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Pies, cakes, smoothies—it makes everything taste better! < Back Homemade Pumpkin Puree Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner Ingredients 2 whole small pumpkins Preparation 1. Select a couple of small sized pumpkins. Cut the pumpkin in half. Using a spoon or a scoop, scrape out the seeds and pulp from the center. You don't have to be too thorough with this. 2. Reserve all of the seeds in a separate bowl. Repeat until all the pumpkin pieces are largely free of seeds and pulp 3. Place the pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet (face up or face down; I've done both) and roast in a 350°F oven until the pumpkin is fork-tender, 45 minutes. They should be nice and light golden brown when done. 4. Peel off the skin from the pumpkin pieces until you have a big pile of the stuff. If you have a food processor, throw in a few chunks at a time. A blender will work, too, if you add a little water. Or you can simply mash it up with a potato masher, or move it through a potato ricer, or process it through a food mill. 5. Pulse the pumpkin until smooth. If it looks too dry, add in a few tablespoons of water during the pulsing to give it the needed moisture. (Note, if the puree is overly watery, you should strain it over cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer to get rid of some of the liquid.) 6. Dump the pureed goodness into a bowl, and continue pureeing until all the pumpkin is done. 7. You can either use this immediately in whatever pumpkin recipe you'd like or store it in the freezer for later use. 8. To store in the freezer, spoon about 1 cupful of pumpkin into each plastic storage bag. Seal the bag with just a tiny bit of an opening remaining, then use your hands to flatten out the pumpkin inside the bag and push out the air. Store them in the freezer until you need them. It's around this time of year that I start storing up pumpkin puree in my freezer, in approximately one-cup quantities. I've read opinions that declare canned pumpkin puree just as good as, if not better than, the fresh stuff. And you know me—I'm always willing to go along with a more convenient shortcut. But all I can tell you is that in my experience… in my isolated, agoraphobic, reclusive experience… I've been more pleased with the outcome of pumpkin-based dishes in which I've used the from-scratch puree. To begin, select a couple of small-ish pumpkins. The larger they are—for instance, jack-o-lantern pumpkins—the more you’ll run into weird tastes and textures. (Though the first time my mother-in-law and I pureed pumpkin, we used a big motherin’ thing and it turned out just fine.) I think the one on the left senses the end is near. Could have something to do with the gigantic knife right next to him. Ugh. This is always the worst part. I'm sorry, guys… but you're a part of the food chain. I’m just following the natural order of things. Pretend he's a jack-o'-lantern and lop off his head near the stem. Cut in half Then take a moment to examine his innards. Pretend you're a surgeon. Repeat with the other pumpkin. Okay, wait a minute. I know there are vegetarians. I understand that. And while I don't necessarily subscribe to the exact same set of values vegetarians do, I do understand where they're coming from. Animals are sweet. And cuddly. And fellow citizens of this earth. But before I continue with this personification of vegetables, is there such a thing as a belief system that espouses that vegetables are somehow alive? And that if we lop off their heads we're committing some form of murder? I just want to make sure before I continue on to the next step. I'm all about not offending here at ThePioneerWoman.com . I don't want to make anyone's hiney cringe. Anyway, as I was saying, back to the pumpkin's guts… With a spoon or a scoop, scrape out the seeds and pulp from the center. Sometimes, you have to use a little elbow grease—the stringy stuff likes to hang on. And don't get too worked up about leaving a few strings behind. It won't hurt anything. (Translation: I give you permission not to be thorough.) Place all the seeds into a bowl and please do not discard them. We'll roast them later. Repeat until all the pumpkin pieces are largely free of seeds and pulp. Place pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet (face up or face down; I've done both) and roast in a 350° oven for 45 minutes, or until pumpkin is fork-tender. This is what it looks like when it's done—just nice and light golden brown. (FYI, I don't drizzle the pumpkin with olive oil before baking, because I want the puree to be in its purest form.) And that makes it pretty easy to remove the skin from the pumpkin pieces. Sometimes, I use a knife and scrape the "meat" from the skin as I peel it back. I don't want to sacrifice any of that delicious orange goodness. My eyes. They need it. Continue peeling off the pumpkin skin… Until you have a big pile of the stuff. And if you think I didn't break off a chunk of this stuff and pop it right into my mouth, you're sorely mistaken. Now, if you have a food processor, throw in a few chunks at a time. A blender will work, too, if you add a little water. OR… you can simply mash it up with a potato masher… OR move it through a potato ricer… OR process it through a food mill. Whatever makes your skirt fly up. Pulse the pumpkin until it's totally smooth. Now, while some pumpkin, depending on the batch you get, can be quite watery, this was almost too dry. I added in 3 tablespoons of water during the pulsing and it was just the moisture it needed. (Note, if the puree is overly watery, you should strain it on cheesecloth or over a fine mesh strainer to get rid of some of the liquid. Dump the pureed goodness into a bowl… Then fill the food processor with more pumpkin chunks. And puree away! And dump it into the bowl with its fallen comrades. NOW! You can either use this immediately in whatever pumpkin recipe you’d like…or you can store it in the freezer for later use. Here's how I store my pumpkin: Grab a large plastic storage bag and fold the edges outward. (This will keep you from smudging pumpkin all over the inside of the bag, not that that matters since it'll eventually be all over the inside of the bag anyway, so why am I even suggesting this? Forgive me, please. Forgive me.) I spoon about 1 cupful of pumpkin into each bag; that way, I know exactly how much I’m getting when I pull a bag out of the freezer. Seal the bag with just a tiny bit of an opening remaining, then use your hands to flatten out the pumpkin inside the bag and push out the air. See? IT'S A GOOD THING I HAD YOU FOLD THOSE SIDES DOWN SO YOU WOULDN'T GET PUMPKIN ALL OVER THE INSIDE OF THE BAG, HUH? Sometimes, I amaze myself. Fill as many bags as you can, stacking them as you go. Store them in the freezer until you need them. I know those freezer police try to tell you only to store it for six to eight months, but I SWEAR I've used a year-old pumpkin from the freezer before with great success. Don't tell the freezer police. I don't want any trouble. Previous Next

These Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites are perfect for holiday entertaining! Whether you make them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, no one will be able to resist the gooey melted brie, tart cranberry sauce, and toasted pecan atop a piece of naan! Easy and fabulous – just what holiday entertaining should be! < Back Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 6 Minutes Serves: 12 Level: Beginner Ingredients 1 cup cranberry sauce 2 8.8 oz packages Original Stonefire naan flatbread 1 8 oz package brie 24 pecan halves fresh thyme to garnish Preparation Holiday entertaining is one of my very favorite things. I love planning and preparing food for friends and family and appetizers are my very favorite. When it comes to holiday entertaining, appetizers are the one element that can make or break a party. It’s really more about quality over quantity. Having a few good appetizers is much better than putting too many so-so options in front of your guests. These Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites are an amazing appetizer that I will be serving this holiday season. The cranberry sauce is homemade, adding a touch of elegance and warmth to this easy-to-prepare dish. If you are short on time, or simply don’t have access to fresh cranberries, canned cranberry sauce will do in a pinch. Go for the “whole berry” version if you can find it. The cranberry sauce only takes about 15 minutes, start to finish, and is a wonderful complement to the brie. Because brie is such a favorite during the holidays, I knew it would be perfect for these tasty bites. I simplified the whole recipe with the use of Original Stonefire naan. Not only does it make preparation a breeze, it adds fantastic texture as well. Stonefire naan comes in so many great varieties and is available at many stores but the best places to find Stonefire are at Ahold, Publix or Kroger. I used a pizza cutter to cut the naan into small pieces. Each piece of naan is topped with a small wedge of brie, a small amount of the cranberry sauce and a pecan. The pecan gets toasted, the cheese gets all melty and fabulous, and the entire bite is total bliss. Hello, holidays. I topped each bite with a little fresh thyme. A pop of color is always a good thing and it really makes these Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites extra festive and fun. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Cut naan into pieces using a pizza cutter. Aim for 6 to 8 pieces per naan. Cut small wedges off the wheel of brie and place on top of the naan. Spoon a small amount of the cooled cranberry sauce on top of the brie. Top with a pecan half. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until brie starts to melt and bubble. Remove, top with a sprig of fresh thyme and serve immediately. Previous Next

I use canned goods and my slow cooker to whip up an old-fashioned treat that’s loaded with sweet fruits. It makes a cozy dessert or even a change-of-pace side dish for large parties. < Back Slow Cooker Fruit Compote Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Hours Serves: 18 Level: Beginner About the Recipe I use canned goods and my slow cooker to whip up an old-fashioned treat that’s loaded with sweet fruits. It makes a cozy dessert or even a change-of-pace side dish for large parties. Ingredients 2 cans (29 ounces each) sliced peaches, drained 2 cans (29 ounces each) pear halves, drained and sliced 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained 1 can (15-1/4 ounces) apricot halves, drained and sliced 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling Preparation In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the peaches, pears, pineapple and apricots. Top with pie filling. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until heated through. Serve with a slotted spoon. Previous Next

