Heart Shaped Strawberry Hand Pies (Print version)
Sweet, flaky hand pies filled with juicy strawberry jam and shaped into hearts—ideal for romantic treats or special occasions.
# What you need:
→ For the Dough
01 - 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
03 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
04 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
05 - 0.33 cup ice water
→ For the Filling
06 - 0.75 cup strawberry jam, seedless
07 - 0.5 cup fresh strawberries, finely diced
→ For Assembly
08 - 1 large egg
09 - 1 tablespoon water
10 - 2 tablespoons coarse sugar for sprinkling
# Directions:
01 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold cubed butter and cut in with a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
02 - Gradually add ice water, stirring just until dough begins to come together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, knead gently, and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
03 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
04 - In a small bowl, mix strawberry jam with diced fresh strawberries.
05 - On a floured surface, roll out dough to approximately 0.125 inches thickness. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter measuring 3 to 4 inches to cut out 16 hearts.
06 - Place 8 hearts on the prepared baking sheet. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of strawberry filling onto the center of each, leaving a border.
07 - Brush edges with beaten egg mixed with water. Top with remaining hearts and press edges firmly to seal. Crimp edges with a fork.
08 - Brush tops of pies with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
09 - Cut a small slit in the top of each pie to allow steam to escape during baking.
10 - Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.
# Expert advice:
01 -
- These hand pies have this magical way of turning even the most ordinary afternoon into something that feels like a celebration, no fancy equipment required.
- The combination of buttery, flaky crust with that warm, jammy center creates this perfect little pocket of comfort that somehow tastes even better when shared.
02 -
- If your dough becomes too soft while working with it, pop it back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes rather than fighting with it, which I learned after nearly throwing my first batch across the kitchen in frustration.
- Dont overfill the hand pies or the jam will bubble out during baking, creating a sticky mess that can glue your pies to the parchment paper, a lesson that cost me a whole batch once.
03 -
- For the absolute flakiest crust, grate frozen butter into the flour mixture instead of cutting it in, a trick my pastry chef neighbor showed me that changed my pie game forever.
- If the edges wont seal properly, try using less filling and cleaning any jam from the borders with a small, clean brush dipped in water before crimping.