of joy, made this Mama red-nosed and teary eyed. Also, any kid that chooses to celebrate their birthday looking like a straight-up diva is a queen in my book. Just look at her all jazzed up.

Blueberry Lemon Pop-tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are simple hand pies filled with lemon zest, fresh blueberries, and sugar. They're topped with a sweet and tart glaze and a a bit of sugar. The homemade pie dough is flaky and easy to assemble for personal handheld desserts. Find the recipe and learn more about this end of summer treat on thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood

After the birthday festivities were over, I went into full-on house mode. Remember how I said we were building a house? Well, we’re actually really close to being done. Like, so close that I’m probably currently a little high on touch-up paint fumes and excitement. This week was spent installing light fixtures, plumbing parts, and countertops, as well as grouting tile, outfitting garage doors, and so much more. Seriously, if I could invite you all over for a huge party to celebrate this rad addition to our life, I totally would. As it turns out, I’m actually super broke at the moment, what with the house-building and all, so let’s raincheck the party for when I have more dollars. 

Blueberry Lemon Pop-tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are simple hand pies filled with lemon zest, fresh blueberries, and sugar. They're topped with a sweet and tart glaze and a a bit of sugar. The homemade pie dough is flaky and easy to assemble for personal handheld desserts. Find the recipe and learn more about this end of summer treat on thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood

Finally, on this Friday morning, I am sharing with you what will likely be the last summery recipe of the year. If we’re being honest, an ice cream recipe or two might sneak in over the coming months, but this is definitely the last summery fruit recipe. Starting next week, we’re going to go hard on all the fall flavors, mainly because they’re seasonally appropriate but also because they’re my favorite. So savor every last bit of today’s blueberry lemon pop-tarts, because the next few months are going to be a caramel-dipped, pecan-studded, mint chocolate and gingerbread dreamland, okay?

Blueberry Lemon Pop-tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are simple hand pies filled with lemon zest, fresh blueberries, and sugar. They're topped with a sweet and tart glaze and a a bit of sugar. The homemade pie dough is flaky and easy to assemble for personal handheld desserts. Find the recipe and learn more about this end of summer treat on thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood

So. Blueberry lemon pop-tarts. We’ve done the pop-tart thing here before. You guys are familiar with the hand pies and lattice covered berry desserts. But there was a blueberry lemon pop-tart shaped hole in my heart that had to be satisfied, and I know you guys understand those needs that have to be met. I think you’re going to be really glad that we listened to our instincts on this one.

These little babies are my favorite pie dough filled with fresh berries, lemon zest, sugar, and not a whole lot else. Summer fruit always speaks for itself, so my motto is here is less is more. The pie crust is buttery, flaky, and the slightest bit salty, so every bite is the perfect balance of fresh, tart, sweet, and savory. Don’t you just love a treat like that?

Blueberry Lemon Pop-tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are simple hand pies filled with lemon zest, fresh blueberries, and sugar. They're topped with a sweet and tart glaze and a a bit of sugar. The homemade pie dough is flaky and easy to assemble for personal handheld desserts. Find the recipe and learn more about this end of summer treat on thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood

To make them, we start with the pie crust. Whiz all the dry ingredients for the crust together in a food processor and pulse in the fat until pea-sized clumps are present throughout the mixture. Add ice cold water to the machine, pulsing until a dry dough comes together. Allow the dough to rest in the fridge for an hour or two.

To continue prepping your blueberry lemon pop-tarts, cook the filling ingredients in a saucepan until thick  and cut out rounds of pie dough for the mini pies (hint: I use these biscuit cutters). Fill and crimp each tart and allow them to firm up in the freezer for a bit. When you’re prepared to devour homemade pop-tarts, pop them in the oven and don’t pull them out until they have a little suntan. Allow them to cool and then top them with the simple glaze I’ve written out below. A pop-tart just isn’t a pop-tart without frosting, so slather it on thick and don’t forget the sprinkles- the more, the merrier. 

Blueberry Lemon Pop-tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are simple hand pies filled with lemon zest, fresh blueberries, and sugar. They're topped with a sweet and tart glaze and a a bit of sugar. The homemade pie dough is flaky and easy to assemble for personal handheld desserts. Find the recipe and learn more about this end of summer treat on thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood

These blueberry lemon pop-tarts are the ones to beat. They’re simple, delicious, and such a cute ending to the crazy week/month/summer I’ve had. I hope you’ll give them a try this week and share them with all of your BFFs. You deserve it. Happy Friday and happy baking!