Make Your Own Cream Of Anything Soup, Taste So Good!!! < Back Homemade Cream Of Anything Soup Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Serves: 1 can Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients Cream of Celery Soup: 2 tablespoons butter or oil 1/4 cup finely diced celery 2 tablespoons flour 1 1/2 cups milk (any percentage) 1 teaspoon crushed celery seed salt and pepper to taste Cream of Mushroom Soup: 2 tablespoons butter or oil 1/2 cup finely diced mushrooms 2 tablespoons flour 1 1/2 cups milk (any percentage) salt and pepper to taste Cream of Chicken Soup: 2 tablespoons butter or oil 2 tablespoons flour 1 3/4 cups milk (any percentage) 1 1/2 teaspoons chicken base, bullion or powder salt and pepper to taste. Preparation Cream of Celery Soup: In a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add celery and until softened, three to four minutes, stirring often. Stir in flour, whisking as the flour cooks for a minute or two and smooths out. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking until it’s all incorporated. Bring to a simmer and simmer gently, stirring now and then, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and leaves a distinct line when a finger is run across it. It will thicken more as it cools. Add the celery seed and salt and pepper to taste. Use as a substitute for a can of Cream of Celery Soup. Cream of Mushroom Soup: In a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until lightly browned and softened, four or five minutes, stirring often. Stir in flour, whisking as the flour cooks for a minute or two and smooths out. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking until it’s all incorporated. Bring to a simmer and simmer gently, stirring now and then, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and leaves a distinct line when a finger is run across it. It will thicken more as it cools. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use as a substitute for a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup. Cream of Chicken Soup: In a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, whisking as the flour cooks for a minute or two and smooths out. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking until it’s all incorporated. Bring to a simmer and simmer gently, stirring now and then, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and leaves a distinct line when a finger is run across it. It will thicken more as it cools. Add chicken base and salt and pepper to taste. Use as a substitute for a can of Cream of Chicken Soup. Previous Next

< Back All-Around Excellent Herb Tomato Sauce This sauce is good for pizzas, spaghetti, for dipping garlic bread sticks, and for making Chicken Parmigiana among other things. This recipe makes a lot of sauce, but it stores well and if it is in the fridge, you can whip together a pizza, or whatever, in just moments. Previous Next

