friday links + summer recipe roundup

I am so guilty of not baking anything this whole week.
I think it's the longest I've gone without turning on the oven.
Or maybe that was the winter blizzard?
Anyone else not in the mood to bake?
Grilling I can understand, but you literally have to wait till the sun goes down in order to grill
comfortably outside without needing massive amounts of Gatorade.

With all the wonderful summer produce around I thought I'd share some past recipes of mine, in case
you are, (unlike me), in the mood to bake.


Next time you make chocolate dipped strawberries, add some sprinkles (or nuts!).

Crisp, clean, sweet, tangy lemon crunch bars.
Oh what a treat these are.

Starbucks chocolate-banana smoothie copycat recipe.
I added some coconut too.

Blackberry coulis ice cream with salty white chocolate-cream cheese swirls.

Lemon & vanilla Oreo ice cream

Lemon cheesecake with raspberry-white chocolate ganache.

Simple and tasty blueberry cake.

My all time favorite summer eats (next to lobster rolls) is this blueberry shortcake.
You simply must make this at least once in your life. Heavenly!

Peach & creme fraiche pie!

Blueberry & toasted coconut pie.

Raspberry-cheddar hand pies.

And of course summer wouldn't be summer without my infamous tomato pie
This one has panko in it; nice little addition.

Around the web:
avocado salsa made with olives from whole foods recipe collection
peanut butter oat sandwich cookies made with salted honey buttercream
sour milk bread--which I've never heard of but sounds good
cassava patties from tastes like home
raspberry jam thumbprint cookies
easy cannoli cups (so cute)
oreo ice cream sandwiches
strawberry-buttermilk ice cream with candied peppercorns
gluten free goldfish crackers
greatest hot dog ever created?
fried tomato hoagie! yes please!
frozen smores!!!
one hour skillet focaccia
find inspiration in others from gabby & laird
boston mayor tom menino disgrace at Rolling Stone Magazine
jamie oliver is at it again, thankfully. campaign makes McDonalds change recipe
the best way to blind bake a pie--excellent video!
autoimmune disorders and sleep problems
12 foods to fight inflammation
hot fudge sundae cake

Have a wonderful weekend!

beef & cheddar hand pies

Sorry I've been m.i.a. My old faithful laptop died and I am in the process of converting over to a Mac.
A whole new world to learn really.
Change is hard, but good in this case. I'm learning....
Ever have a trusty old something that you hate to lose?

Making beef and cheddar hand pies is easy, easy since I used the same crust that I used for my raspberry-cheddar hand pies.



King Arthur really nailed it with this cheddar cheese crust. It's so versatile. The next use will be an apple pie or apple hand pies. And since I get asked all the time "does it freeze well?" I can finally say yes, this cheddar crust does freeze very well.









I found a small bowl makes the best outlines for cutting out circles.



The beef filling can be anything you want really. Ground cooked beef with any type of veggie and/or sauce. I'm a pepper jelly junkie--love it on everything.







beef & cheddar hand pies
print recipe
cheddar crust from King Arthur

cheddar crust
3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Hi-maize Fiber (or substitute all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup Vermont cheese powder (or substitute ¼ cup fine-grind Parmesan cheese)
3/4 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or a dash of hot sauce, optional
1 1/2 cups (24 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into pats (I grated mine, kept them frozen)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup ice water

filling
¾ - 1 pound of cooked ground beef
any veggie you want: I used chopped sweet onions
¾ - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional
pepper jelly, but use whatever type sauce/condiment you like

Cook notes: I made this without the hi-maize fiber using flour instead, and used Parmesan instead of cheese powder. BUT I highly recommend using/finding the sharp cheese powder because I’m so sure that adds a nice flavor and the parmesan makes it a little more greasy. I separated this dough into 5 mounds and only used one mound for the fruit pies, and freezing the rest. Does it freeze well? Yes. For the square-like hand pies, I rolled my hand pies into long squares, but use any shape you want—keep in mind that the dough should be as thin as possible since it does rise a bit when baking. Always keep the dough cold when working with it and always work the dough as little as possible as we want a nice crispy crust. The more you work the crust the chewier and less tender it will be.
In terms of cutting out dough squares for perfect sized hand pies? -- I’m horrid at this, so I just cut them into long strips and filled one half and folded over the other half OR I used a bowl and cut out circles (as seen in the photos). It’s rustic, but it works for me. If you have a better way, then please go ahead.
You should get about 4 batches of dough, and each batch of dough should give you about 4-6 hand pies depending on how thick/thin you rolled the dough and how you cut out each square/circle.

