Valentine's Day Recipe: Heart-Shaped Strawberry Hand Pies
Alright all you lovebirds, Valentine’s Day is coming up this weekend so I hope you have plans set. I’m sure reservations would be practically impossible to find by now. For those of you with kids or plan to stay in for the weekend, this recipe is a scrumptious little treat that is incredibly easy to make and also adaptable to your personal preference. The reason I love these so much is because they are individual servings and super easy to eat. No dishes! They’re Heart-Shaped Strawberry Hand Pies and I promise you will love them.
I like to make my own filling because it allows me to adapt it the way I please but you can easily use jelly or jam that is store bought and in your fridge. I would choose a jam over a jelly because there are generally fruit chunks left over and that’s the best.
I chose strawberry because it’s my personal favorite but these would additionally be delicious with cherry, apple, grape, clementine or any mixture as well. Just think about your favorite pie and replicate the filling in these guys. You could even go an extra step and add in some chocolate. Now that sounds like the perfect treat.
Heart-Shaped Strawberry Hand Pies
Ingredients
1 cup strawberries, quartered
5 tablespoons Sugar + 1 tablespoon for the pies
1 long strip of Lemon Peel/Zest
I package of store bought Pit Dough (or your own homemade recipe)
2 tablespoons Butter, melted
Directions
1. Cut the strawberries into quarters and place in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Add sugar and lemon zest. Use a potato masher or fork to lightly smash the strawberries until you’ve found your desired consistency. Bring mixture to a boil and let simmer until it’s become thick and gooey. Let cool.
2. After the filling has cooled, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and unroll the pie dough lying flat. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to stamp out 8 pieces of the dough. One of the pie crusts should make four pies depending on the size of your cookie cutter.
3. Use a small spoon to carefully place the strawberries onto 4 of the pie dough hearts. Leave enough room around the edges to close and seal (about 1-inch). Place the remaining pie dough hearts on top of the dough and use a fork to seal the edges.
4. Use a pastry brush to coat pies with butter and sprinkle a little sugar so that the top caramelizes lightly. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes and let cool before serving.
