Oh, when summer fruit hits its peak, it’s mandatory that we bake something wonderfully messy and delicious, right? But sometimes I don’t want to haul out the big pie dish or deal with slicing portions after the fact. That’s why I absolutely adore making homemade peach cobbler adaptations, and these simple **Peach Hand Pies** are my current obsession! They are individual little pockets of heaven—flaky, buttery pastry wrapped around warm, sweet peaches. Seriously, the best part is that they are totally portable, making backyard BBQs or picnics a breeze. You get that incredible peach filling without needing a fork or a plate. Trust me, once you nail this simple crust, you won’t look back!
Why You Will Love These Simple Peach Hand Pies
I know you’re going to become obsessed with these, and honestly, I don’t blame you! They hit all the right notes when a craving strikes for something sweet but easy. If you’ve ever looked at my peach cobbler and thought, “Too big,” then this is your answer. Trust me, they are baking magic!
- They bake up perfectly golden and portable—perfect for snacking on the go!
- The crust is surprisingly easy yet incredibly flaky thanks to keeping everything cold.
- You get all that warm, juicy, summer peach flavor straight from the oven.
- They freeze beautifully, so you can have a summer treat anytime, even in December!
- Individual servings mean no messy slicing or fighting over the biggest piece.
Essential Ingredients for Flaky Peach Hand Pies
Okay, I know ingredient lists can look long, but honestly, these are pantry staples! The secret sauce here isn’t fancy; it’s just making sure everything we need for that unbelievable crust is kept freezing cold. If you’re wondering about making your own heavy cream for serving later, check out my heavy cream guide! For these pies, focus on quality butter and fruit.
For the Flaky Pie Crust
This is where the magic lives! You need 2 cups of all-purpose flour, just 1 teaspoon of salt for flavor balance, and that critical ingredient: 1 cup (that’s two full sticks!) of unsalted butter. The butter *must* be rock solid cold, cut into little cubes so your pastry is light and airy. Finally, you’ll just need about 1/2 cup of ice water. If the water isn’t icy, the butter melts, and we get tough crust, so don’t skip the ice!
For the Sweet Peach Filling
You’ll want about 4 medium peaches. Make sure they are ripe—you want them sweet and juicy! Peel and dice them up nicely. To keep that filling from turning into soup inside your beautiful pastry, mix them with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. A tiny splash of lemon juice brightens up the peach flavor immensely. If you’re using frozen peaches, just thaw them and drain off any extra liquid before you mix them in!
For the Golden Topping
This step is purely for looks, but gosh, does it make a difference! We only need 1 large egg, beaten really well—that’s our shiny glue, the egg wash. Then, grab 1 tablespoon of coarse sugar to sprinkle right on top. That coarse sugar catches the light and gives you that satisfying crunch when you bite into the golden crust. That’s it!
Expert Tips for Perfect Peach Hand Pies Crust
Listen, the difference between a good hand pie and a *great* one lives entirely in the crust! If you want that beautiful, shatteringly flaky layer around your sweet peaches, you have to treat your dough gently. My number one, non-negotiable rule? Everything cold, cold, cold! I keep my butter in the freezer for about 15 minutes right before I start cutting it in. If you feel the dough warming up in your hands, stop immediately and pop the whole bowl back into the fridge.
When you’re mixing the flour and butter, go easy! You’re not trying to make paste. You want those little pea-sized chunks of butter to remain intact. Those chunks are what melt in the oven and create those glorious air pockets—that’s flakiness, honey! If you overwork the dough, you develop the gluten too much, and bam! You’re making biscuits instead of pastry. After you add the water and bring it together, wrap those discs tight and let them chill out for a full hour. They need that rest time before rolling, trust me.
Working with pastry dough should feel quick! Roll it out swiftly to about 1/8 inch thick. If it starts resisting or getting sticky, don’t try to force it; just toss it back in the fridge for ten minutes to relax. I always try to re-roll any scraps quickly together so I don’t waste any dough, but if you mix the scraps too much, they get tough. If you want an advanced look at layering pastry, check out this guide on homemade puff pastry, although these hand pies are much simpler!
