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Make the most of fresh spring fruit with homemade rhubarb and strawberry hand pies! These mini, individual pastries are fun to make and to eat. Can be prepared ahead and frozen or made and served immediately. Great with vanilla ice cream!
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Fresh and Yummy Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Hand Pies

Make the most of fresh spring fruit with homemade rhubarb and strawberry hand pies! These mini, individual pastries are fun to make and to eat. Can be prepared ahead and frozen or made and served immediately. Great with vanilla ice cream!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 28 pies
Author Just a Little Bit of Bacon

Ingredients

Pie Dough

  • 1 recipe pie dough, link in the directions and the notes
  • 1 tbsp orange zest

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

  • 4 cups chopped strawberries, about 20 oz
  • 2 cups chopped rhubarb, about 10 oz
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup strawberry rhubarb jam, or strawberry jam
  • 1/4 cup orange liqueur, such as triple sec, cointreau, or grand marnier
  • 1/2 tsp table salt
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Other Ingredients

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp coarse white sugar, such as sanding sugar

Instructions

  • Make a recipe of pie dough enough for a two crust 9-inch pie, such as my Easy Flaky Pie Crust recipe, adding the orange zest to the recipe when you are mixing it. Form the dough into two discs, wrap each disc in plastic wrap, and rest the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour and up to three days.
  • While the dough is resting, make the hand pie filling.
  • In a medium pot, mix together the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, jam, liqueur, salt, zest, and cinnamon. Over medium-high heat, bring the filling to a boil. Then lower the heat and let the filling simmer until the fruit is soft and the liquid has reduced, about 20 minutes.
  • Transfer the filling to a bowl and refrigerate until cold.
  • Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Remove one of the pie dough discs from the refrigerator and let it warm up enough to be pliable but still cool. If you rested the dough for only an hour, you may be able to work with it immediately, but this process can take up to 20-30 minutes for very cold dough.
  • Mix the egg and the water together in a small bowl. Take out a pastry brush, a fork, and round cutter 4 inches in diameter.
  • On a well-floured board, roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thickness or even a bit thinner. Using your cutter, cut out as many dough rounds as you can. Gather the dough up again into a disc and roll it out one more time. Cut out some more dough rounds. You will get anywhere from 13-15 dough rounds.
  • Place one dough round on a plate. Measure out 1 tablespoon of the filling and carefully place it in the middle of the dough. Using your pastry brush, brush the edges with egg wash. Gather up two sides of the round and pinch it above the filling in the middle. Then pinch all the way down the edges until the hand pie is sealed. Take your fork and press it down along the edge to crimp it. Move the pie to the lined baking sheets. Repeat until the dough rounds are finished.
  • While you are finishing up the first set of hand pies, take the second disc of dough out of the refrigerator and let it warm up. Then repeat the whole process with this dough.
  • (Make ahead: At this point you can move the baking sheets to the freezer and freeze the pies until solid and then put them in a sealed bag. Pies can be frozen - well wrapped and sealed - for up to 3 months. Bake them right from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.)
  • Transfer the baking sheets to the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F.
  • Bake the hand pies for 18-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and the filling is bubbling up through the vents.
  • Enjoy warm or at room temperature with some vanilla ice cream.

Notes

  • Orange liqueur: While I do recommend using liqueur, you can use orange juice instead in a pinch.
  • The cutter you use to make the dough rounds does not need to be sharp, just round and 4 inches in diameter. I use an old Christmas tin which I usually keep tea in. Other options are a bowl or wide jar or a well cleaned 28 ounce can (like the kind tomatoes come in). You can also purchase either a dedicated 4-inch cutter or a Biscuit/Cookie Cutter Set.
  • Once you have a baking sheet filled, put it right in the refrigerator and start heating up the oven. That way you can be baking while you are still assembling.