To make the crust: Combine the dry ingredients. Work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

Add the cheddar cheese and water, mixing until the dough is cohesive; add extra water, if necessary, to make it come together. It will be crumbly, that’s ok, just mold them into mounds and cover with plastic—it will come together when it sits/sets up in the fridge. If you are using dough right away chill at least 30 minutes or more. If you are not using all of them right away then freeze the rest.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove a disk of dough from the fridge. Roll it into as big a square/rectangle, as you can. Using a sharp knife, slice out little squares (whatever size you want).
Fill the middles with about 1-2 TB of cooked beef, add on your veggies if using, then top off with shredded cheese and pepper jelly if using.
Make sure not to fill the centers too full or you’ll have a hard time closing/sealing up pie edges.
Once your filling is done, take another square or circle of dough and place over the top of the filling, gently seal up the edges with a fork by pressing down or pinching if necessary. It was not necessary to wet the edges before sealing; they stuck together just fine. I brushed the whole tops with the beaten egg before baking. Making a vent hole is NOT necessary.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while making the other hand pies; you always want to keep the dough as cold as possible.

Bake the pies for 18 to 23 minutes, until golden.
Let cool a bit before serving as the filling is HOT.
Each disk of dough should yield about 4-6 hand pies.
They are great alone or served with a dipped sauce.

deep dish chocolate chip cookie pie

Why? Why is this in a cast iron pan?
Oh that's very easy to answer, and I think once I answer this you'll agree.
Well, almost all of you will agree; there might be a 3% of you that won't agree because well, maybe you have been living under a rock or something?
So you want the answer?
You sure?
It's really a simple answer.....
CRISPY THICK EDGES with gooey cake-like middle.
Swoon.......



So when I say crispy thick edges, I mean edges that are really thick, like two inches thicker than a normal cookie. As the Barefoot Contessa herself says "how bad can that be?"


Make sure to grease up your cast iron pan reallyvwell with non stick spray.







deep dish chocolate chip cookie pie
adapted from eat live run
(I changed things around a bit)
print recipe

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 ts pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 ts baking soda
1 ts salt
1 & ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Cook notes: if you don’t have a cast iron, you can easily put this in little ceramic ramekins. Just don’t preheat at 400, only preheat at 325 degrees. Make sure you use a clean cast iron; we don't want your cookies tasting like dinner. *Cooking times vary GREATLY! Please check at the 25 minute mark!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease up your cast iron skillet with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking soda.
Cream the butter and sugars together. Add in eggs plus egg yolk, then mix. Add in vanilla and mix until just combined. Add in your dry ingredients, mix, then add in the chocolate chips.

Press the cookie dough down into your greased skillet evenly; using wet hands make sure the corners are good and even with dough.
Place in preheated 400 degree oven, then turn temp down to 325 degrees and bake for about 25-40* minutes. Might want to rotate pan halfway thru baking.
You are looking for golden brown edges and slightly cakey crumbs come thru when a cake tester is used.
Make sure to let this rest for at least an hour before slicing.

raspberry-cheddar hand pies

I finally found a very good, I mean really good, cheddar hand pie crust. For years I've always made my own UNTIL the talented folks at King Arthur Flour bestowed upon me their own recipe. Wow. It's really that good. Originally King Arthur used it for breakfast hand pies, which is a fabulous idea, but I used mine for a cheddar hand pie filled with jam. I love the idea of cheddar and fruit. Always had a slice of sharp cheddar cheese along with my apple pie--even made apple pie with cheese in--oh so fabulous. To be honest I was going to use apples inside this one, but didn't have enough apples, so I just used whatever was in the fridge.
When I eat croissants I LOVE to put raspberry jam on them--it's such a great combo.
But really you could fill these hand pies with anything--apples, scrambled eggs, stir fry veggies, brie, figs, chutney....endless possibilities. Keep in mind that this dough is really only for hand pies, I do not think this would work well as a pie crust since it puffs, a lot. I think the next batch well have some sort of chutney in them--doesn't that sound good? What do you think about chocolate? I'm in.