If you like these blueberry lemon pop-tarts you should check out:

Raspberry Champagne Pop-Tarts

Strawberry Fig Pop-tarts

Blueberry Galette with Cornmeal Crust

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars

Cranberry Pear Pop-Tarts

 

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Blueberry Lemon Pop-Tarts

The blueberry lemon pop-tarts are fresh, end-of-summer treats to use up all that delicious produce! With a simple glaze and a gooey berry filling, these pop-tarts are a cheeky nod to the childhood favorite breakfast.

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 60
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 180
  • Yield: 9

Ingredients

For the pastry:

  • 13/4 cups (210 gm) of all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 11/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 6 tablespoons (85 gm) butter
  • 1/3 cup (70 gm) shortening
  • 5 tablespoons (approximately) of ice water

For the filling:

  • 1 cup (170 gm) fresh blueberries (or thawed from frozen)
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 large egg

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup (115 gm) powdered sugar
  • 23 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

To prepare the pastry:

  1. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a medium sized bowl.
  2. Cut in the butter and shortening with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until it is the consistency of a course meal with small, pea-sized chunks of butter throughout. Add water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, tossing gently until pastry comes together in moist clumps. Pat the dough into a round, flat disk. Wrap with Saran wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

To prepare the filling:

  1. Combine the blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and stir regularly to break up the blueberries until the mixture is thick and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Spoon into a heat-safe bowl and place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the jam. Allow to cool at least to room temperature.

To prepare the pop-tarts:

  1. Whisk an egg in a small bowl for the egg wash and set aside.
  2. Roll out the disk of pastry to 1/8” thickness on a floured surface. Using a 2-1/2″ biscuit cutter, gently cut rounds of dough. Each Pop-Tart will require two rounds (one for top and one for bottom). Use a pastry brush to paint the egg wash around the perimeter of half of the circles. Place one to one and a half teaspoons of cooled filling in the center of the rounds with the egg wash. Top the filled rounds with a second circle of crust and use a fork to crimp the edges. Freeze the pop tarts on the baking sheet for 2 hours. Refrigerate the whisked egg in the meantime.
  3. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Vent the top of each rectangle by poking the top of the pastry with a fork 1-2 times and brush with the remaining egg wash, if desired. Bake the tarts, uncovered, for almost 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before topping with glaze.

To prepare the glaze:

  1. Whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of juice until smooth. You can add an additional tablespoon of juice if desired, but be sure to keep the glaze thick enough to stay on the pop-tart. You can test how it spreads on the back of a large spoon or try it out on a single pop-tart before you glaze all of them.

Notes

  • This recipe cane easily be double to increase yield!

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Strawberry Fig Pop-Tarts

Strawberry Fig Pop-Tarts Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This recipe is for mini round pop tarts make of butter pie crust pasty and simple homemade strawberry fig preserves. Top with an easy confectioner's sugar icing glaze and sprinkles for a fun breakfast or dessert. Find the recipe for the jam and these simple mini hand pie pastries on thewoodandspoon.com

Strawberry fig pop-tarts. Does your inner kid just squeal with delight? POP-TARTS, okay? Pop-tarts for grown-ups- finally!

Strawberry Fig Pop-Tarts Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This recipe is for mini round pop tarts make of butter pie crust pasty and simple homemade strawberry fig preserves. Top with an easy confectioner's sugar icing glaze and sprinkles for a fun breakfast or dessert. Find the recipe for the jam and these simple mini hand pie pastries on thewoodandspoon.com

In college, my friends used to joke that I had a tape worm. Now, I’ve never had a tape worm, but it’s my understanding that such creatures are not a joking matter. To be clear, if you currently have a tape worm, you also have my sincerest apologies. Truly.

The point is, I used to be able to eat like I was eating for five. Food would enter my body with zero care in my mind as to where it would go next. Dessert? Duh. Seconds? Of course, thank you for offering. I had an insatiable appetite, a voracity for food and the act of dining, but as luck and genetics would have it, you wouldn’t know it by looking at me. At my largest, I had decent curves and an enviable rack, so I typically  ate without a care on the regular.