Step-by-Step Instructions to Make Peach Hand Pies
Now that we’ve got the perfect ingredients ready—and trust me, your house probably smells amazing already just mixing that filling—it’s time to put this flaky pastry to work! Remember, this process is fast, but chilling the dough first is key. When you’re ready to roll things out, make sure you have your baking sheets lined with parchment paper; nobody likes scrubbing burnt sugar off a hot pan!
Preparing the Dough and Filling
First things first, let’s get that crust looking right! Mix your flour and salt in a big bowl. Now, toss in your super-cold, cubed butter. Use a pastry blender or just your fingertips to cut that fat in until it looks like coarse crumbs with some bits the size of little peas scattered throughout. Don’t panic about those pea-sized butter chunks; those are your friends! Drizzle in the ice water, just a little bit at a time, mixing only until the dough *just* holds together. Don’t go crazy mixing it! Divide that shy dough into two discs, wrap them up tight, and get them into the fridge for at least an hour to chill out and firm up.
While that’s chilling, mix up your filling! Toss those diced peaches with the sugar, cornstarch (to thicken everything so your pies don’t weep juice everywhere), and a dash of lemon juice. Set that bowl aside while the dough rests.
Assembling and Sealing Your Peach Hand Pies
Time to turn the oven on—preheat it to 400 degrees F! Dust your counter lightly with flour and roll out one disc of your cold dough until it’s thin, maybe about 1/8 of an inch. Use a 5-inch round cutter to punch out as many circles as you can get. Once they are cut, take a spoonful of your peach filling and place it right in the center of one half of the dough circle, but make sure you leave about a half-inch border clean around the edge.
Brush the clean edge lightly with your beaten egg wash—this is the glue! Fold the dough over carefully into that perfect half-moon shape. Now, press those edges together really well and use a fork to crimp them shut. This is super important for sealing! Then, take a small knife and cut two little slits right on top of each pie, just like you do on real pies. These are the escape routes for the steam!
Baking and Cooling
Once they are sealed and crimped, brush the tops of all your assembled little parcels with the rest of that egg wash, and sprinkle on that coarse sugar. Bake them on your prepped sheets for about 20 to 25 minutes. You’re looking for two things here: the crust has to be beautifully golden brown, and you should see the peach filling bubbling slightly inside those steam vents! Seriously, the scent filling your house right now is criminal. Let them sit on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes once they come out—they’re molten hot! Then you can transfer them gently to a wire rack to cool down before you gobble them up.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Peach Hand Pies
I often get questions about what happens if you don’t have perfectly ripe summer peaches on hand, or if you’re out of that good butter. Don’t worry, these pies are pretty versatile! If fresh peaches aren’t available, feel free to use those frozen ones, but here’s the catch: you *must* thaw them thoroughly first and drain off every bit of pooled liquid. Too much liquid makes for soggy bottoms!
If you’re in a bind, you can definitely swap peaches for other stone fruits like plums or firm cherries. Just make sure you adjust the sugar slightly depending on how tart the fruit is. And about the butter? While I insist on real butter for the flakiness, if you must substitute, use the highest quality vegetable shortening you can find, but the flavor profile won’t be quite as rich. For a fun flavor pairing, sometimes I even add a tiny dash of cinnamon or almond extract to the filling, which goes beautifully with the peach. Speaking of flavors, if you ever need a cool contrast, check out my recipe for peach gelatin with cream cheese!
Serving Suggestions for Homemade Peach Hand Pies
Once those golden beauties are cooled just enough so you don’t burn your tongue, the deciding question becomes: how do I eat this masterpiece? Honestly, they are perfect all on their own, still warm from the oven. But if you want to elevate them just a touch, I always keep a batch of homemade whipped cream ready. My recipe for strawberry whipped cream is amazing nearby, even without the strawberries!
A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream melting over the top is pure bliss on a hot summer day. If you want something super simple, just dust them lightly with a little powdered sugar right before serving. That sweet, light blanket looks so pretty against the golden crust!
Storage and Reheating Peach Hand Pies
Don’t you just hate when you have leftovers and you know they won’t taste nearly as good the next day? With these peach hand pies, we can prevent that sad scenario! If you have any left—which I doubt, but one can hope—store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. Keeping them out of the fridge is important because refrigeration dries out that gorgeous flaky crust!