This is where I take shortcuts when it comes to cutting out squares. It works though!





raspberry-cheddar hand pies
from vanillasugarblog.com
crust from King Arthur Flour
print recipe

Cheddar crust
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Hi-maize Fiber (or substitute all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup Vermont cheese powder (or substitute ¼ cup fine-grind Parmesan cheese)
3/4 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or a dash of hot sauce, optional
1 1/2 cups (24 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into pats (I grated mine, kept them frozen)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup ice water

Filling
Raspberry jam (or whatever filling you want)

Cook notes: I made this without the hi-maize fiber using flour instead, and used parmesan instead of cheese powder. BUT I highly recommend using/finding the sharp cheese powder because I’m so sure that adds a nice flavor and the parmesan makes it a little more greasy. I separated this dough into 5 mounds and only used one mound for the fruit pies, and freezing the rest. Does it freeze well? Yes. For the square-like hand pies, I rolled my hand pies into long squares, but use any shape you want—keep in mind that the dough should be as thin as possible since it does rise a bit when baking. Always keep the dough cold when working with it and always work the dough as little as possible as we want a nice crispy crust. The more you work the crust the chewier and less tender it will be.
In terms of cutting out dough squares for perfect sized hand pies? -- I’m horrid at this, so I just cut them into long strips and filled one half and folded over the other half (as seen in the photos). It’s rustic, but it works for me. If you have a better way, then please go ahead.

To make the crust: Combine the dry ingredients. Work in the butter until the mixture is unevenly crumbly.

Add the cheddar cheese and water, mixing until the dough is cohesive; add extra water, if necessary, to make it come together. It will be crumbly, that’s ok, just mold them into mounds and cover with plastic—it will come together when it sits/sets up in the fridge. If you are using dough right away chill at least 30 minutes or more. If you are not using all of them right away then freeze the rest.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove a disk of dough from the fridge. Roll it into as big a square/rectangle, as you can. Using a sharp knife, slice out little squares (whatever size you want).
Fill the middles with about 2 teaspoons of raspberry jam. Take a square and place on top, seal up edges with a fork by pressing down or pinching if necessary.

I brushed the whole tops with the beaten egg before baking. Making a vent hole is NOT necessary.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while making the other hand pies. You always want to keep the dough as cold as possible.
Bake the pies for 18 to 23 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven, and cool before eating as the filling is HOT.

salty caramel-apple pie

Well it's Thanksgiving week. That was fast. Are you ready? Are you stressed? Last year I did the HUGE mistake of going to Whole Foods on Thanksgiving eve. There wasn't a parking spot to be had for miles. It was INSANE there. As much as I love Whole Foods I will never ever do that again. I swear everyone was there buying turkeys and side foods as well as pies. I mean I know people do last minute Christmas shopping, but last minute turkey dinners? Amazing. I just went there to stock up on my water and probiotics--which could/should have waited.
Are you cooking this year? What are you making? Are you doing the whole meal? Doing the whole meal scares me unless I have a big ass kitchen and an even bigger fridge. Because seriously where are you going to store everything? One of my culinary dreams is to have a Sub Zero fridge or no, that fridge that is in the background of that food show Cooking for real with Sunny Anderson. It's a SEE THROUGH fridge people. How cool is that?
If you need any ideas for kicked up pies here is one: salty caramel apple pie. It's has the salty, sweet and buttery all happening. Perfect combo in a pie really. Just make sure you top each slice with vanilla ice cream! It's fairly easy to make. You can make the caramel sauce a couple days ahead and save the pie for the day of--easy peasy.

Have a wonderful holiday kids. Be safe and eat well!