Strawberry Fig Pop-Tarts Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This recipe is for mini round pop tarts make of butter pie crust pasty and simple homemade strawberry fig preserves. Top with an easy confectioner's sugar icing glaze and sprinkles for a fun breakfast or dessert. Find the recipe for the jam and these simple mini hand pie pastries on thewoodandspoon.com

Body Changes

Today, status post a couple of kids and two months away from entering a new decade of life, I have a different understanding with my body. The understanding is that if I eat, I will be filled. If I eat more than I burn, I will gain weight. If I eat an extra helping of dessert every day this week, I will likely have a muffin top in my loosest jeans next week. My butter intake is directly related to the amount of cottage cheese that  I will sport on my hind parts next summer, so I have to exercise self-control at times. That includes busting it at the gym, taking the stairs, and passing on seconds most days of the week. My rubber band waistline is not what it used to be, so I have to work hard if I want to keep my current wardrobe around.

Strawberry Fig Pop-Tarts Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This recipe is for mini round pop tarts make of butter pie crust pasty and simple homemade strawberry fig preserves. Top with an easy confectioner's sugar icing glaze and sprinkles for a fun breakfast or dessert. Find the recipe for the jam and these simple mini hand pie pastries on thewoodandspoon.com

Unfortunately, my desire for food has not changed. I dream about lunch at breakfast and cheat on my dinner with thoughts of dessert. I’m the girl who eats the gooey cheesy parts off their kids’ sandwiches and finishes their milkshake just in time to drink their husband’s. I’m not above eating French fries out of a greasy paper bag and a brownie “a la mode” is always an “a la HECK YES!”

“a la mode?” is always an “a la HECK YES!”

While I should maybe have some degree of embarrassment or cause for concern (after all, I am a dietitian!?!),  food is just apart of who I am now. I love to make it, I love to eat it. I enjoy the beauty of God’s creation with every bite of macerated berry, shaved truffle, and caramelized shallot that enters my gullet, so while I work hard on the backend to keep my, um, backend looking good, the truth remains that I’m really just here for the food.

Strawberry Fig Pop-Tarts

Like these strawberry fig pop-tarts. A guilty pleasure indeed, but one that evokes a lot of the playful, childlike memories that I have of food: begging my mom to buy pop-tarts, but settling for toast instead; lusting after that 75-cent, foil-wrapped treat in the vending machine at school when all I had to spend was a quarter. Pop-tarts are a treat that now, as an adult, I don’t make room for in my diet, but when I get the chance to make some of my own, I don’t pass it up.

This recipe for strawberry fig pop-tarts is fantastic for two reasons. First, the filling is an easy peasy strawberry fig preserve that I love to make. Every year, I pick figs and quadruple the recipe so that I can preserve the fruit to enjoy all year round. The second reason you need these strawberry fig pop-tarts in your life is because the crust on these babies is really nothing more than my all-time favorite pie crust. So basically, when you eat these pop-tarts, you’re really getting pie with an extra helping of crust. YA WELCOME.

Strawberry Fig Pop-Tarts Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This recipe is for mini round pop tarts make of butter pie crust pasty and simple homemade strawberry fig preserves. Top with an easy confectioner's sugar icing glaze and sprinkles for a fun breakfast or dessert. Find the recipe for the jam and these simple mini hand pie pastries on thewoodandspoon.com

Making the Pop-Tarts

To make these strawberry fig pop-tarts, we start by making the preserves. Add some sugar to a pot of chopped or mashed fresh figs and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Add a few scoops of strawberry gelatin (I told you this was the easiest recipe) and cook for a few minutes until thick and bubbly. Let the preserves cool in the fridge while you make your crust.

Add some flour, salt, and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse in some butter and shortening until pea-sized clumps form. The butter adds the flavor and the shortening adds the flake, so trust when I say that this is a crust worth writing home about. Add some ice cold water to the flour until it begins to form a dough. Divide the mixture in half, patting it into flat disks, and allow to chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Assembling the Pop-Tarts

Assembly for these strawberry fig pop-tarts can happen up to a week in advance. Roll out your dough on a floured surface and use a biscuit cutter to cut out the tops and bottoms of your dough. Spoon a bit of preserves on half of the rounds and use a fork to crimp the tops on to each one. Place the pop-tarts in the freezer to set up properly before baking.

