This Cherry Mitten Hand Pies Recipe is a flaky and festive recipe, which is made with tart frozen cherries and convenient refrigerated pie crusts. It’s the perfect addition to a holiday cookie box, ready in about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Jump to RecipeCherry Mitten Hand Pies Recipe Ingredients
Filling:
- One 10-ounce bag frozen cherries, thawed, drained and coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Crust:
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- One 14- to 16-ounce box rolled refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)
- 1 large egg (for egg wash)
Royal Icing and Decoration:
- 1 pound confectioners’ sugar
- 5 tablespoons meringue powder
- Blue gel food coloring, for icing
- White snowflake sprinkles, for decorating
How To Make Cherry Mitten Hand Pies Recipe
- Make the cherry filling: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped cherries, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries are juicy and the sugar dissolves (about 10 minutes).
- Thicken the filling: In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Pour this mixture into the simmering cherries. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes until the liquid thickens significantly. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the lemon juice, and let it cool completely. Tip: The filling must be cold before assembling.
- Cut the mittens: Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Unroll the pie crusts and roll them slightly thinner with a rolling pin. Using a 4-inch mitten-shaped cutter, cut out as many mittens as possible (aim for 16 to 20 pieces). Re-roll the scraps once if necessary.
- Assemble the pies: Arrange half of the mittens on the prepared baking sheets. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the edges of the mittens with this egg wash. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cooled cherry filling into the center of each mitten.
- Seal and bake: Top each filled mitten with a second dough mitten. Press the edges firmly with your finger to seal them shut. Brush the tops with egg wash and cut a small slit in the top to vent steam. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the crust is golden and crisp. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- Make the royal icing: Combine confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and 6 tablespoons of water in a large bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until soft, glossy peaks form. Add water sparingly if it’s too thick. Separate one-third of the icing (keep white) and color the remaining two-thirds light blue.
- Decorate: Transfer blue icing to a piping bag (round tip #6 or #7) and white icing to two bags (one with round tip #3/#4, one with petal tip #103/#104). Pipe a blue border on the mittens (leaving the cuff plain), let set briefly, then flood the center with blue icing. Spread smooth. Add sprinkles. Use white icing to pipe a ruffle on the cuff and stitching around the edges. Let harden for 1 hour.
Recipe Tips
- Cooling is critical: Never put the cherry filling on the dough while it is warm, or the butter in the crust will melt and the pies will be greasy. Similarly, let the baked pies cool fully before icing, or the icing will melt.
- Don’t overfill: It is tempting to add more fruit, but overfilling will cause the mittens to burst open during baking. Keep the filling in the center, away from the edges.
- Icing consistency: Royal icing dries hard, which is perfect for stacking. If the icing is too stiff to spread (flood), add water a few drops at a time. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar.
- Sealing: Since there is no crimping with a fork in this design, firmly pressing the two layers of dough together with your finger is essential to prevent leaks.
What To Serve With Cherry Mitten Hand Pies
These hand pies are a sweet treat that pairs well with warm winter drinks.
- Hot Chocolate with marshmallows
- Spiced Apple Cider
- A tall glass of cold milk
- Coffee or Espresso
How To Store Cherry Mitten Hand Pies Recipe
- Room Temperature: Once the icing has completely hardened (about 1 hour), store the pies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze the baked, un-iced pies for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and decorate fresh. Freezing iced pies may cause the colors to bleed upon thawing.
Cherry Mitten Hand Pies Recipe Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 320
- Total Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
- Sodium: 180mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 62g
- Dietary Fiber: 1g
- Sugar: 45g
- Protein: 2g
Nutrition information is estimated per hand pie.
FAQs
Can I use fresh cherries?
Yes, but you will need to pit them first. Fresh cherries may take slightly longer to break down and release their juices compared to frozen ones.
Do I need a mitten cutter?
If you don’t have a cutter, you can draw a mitten shape on a piece of stiff cardboard, cut it out, and use it as a stencil to cut the dough with a sharp knife.
Can I use canned cherry pie filling?
Yes, to save time you can use canned filling. However, the homemade version in this recipe is less gelatinous and has a brighter, fresher flavor. If using canned, chop the cherries smaller so they fit in the hand pie.
Cherry Mitten Hand Pies Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: EasyServings
10
servingsPrep time
45
minutesCooking time
12
minutesCalories
320
kcalAdorable mitten-shaped hand pies filled with homemade cherry compote and decorated with festive royal icing snowflakes.
Ingredients
10 oz frozen cherries, thawed/chopped
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 refrigerated pie crusts
1 egg
1 lb confectioners’ sugar
5 tbsp meringue powder
Blue food coloring
Sprinkles
Directions
- Simmer cherries, sugar, and cinnamon. Add cornstarch slurry and thicken. Add lemon juice; cool.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut mitten shapes from rolled pie crusts.
- Brush edges with egg wash. Add filling to center. Top with second mitten and seal.
- Brush tops with egg, slit for steam, and bake 10-12 mins. Cool.
- Whip confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and water for icing.
- Color 2/3 of icing blue.
- Pipe blue base on mittens; add sprinkles.
- Pipe white cuffs and details. Let set for 1 hour.
Notes
- Pastry Tips: If you don’t have specific pastry tips, you can snip the corner off a Ziploc bag for the filling and basic piping, though the “ruffle” effect requires a petal tip.
- Dough Temperature: Keep the pie crust cool. If it gets sticky while cutting shapes, pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes.