I love the person that thought those chunks were cheese. Ha Ha! But actually that's a really good idea--for real. (I had posted this pic to the Vanilla Sugar Blog Facebook page as a teaser of what's to come).

salty caramel-apple pie
print recipe

2 pie crusts, homemade or premade
(I always use Martha Stewart's pie crust recipe; it never fails me)
7-8 cups apples, peeled and sliced into medium 1 ½ x 1 ½ inch slices (I use any apple really not granny smith)
The juice of one large lemon
2 TB flour
1 TB cinnamon
3 TB butter
3 good pinches of sea salt
¾ cup of caramel sauce
1 egg (for the pie wash on top)

homemade caramel sauce
from my baking addiction

1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1/4 liquid cup water
1/2 liquid cup heavy cream, room temp NOT cold
2 TB unsalted butter, room temp
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cook notes: I only used ¾ of the caramel sauce and saved the rest in a covered glass jar for other goodies. I’ve made this pie with premade crusts and with homemade crusts—both work fine.
I used about 3 good size pinches of sea salt for the top of the filling—this maybe too much for some of you and just right for some of you. Use what you think is best. I tend to like my caramel pie a touch salty. I used a deep dish apple pie pan for this, as it hold more apples. I do NOT like to pile apples into a mile high pie—that’s’ just me, I feel the caramel taste gets lost with too many apples. I like about a 4 inch apple thick pie.
You must, I repeat must serve this with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. I stored my pie, covered, at room temp. I could not fathom putting it in the fridge; apple pies do not taste good cold. It kept nicely at room temp for about 2 days.

For the caramel sauce:
In a heavy saucepan place a candy thermometer on the side of pan. Stir together the sugar, syrup, and water. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until all sugar is dissolved AND its bubbling. When it hits 380 F remove from heat and CAREFULLY pour in the heavy cream. It will bubble and boil a lot so stand back and let it do its thing. Once it’s calmed down, mix with a rubber spatula, stirring and scraping up the bottom of pan. You might want to return it to the heat (a medium heat) if you see that not everything is dissolving. Once that is heated thru and stir in the butter and salt. Take off the heat and keep stirring till everything has come together. Let this cool a bit, about 4 minutes, then add in the vanilla extract.

For the pie filling:
In a large bowl place the chopped apples in and sprinkle with the lemon juice. In a small bowl combine the flour and cinnamon mix. The toss the flour mixture onto the apples and using a spatula combine well.
Let sit for a bit.

For the pie:
Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Spray your deep dish pie plate with non-stick spray; lay one of the pie crusts down into pie plate.
Take your apples and pour about ¾ cup of the caramel sauce over them, then mix with spatula. Take apples and place into pie. Sprinkle on the sea salt over the top, then take your 3 TB of butter, cut into small pieces and drop over the pie filling.
Take the other pie crust, and place over the top, crimping the edges closed. Take your egg and beat it a small cup with a fork. Generously wash the top of the pie with egg using a pastry brush.
Using a sharp knife, poke about 5 slits in the top of the pie for steam escape.
Place pie on a parchment lined baking sheet.
I baked my pie at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes. Yours might take less or more to bake, depending on oven. But check at the 45 minute mark to see where it stands.
Please let this pie cool at least 30 minutes before slicing into it to let the caramel set up.
Serve with vanilla ice cream

the infamous tomato pie now with panko

That title sounds like an infomercial. "New improved, now with panko!" And it is just that, improved. Improved for those that want a little "crunch".
This summer I was shocked how many of you loved, downloaded, raved about my tomato pie. So glad you all loved it. I got so many emails on this pie, thanking me for posting it, sharing it, how easy it is to throw together, etc.... Thank you!
I love it too, my favorite way to eat it is cold. So good with a glass of white (dry) wine. When I used up the last of my summer tomatoes, just as I was about to put the last pie in the oven to bake, it hit me, "why not add panko to the top?" So glad I did, it gives it that nice little crunch. Stays crunchy for a couple days, then gets a little soggy. But my pies don't really last longer than two days in this house.
So if you still have tomatoes leftover and can't quite let go of summer (like me), then give this new version a whirl.

ready to bake
(note: I used sliced cheese here in the photo. You can use sliced or shredded cheese. Just don't make your slices too thick or use too much.)

tomato pie with panko
print recipe

1 (9") deep dish pie shell, frozen (or use your own pie crust dough, whatever you like)
4-5 large tomatoes, thickly cut
Freshly cracked black pepper
A light sprinkling of sugar
1 c. good quality mayonnaise (Hellmans)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup cooked real bacon (not the fake stuff please)
½ - ¾ cup of panko crumbs