Fresh from the oven, these pop-tarts can be messy, but doesn’t that make it taste better anyways? Allow the little pies to cool before adorning them with a spoon of glazed icing. I tossed on some sprinkles too because YOLO, right?

Strawberry Fig Pop-Tarts Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This recipe is for mini round pop tarts make of butter pie crust pasty and simple homemade strawberry fig preserves. Top with an easy confectioner's sugar icing glaze and sprinkles for a fun breakfast or dessert. Find the recipe for the jam and these simple mini hand pie pastries on thewoodandspoon.comThese strawberry fig pop-tarts are incredibly fun and delicious, likely the spunkiest dessert you’ll eat all year. Make these little buddies before the summer is up and don’t forget to just enjoy food from time to time. Be sure to check out my nomination for the “Best Baking and Sweets” category of the SAVEUR Blog Awards. You can vote as many times as you want from now until September 8 by heading to the link in the sidebar of my site. I’ll be popping in this weekend with another treat because I luh you guyz, so happy Monday and have a great week!

If you like these strawberry fig pop-tarts, be sure to check out:

Cherry Lime Hand Pies

Honey Mascarpone Tart with Figs and Salty Graham Cracker Crust

Cranberry Pear Pop-Tarts

Blueberry Galette with a Cornmeal Crust

Peach Berry Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

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Strawberry Fig Pop-Tarts

Mini strawberry fig pop-tarts are made with buttery pie crust and homemade preserves, topped with a simple sugar glaze. 

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 45
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 12

Ingredients

For the pastry:

  • 2 1/4 cups (290 gm) of all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup (113 gm) butter
  • 1/2 cup (113 gm) shortening
  • 5 tablespoons ice water

For the strawberry fig preserves:

  • 2 cups figs (about 1 pound before stemmed), stemmed and quartered/ mashed
  • 11/2 cups (300 gm) sugar
  • 11/2 ounces of strawberry gelatin ( like Jell-O)

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup (125 gm) powdered sugar
  • 23 teaspoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • food coloring, if desired

Instructions

To prepare the pastry:

  1. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a medium sized bowl.
  2. Cut in the butter and shortening with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until it is the consistency of a course meal with small, pea-sized chunks of butter throughout. Add water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, tossing gently until pastry comes together in moist clumps. Divide dough in half and pat into two round, flat disks. Wrap with Saran wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

To prepare the strawberry fig preserves:

  1. Add the figs and sugar to a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Mash and stir often until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is well combined. Add the gelatin and bring to a boil, stirring frequently while the mixture cooks for about 7-8 minutes. Mash the figs more if you’d like and then pour the contents into a large canning jar or heat-proof container. Store in the fridge to cool.

To prepare the pop-tarts

  1. Roll out one disk of pastry to ¼” thickness on a floured surface. Using a 3″ biscuit cutter, gently cut rounds of dough. Each Pop-Tart will require two rounds (one for top and one for bottom).
  2. Place one tablespoon of cooled filling on top of half of the rounds.
  3. Top the filled rounds with a second circle of crust and use a fork to crimp the edges. Vent the top of each rectangle by poking the top of the pastry with a fork 2-3 times. Freeze the pop tarts on the baking sheet for at least 2 hours or up to a week.
  4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the tarts, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before topping with glaze.

To prepare the glaze:

  1. Whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of milk, and vanilla. Add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. You want the glaze to be fairly thick but still pourable. Add food coloring if desired. Once pop-tarts have cooled completely, top each pastry with a bit of glaze and allow to set.

Notes

  • If you’d like, feel free to can these preserves! You can triple (or even quadruple!) the recipe and process several batches of cans. See the Ball website (freshpreserving.com) for more help on preserving
  • You will have extra preserves. Save them in an air-tight container in the fridge!

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Cherry Lime Hand Pies

Cherry Lime Hand Pies Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This mini hand pies are personal pop tart desserts filled with ripe summer black and red cherries and zesty lime. A great alternative to fried pies, these desserts are sweet, make ahead, and use a buttery, homemade pie crust that gets flaky and delicious. The recipe is simple but learn all about how to make hand pies and homemade pop-tarts here on thewoodandspoon.com

Everyone cue the candles and the birthday serenades. Today is my old man’s birthday and we’re celebrating with these cherry lime hand pies!

