Peach Hand Pies

I had a couple of the girls from youth group over the other night for a baking party - SOOO fun :-) We made these fabulous peach hand pies and Bonnie has been asking for the recipe. I was to busy and distracted to remember to take any photos, but these are SUPER yummy and you'll want to drop everything and go make them. So, whoever makes these next should post a lovely, mouthwatering photo!

Pie Crust
(This is my mom's recipe, not sure where she originally got it, but it's definitely my go to recipe. If you want to have homemade pie crusts in your freezer handy for when you don't have a lot of time, just make a couple batches at once. Instead of rolling the dough out after you divide it into balls, just wrap each ball individually in wax paper and then foil and stick in the freezer. When you want to use some, just take them out, thaw, and then roll out! Easy-Peasy!)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1/2 to 2/3 cup cold water (THIS IS KEY!! I use ICE WATER so it's REALLY cold - your crust will be much flakier if you have cold cold cold water)

Mix flour and salt together; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the pieces are the size of peas. Sprinkle water one tablespoon at a time in the middle of pastry until all is moistened. Form the dough into a ball. Divide ball into two equal parts. Roll out from center to edge until 1/8 inch thick.
Peach Hand Pies

1 tablespoon butter or margarine
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 lbs ripe peaches (about 4 large peaches - I also discovered that it was right at 6 cups of cut up peaches)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (trick: put the lemon in the microwave for 5 seconds and you'll get more juice out of each lemon)
4 unbaked pie crusts (you can use the refrigerated kind from the store or make your own)
1 large egg, lightly beaten

In large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. In cup, mix cornstarch with 1/3 cup sugar. Stir peaches, sugar mixture and salt into butter in skillet. Cook 25 minutes or until peaches are very soft and mixture thickens and boils - stir frequently. Boil 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat ; stir in lemon juice (I forgot to do this in one of the batches and it turned out fine). Cool completely (or until you can't wait any longer!). The mixture can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerated until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Lay pie crusts out flat and cut into quarters. Spoon ~2 tablespoons of filling in strip down the center of each quarter, leaving 3/4 inches of dough uncovered at each end. Fold dough over filling. Press edges together with a fork to seal. Transfer pies to ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Make sure there is a little space between each pie on the cookie sheet. Brush tops of pies with egg; sprinkle with remaining sugar. With knife, cut 1-inch slit on top of each pie to allow steam to escape during baking.

Place cookie sheets on 2 oven racks. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown, rotating cooking sheets between uppper and lower oven racks halfway through baking. Transfer pies to wire racks to cool.

(NOTE: Do not eat as soon as they get out - you will burn your tongue. Take my word for it!)

ENJOY!!!

6 comments:

Sabba and Nanny said...

I will vouch for these. They are delish!

Bonnie said...

Pammy ! Thank you for posting these just for me ! I'm going to have to try them very soon. I might even MAKE the dough. Shock Horror ! I NEVER make dough unless I'm putting the ingredients into my breadmaker, and pulling them out as dough !! BUT ... the fact that I can make more than one batch of this and freeze it is appealing ! Unless of course I make crap dough ... then I'd have frozen crap dough and that just won't do. How about this ... you come to Australia and teach me how to make the dough. You can teach me by making a huge batch and we'll fill my freezer with little aluminum foil wrapped balls of it !! Yeah. I think that's the go. I hope this comment makes up for the fact that I didn't comment straight away !! xoxo Bon

Mrs. Wallace said...

Yes, it does make up for it! :-) How about this for a plan: you buy me a plane ticket to Australia in exchange for my dough making teaching! :-)

Bonnie said...

We keep coming back to this me buy you a place ticket hurdle ... :)

Bonnie said...

I'm sure you figured out that was plane ticket ... not place ticket.

Mrs. Wallace said...

I did figure that out...and I figure you're the one that will be able to afford the ticket since your new business is gonna be a HIT! :-)