I like to keep my deep dish pie crust cold/sitting in the freezer till I’m ready to use; it cooks up better when it start with a cold crust.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, 350 for convection. Slice up the tomatoes in rather thick slices and place them on paper towels to absorb some of the excess moisture.
Also place paper towels on the top.
Get out pie crust from freezer, place sliced tomatoes over crust; do a double layer of sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with a very light layer of sugar then freshly cracker black pepper.
In a bowl combine mayonnaise with shredded cheddar cheese, and the chopped up bacon. Spoon over tomatoes; try to get it spread evenly over the tomatoes, but don’t push down.
If you want a crunch, then sprinkle on the panko crumbs just before baking, push them down a bit into the topping.
Bake for about 30 minutes. Mine was done at the 25 minute mark, so best to keep an eye on it at the 20 minute mark.
I let my pie cool down about an hour before slicing into it. It really does taste best when it’s refrigerated and served cold. Serve with a nice glass of white wine.
Note: I love my crust nice and dark brown, if you don’t like it that way then cook it less. This is a really rich pie, so cut the slices smaller than you would an apple or other fruit pie.

peanut butter cream pie for mikey

A peanut butter cream pie for mikey.
In the check out line at the grocery store where i was getting all the ingredients for this special pie, the chatty but friendly grocery clerk asked me what I was making.
"Hmm?" I said after trying to come out of a grocery shopping funk.
The chatty clerk asked me again, "what are you making" while staring-pointing at all the pie-like ingredients.
I said to her "you know what? I'm making a pie for mikey."
She asked "who is Mikey?"
I answered "I have no idea, but he once was a wonderful husband to a good foodie friend. And we are all honoring him with homemade peanut butter cream pies to share with loved ones.
The clerk responded "that's odd.....but nice!"
I said "No, it's very comforting. Comforting to us who want to help her, and comforting to her because we are there, doing something for her, for him; she wants us to share her husbands' favorite pie with loved ones this Friday"

Comforting indeed. This pie is for you Mikey and for you Jennie, with love, strength and tons of everlasting comfort.

Thank you to CNN (eatocracy) and the Food Network for the world wide love for Mikey.

peanut butter cream pie for mikey
original recipe found here: injennieskitchen.com
print recipe

8 ounces chocolate cookies (I used about 1 & 1/2 cups)
4 TB butter, melted
4 ounces finely chopped chocolate (I used about 7-6 ounces of milk choco)
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 ts pure vanilla extract
1 ts freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used 1 & ½ ts)
(I used a couple pinches of sea salt)
(I drizzled the top of finished pie with melted caramel, optional)

Cook Notes: If you do make this pie the way I made it keep in mind the crust is harder to slice since it has chocolate in it and it will be firm. Use a sharp, wet knife to slice through--carefully). I always like a thicker crust so I used more crushed cookies.

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs.
Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well.
Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.
**(I sprayed the 9-inch springform pan with non stick spray, then mixed the cookie crumbs with the melted butter and then with the melted chocolate and used this as my crust).**

Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula.
Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl.
Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar.
Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice and pinches of salt. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream). Fold in the remaining whipped cream.
Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan. You need to refrigerate this for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

For decoration: drizzle melted chocolate or melted caramel on top serve with fresh whipped cream.

tomato & cheddar hand pies

This has to be the fastest meal I've ever made. How these came about? We all know the familiar sad pre-dinner scene: look into fridge, see nothing but condiments, beverages, and something rotting in the vegetable drawer. Closing the fridge door in frustration I see all the tomatoes on the counter, then realize I did just see cheese in the fridge. Plus the fact that my fridge/freezer does always have an abundance of pie crusts: homemade and pre-made. Score. I have dinner. One of the favorite ways to use up fresh tomatoes from the garden is in tomato and cheese sammies with a hint of mayo. I love them, especially if you use a good, thick, whole grain bread. So if these two ingredients are good in a sandwich then why not a hand pie? Almost like a grilled cheese with extra, crispy crust? Kind of. You get the idea.

And since we're on the subject of savory pies--do you know that my tomato pie is the 3rd highest downloaded recipe this summer? Good to know. It's a good pie for hot summer nights paired with cold white wine.
Have I ever made a 'savory something' with pre-made pie crusts? Yes, I've made cheese sticks. (I promise to do a post on that soon).







tomato & cheese hand pies
print recipe

Pie crust or premade pie crusts
Tomatoes, sliced very thin
Extra sharp cheddar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper

Cook notes:
I’ve left out the quantities as you can make as little or much as you like. Typically it’s about 3 slices of tomato on the inside of the pie and one slice on the top of the pie. Please slice the tomatoes really thin, and let them dry out a bit on paper towels. You don’t want juicy tomatoes weighing down or steaming up the inside of the hand pies.