I read something in a book recently that struck a chord. In “Cold Tangerines,” the author, Shauna Niequist, talks about how we often think of our stories as being chiseled in stone- permanent and defined. Shauna suggests that instead, we ought to embrace the art of writing in pencil, living with a willingness to not plan our futures to death. Living in freedom because our story’s uncertainty is one of the few things we get to be certain of.

Once Upon a Time

Growing up, I wasn’t a serial dater or anything, but I certainly had my fair share of romances. In middle school, I had a boyfriend who I never actually spoke words to. We’d pass notes in Pre-Algebra and I’d clutch that sweaty piece of notebook paper in my hands until the gel ink bled and the paper curled to the shape of my palm. No amount of writing “Mrs. Katie SanPedro” on the cover of my spiral notebook could have validated that joke of a relationship, but for 12 year old me, that was it.

Later, at 17, I fell for the bad boy. I planned my lip piercing and changed my hair, all in an effort to become his girlfriend/groupie/MySpace profile picture. Thick eyeliner and a new playlist on my iPod wasn’t enough to lock him in, and it finally fizzled when I found out he made out with a girl at his high school prom (HINT: it wasn’t me). I’m kind of embarrassed for that girl now, but what she learned that year helped write the script for the years that followed.

Over the next 6 years, I fell in love twice and sold out entirely to the idea of being in love. I gave my heart away and planned my future with men who, deep down, I knew would never be my husband. I thought, “If I try harder or loosen up or love more fiercely, maybe it will work this time. Maybe he will be the one.”

Thankful for Being Wrong.

Thank God I was wrong.

I met Brett at an unassuming time in my life and something clicked. He wasn’t perfect. He looked, talked, and walked different from any guy I ever would have cast to play the role of “mine.” And he came with a past, a ledger of heartache and broken years, but he carried them with a sincerity that was raw and beautiful. His strength and self-assuredness allowed me the room to be vulnerable, the space to trust and feel hopeful again. I can remember thinking, “Ok, this is it. Now my life is beginning. This is when it starts.”

Marriage is… Work?

Now, 4 years into marriage and a few breaths away from a new decade, my life is still far from what I planned. Getting married, moving to a new town, and living with a man and two tiny humans that call you “Mama” is enough of a change of pace to trick you into thinking that you know where life is taking you. But amazingly, I’m still feeling my way through the dark at times. Bills, tired eyeballs, and a hell of a lot more work than 26 year old me thought she was marrying into are enough to assure myself that I am far from being able to begin writing in ink. I’m the leading lady of a story that will continue to be scribbled in pencil, the ending forever unknown, at least on this side of heaven.

But I’m starting to be okay with the unknown, or at least I’m trying to be. Each chapter I live makes me smile knowingly at the pages that came before it, as if I’m telling those former versions of myself, “Buckle up. You’re in for a ride, and you’re gonna want to stick around for the ending. Also, quit stressing. It’ll be okay.” I’m thankful that 12, 17, or 22 year old me didn’t plan my 29 year old today. I’m finally thankful for this pencil-written story.

Cherry Lime Hand Pies

To be honest, these cherry lime hand pies have zero to do with Brett’s birthday. He’s already requested mint chocolate sandwich cookies for his special day, but I’m sharing this recipe with you today because these little pies remind me of my bowl of cherries life that I live with him- different from how we both imagined it would be, but sweet and beautiful none the less. He’s proof that it’s okay to write in pencil and to trust in something bigger to jot out your endings. So happy birthday, you old man. These pies are for you.

I was inspired to make these cherry lime hand pies because of a certain sparkling beverage at America’s favorite chain drive-in. Cherry limeade will forever be the one non-alcoholic, non-milkshake beverage that I am willing to spend calories on, because, let’s be honest- it’s delicious. When summer’s bounty of cherries rolls through, I’m tempted to throw them all in a pie and be done with it, but these cherry lime hand pies are a cheeky and fun way to celebrate those juicy reds. So let’s dive in!

How to Make Hand Pies

To start, we need a perfect pie crust. No ordinary pie crust will do, so obviously we will make my favorite, perfect every time pie crust. You can make this ahead of time and freeze, if desired, or just make it a couple of hours in advance so that the dough can chill well. Next, we move on to the filling. Fresh cherries, lime zest, and a bit of cornstarch and sugar round out the majority of the ingredients. They all cook, popping and bubbling, on the stovetop until the whole lot of it becomes thick, rich, and syrupy sweet. Allow the mixture to cool in the fridge completely before you start to assemble your pies.