Now, here’s how you bring them back to life. Forget the microwave; that just makes them soft and sad. The best method is reheating them in a toaster oven or a regular oven set to 325 degrees F. Just five to seven minutes should do the trick. You want the crust to crisp up again and the peach filling inside to get warm and gooey. That way, they taste like they just came out of the oven!
Frequently Asked Questions About Peach Hand Pies
I always get asked the same few things about these little pies, especially when people are trying to manage their baking time! It’s all about knowing the little tricks to keep things easy without sacrificing that flaky texture or juicy filling. If you love pie but hate the fuss, this section is for you!
Can I use store-bought pie crust for these Peach Hand Pies?
Oh, absolutely! I mean, my recipe focuses on that ultra-flaky homemade crust, because honestly, it’s worth the little extra effort. But if you are truly pressed for time—maybe you need a last-minute dessert—store-bought crust works totally fine here. Just make sure you roll it out a little thinner than the package suggests so the pastry bakes up nice and crisp around that filling. It’s cheating, but sometimes cheating is delicious, right?
How do I prevent the filling from leaking out of the hand pies?
This is the panic moment for every baker! Leakage happens when either the seal isn’t strong or the filling is too wet. First, make sure you are leaving a good, clean half-inch border around the edge when you place the filling in. Then, use that egg wash liberally on the edge before folding and crimping really hard with the fork tines. If you have extra bubbly filling, it can push out; that’s why using the cornstarch is so important when mixing the peaches!
Are Peach Hand Pies better than traditional peach turnovers?
That’s like asking me to pick a favorite child! Traditional turnovers often use puff pastry, which is layered differently, and you usually fold them into a rectangle or triangle and slit the top. These hand pies use a standard, richer pastry dough, and I find they hold their shape better when cooked and are easier to carry around since they are sealed all the way around the edge like a little half-moon. They are portable in a way turnovers sometimes aren’t, but both are absolutely delicious vehicles for fresh peaches!
If you’re looking for another amazing fruit option that requires a little less sealing, you should definitely check out my recipe for old-fashioned rhubarb pie!
Nutritional Estimate for One Peach Hand Pie
Now, I always tell people I bake with love, not spreadsheets, but I know some of you are curious about the numbers! Because these are made with lots of butter and a good amount of sugar to balance those summer peaches, they are definitely a treat. I pulled together an estimate for one single hand pie based on the ingredients we used. Remember, this is just a guideline based on averages, not a lab result, so take it with a grain of salt!
For one of these flaky beauties, here’s what we’re generally looking at:
- Calories: Around 350
- Fat: About 18 grams (That’s the butter working its magic!)
- Saturated Fat: Roughly 11 grams
- Carbohydrates: Around 45 grams
- Sugar: About 25 grams (Mostly from the sweet peaches!)
- Protein: About 5 grams
These are rich, satisfying little desserts, so enjoy them! They are made with fruit, right? That nearly counts as a serving of fruit, doesn’t it? Just kidding! Enjoy them as the gorgeous, homemade treat they are!
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Simple Peach Hand Pies
- Total Time: 165 min
- Yield: 8 hand pies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A straightforward recipe for individual peach hand pies with a flaky crust.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 4 medium ripe peaches, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar (for topping)
Instructions
- Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Gradually add ice water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix. Divide the dough in half, form into discs, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour.
- In a separate bowl, mix the diced peaches, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Use a 5-inch round cutter to cut out circles. Repeat with the second disc.
- Place a spoonful of the peach filling onto one half of each dough circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
- Brush the edges with the beaten egg wash. Fold the dough over to create a half-moon shape. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Cut two small slits in the top of each pie to allow steam to escape.
- Brush the tops of the pies with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
- Let the pies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool further.
Notes
- Keep your butter and water very cold for the flakiest crust.
- You can use frozen peaches; thaw them slightly and drain off excess liquid before mixing with sugar and cornstarch.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pie
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 25
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 11
- Unsaturated Fat: 7
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 60
Keywords: peach hand pies, peach turnovers, fruit pastry, summer dessert, individual pies