When ready to bake. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lay out your crusts in a circle (or square). Cut them in half, put down a layer of tomatoes (about 3 slices), then top with a few slices of cheese—don’t let cheese get too close to edges.
Fold over the other half of the pie crust, seal all edges; crimp with a fork. Place a slice tomato on the top of the hand pie, brush with a little extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Make sure to prick a few holes on top to let any steam escape during baking.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the edges are nice and crispy brown. I like them a little overdone. Do what you like.

chocolate dipped cherry-rum hand pies

Cherries soaked in rum are one of my favorite treats. I love to use them in homemade ice creams, use as a topping on ice cream, pour over warm pancakes, and have even thought about making them into a jam. Wouldn't that taste good? A rum-cherry jam? Maybe not kid friendly, but definitely adult friendly. The dark rum marinating fresh tart, ripe cherries...heavenly. Instead of making a cherry pie I wanted to kick it up a notch and make hand pies because I had in the back of my mind (for ages) on taking flaky hand pies and dipping them in milk chocolate. I got the idea (several times) when I would dip strawberries in chocolate. Why not cherries? Well, why not cherry hand pies? Cookies are done this way why not hand pies?

Well, I'm really glad I did, they were so tasty. The rum-soaked cherries, the flaky pie crust and the milk chocolate all paired really nice together. Plus they were super easy to make. If you're ever strapped for time you can easily make these with pre-made pie doughs.

chocolate dipped cherry-rum hand pies
print recipe

2 cups of dark cherries, chopped & pitted (don’t chop too small)
¼ cup of good quality DARK rum
(Might need a pinch or two of white sugar in the filling)

1-2 TB cornstarch, sifted
6 pre made round pie crusts or make your own pie dough
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
¼ cup of half & half and a beaten egg for brushing the tops of the hand pies

Milk or dark chocolate chips for dipping the hand pies in

Cook notes: I don’t have exact measurements here as I did not write the recipe down. The only area you have to look out for is making cooking the filling over heat; you might need 1 or 2 TB of cornstarch to thicken it. Use 1 TB and see how the filling comes along as you heat it up. If it’s too thick add a bit of water or if it’s too thin add some more cornstarch –just watch it as you cook it. I tend to like my pie fillings very thick. Make sure to use a dark rum—they taste better and don’t have that strong alcoholic flavor. I like to sift my cornstarch as it avoids any lumps in the sauce/filling. I used dark cherries; I have not used red cherries—don’t know how they would work. Please taste test the filling after it’s cooked and see if it needs a pinch or two of sugar. Some people love their pie fillings sweet, I do not. But experiment as you go along!

For the marinade:
use a cherry pitter or by hand slice the cherries in half, place in a glass or ceramic bowl and drizzle with dark rum, toss, cover, then refrigerate overnight.

For the filling:
When you are ready to use the cherries, let them come to room temp and mix with a generous tablespoon or TB and ½) of cornstarch. Mix thoroughly. Put into a small saucepan and cook until you have your desired thickness. Take off heat and set aside.

For the pie crusts:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take your egg wash, place in a small dish and beat it well, set aside. Take your other egg wash: the half & half and egg and mix well in another dish, set aside. Use pre made pie crusts or make your own using the recipe I provided above. When you are ready, lay your pie crust on a well floured board, cut the circle in half. Take one half, place about 3-4 TB of the filling on one half, don’t spread the filling to the edges. Take your egg wash, and brush the edges of the pie crust—all edges. Then seal them up. Take the edges and fold them over about a ¼ of an inch all the way around; take a fork and crimp them down. This way you have a pie crust all the way around and it prevents any filling spillage. Now take your half & half and egg wash and brush the tops of the hand pies before baking. Also place a small slit or two on the top and middle of each hand pie to let the steam vent. Bake on parchment lined cooking sheets for about 20-30 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown.
Mine were done around the 30 minute mark.

Let them cool before dipping into melted chocolate. I also topped a couple of mine with fresh coconut right after they had been dipped in chocolate.