Filling Hand Pies

When you’re reading to start shaping and filling your cherry lime hand pies, roll out the dough to a thin sheet. Use a large biscuit cutter or a sharp rim of a glass to trim out rounds of dough. Plop a scoop of cherry lime filling right in the middle, and fold the dough over itself, crimping and sealing the edges as you go along. I use a rotary pastry cutter like this to crimp and seal my pies. Give each pie a brush of egg wash and a sprinkle of sugar for color and crunch and then bake them away in a super hot oven.

Baking the Hand Pies

Once baked and slightly cooled, these cherry lime hand pies are flaky, buttery, and full of super sweet juicy fruit. The lime isn’t the star of the show here, so don’t expect a tart hand pie. Instead, you’ll find that subtle lime flavor, cozied up in the background of those syrupy cherries, taking the edge off of what would otherwise be an ultra sweet dessert. Each bite of fruit is surrounded on both sides by flaky pastry, so you can celebrate that extra measure of buttery, flaky goodness. Who doesn’t love the crust the most anyways? So do yourselves a favor- skip the pies and jump straight to the hand pies. Personal dessert, no sharing, extra crust, summer fruit, everyone wins… you get the picture.

Cherry Lime Hand Pies Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This mini hand pies are personal pop tart desserts filled with ripe summer black and red cherries and zesty lime. A great alternative to fried pies, these desserts are sweet, make ahead, and use a buttery, homemade pie crust that gets flaky and delicious. The recipe is simple but learn all about how to make hand pies and homemade pop-tarts here on thewoodandspoon.com

If you want an alternative to those summer fruit pies, I hope you’ll give these cherry lime hand pies a try. Make them for your next summer picnic or backyard shindig and think of me when you dive into all that ripe summer deliciousness. Oh, and don’t forget that there is still time to nominate blogs for the legendary Saveur Blog Awards. If you love the recipes, photos, and TMI life stories that you find on this site, I hope you’ll consider nominating moi. Love you guys times a million, always.

If you like these cherry lime hand pies, check out:

Cranberry Pear Mini Pop-Tarts

Berry Almond Streusel Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Peach Berry Pie

No-Churn Cherry Chip Ice Cream

Black Forest Ice Cream Cake

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Cherry Lime Hand Pies

These cherry lime hand pies are flaky, golden pastries filled with juicy cherries and tart lime zest. The perfect personal dessert!

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 45
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 7

Ingredients

  • 1 Recipe Pie Dough (See Notes)
  • ¾ Pound Sweet Cherries, stemmed, cored, and quartered
  • Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • Zest of 1 lime (about 11/2 teaspoons)
  • 1 egg
  • Turbinado or sparkling sugar (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add the cherries and lime juice to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes until the cherries have softened and the juices have released.
  2. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and lime zest. Add the sugar mixture to the cherry mixture and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Remove to a heat safe dish and allow to cool completely to room temperature on the counter or in the fridge.
  3. Once the cherries are cooled, roll out the pie dough until it is 1/8” thick. Use a 4” biscuit cutter (see notes) to cut out flat circles of dough for the hand pies. Combine the scraps and, avoiding overworking the dough, re-roll it and continue cutting circles. Place the circles on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Work quickly so that your dough stay chilled. If it gets too warm, put the sheet pan in the freezer or fridge briefly.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Use a pastry brush to paint the perimeter of each dough circle. This will help your edges to stick and crimp together nicely. Spoon out 1 tablespoon of cherry lime filling into the center of each circle and fold them in half, pinching the edge of each half circle to seal. You can use a pastry cutter or the back of a fork to crimp the edges to further seal. Place the sheet pan of hand pies in the freezer to firm up for 2 hours or until well frozen.
  5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the hand pies with the egg and water mixture and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar if desired. Using a paring knife, cut three small slits in the bottom half of each pie to vent the filling. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the pies are golden and well baked. Allow to cool briefly before enjoying.

Notes

  • See my blog archives for my favorite pie dough. You will need ½ of that recipe. You can save the remaining half in the freezer wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
  • If you don’t have a 4” biscuit cutter, you can use a glass or a bowl with a 4-4-1/2” diameter as your stencil and cut the circles out with a knife. I used a rim of a martini glass for my stencil! Do not use a smaller cutter or stencil, as you will not have enough room to put adequate filling in your pies.

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