Simple and delicious creamy lemon pasta ready in just 15 minutes! Also known as Pasta Al Limone, the beauty of pasta is how simple but flavorful the pasta sauce is. Perfectly cooked pasta tossed in a zesty and lemony cream sauce with a touch of salty parmesan cheese. Perfect to be served with roasted vegetables, fish, meat, or chicken. < Back Creamy Lemon Pasta Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Serves: 4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Simple and delicious creamy lemon pasta ready in just 15 minutes! Also known as Pasta Al Limone, the beauty of pasta is how simple but flavorful the pasta sauce is. Perfectly cooked pasta tossed in a zesty and lemony cream sauce with a touch of salty parmesan cheese. Perfect to be served with roasted vegetables, fish, meat, or chicken. Ingredients 8 oz (225g) angel hair pasta (Capellini) 2 tablespoons butter 2 cloves garlic minced ½ lemon juice and zest ¼ cup heavy cream (double cream in the UK) 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ½ cup grated parmesan ¼ cup parsley chopped Preparation If you know how to make a few good pasta sauces from scratch, you will never run out of dinner ideas! I’m a carb-loving person and eat A LOT of pasta. It’s so comforting and delicious, I mean, who doesn’t love pasta especially when it’s generously covered with an amazing sauce? Lemon Pasta Sauce Ingredients To make this simple lemon pasta sauce, here’s what you’ll need: Pasta – I like to use angel hair pasta, but any type of pasta works here. Lemon – use fresh unwaxed lemons. Parmesan – the best that you can get your hands on! Butter and heavy cream – the cream can be substituted with half and half. Garlic, salt, and pepper. How To Make Lemon Pasta In a medium-sized saucepot, boil water and add salt after it starts boiling. Add your pasta, and cook according to the package instructions to al dente. When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. In a skillet , melt butter on medium heat and saute the sliced/minced garlic and lemon zest very lightly without allowing the garlic to brown. Add the heavy cream, lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute. Add the hot pasta along with a part of the pasta water, and toss it using kitchen tongs until the sauce is emulsified and coats the pasta. Keep on tossing and add more pasta water if needed until you reach the desired consistency. Remove from heat, and add freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley leaves. Toss and season with salt if needed. Serve warm with extra grated parmesan cheese and a little bit of lemon zest if desired. Top Tips For Pasta With Lemon A key step in this recipe is to cook the pasta until just al dente . The pasta will continue to cook as it’s tossed with the lemon sauce, so if you cook it all the way through in boiled water, it will end up overcooked. It’s important to reserve some pasta cooking liquid as you cook the pasta. It’s full of starch and used to loosen up the lemon cream sauce. I use angel hair pasta because I like the thin noodles with the cream sauce, but you can go for linguine or bucatini if you like. Storage And Reheating Instructions Fridge : Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat : Reheat the pasta in a skillet over low-medium heat, and add a splash of water to thin out the sauce. Do the same if using the microwave. Freezer : I don’t recommend freezing this lemon pasta, as I found that it breaks when frozen and reheated. Instructions In a medium-sized saucepan, boil water and add salt after it starts boiling. Add your pasta, and cook according to the package instructions to al dente. When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. In a skillet, melt butter on medium heat and saute garlic and lemon zest very lightly without allowing the garlic to brown. About 30 seconds. Add the heavy cream, lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute. Add the hot pasta along with a part of the pasta water, and toss it using kitchen tongs until the sauce is emulsified and coats the pasta. Keep on tossing and add more pasta water if needed until you reach the desired consistency. Remove from heat, and add freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley leaves. Toss and season with salt if needed. Serve warm with extra grated parmesan cheese and a little bit of lemon zest if desired. Notes: Salt the water to cook the pasta just like seawater. You might not need to use all of the reserved pasta water, see how much you need to make the sauce as you make it. You can substitute the heavy cream with half and half or light cream, but the sauce will be a bit thinner. Use freshly grated parmesan cheese as store-bought grated parmesan does not melt smoothly. Storing Tips Fridge : Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat : Reheat the pasta in a skillet over low-medium heat, and add a splash of water to thin out the sauce. Do the same if using the microwave. Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing this pasta, as I found that it breaks when frozen and reheated. Previous Next

Recipes Intermediate Festive Cake This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content.

This is the perfect recipe to take to a party or church function. It is quick and easy, and everybody will rave about them! It is also a good recipe to make when you don’t want to share with anyone. This desert freezes well and is delicious fresh, frozen, or thawed. (I know this because I’m eating a frozen slice right now.) < Back No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Tarts/Pie Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: N/A Serves: 12 tarts/8 pie Level: Beginner Ingredients 1 can 14 ounce Borden Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk 8 ounces cream cheese 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional, but really good) 1/3 cup lemon juice ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 can/bottle of favorite pie topping or syrup (i.e., cherry, strawberry, blueberry, caramel, chocolate, etc.) Preparation Soften cream cheese and beat in a mixer to remove lumps. Add sweetened condensed milk, beating on high until mixture thickens. Add lemon juice and vanilla, and continue beating on high until mixture is quite thick and slightly fluffy. Stir in lemon zest. After placing it in a serving container, refrigerate for about an hour. Just before serving, top with your favorite topping and enjoy. For tarts : place muffin paper cups in a muffin tin and put a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cup. Pour mixture to about ¾ full in each cup. For pie : pour into pre-cooked 8 or 9-inch graham cracker crust and refrigerate for about an hour Previous Next

Yummy! Creamy! And a fun family dish! < Back Cheese Fondue Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 cube of butter 1/2 cup milk 1 lbs. mozzerella OR Swiss cheese, grated 2 tablespoons flour Preparation Melt the butter and milk in the warm fondue pot Dust the cheese with the flour and mix it until all of the cheese is lightly coated. This will help make the sauce thicker. While stirring, slowly add the dusted cheese to the butter/milk mixture a small handful at a time. Make sure to allow the cheese to thoroughly melt before adding the next handful. Repeat until all of the cheese is incorporated This makes a perfect dipping cheese sauce. Other cheeses may be substituted. Try different ones to see what you like best. Previous Next

< Back 5 Minute Bread Easy fast homemade bread! Previous Next

If you don’t want the hassle of making tamales, but you really want tamales, this is a really good option. < Back Tamale Pie Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 6 cups chili – homemade or your favorite brand 2 cups cornmeal 5 cups water 1 teaspoon salt Preparation Place water, cornmeal and salt in a double boiler and cook covered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until quite stiff. Line the bottom of a greased deep casserole dish with ½ of the prepared cornmeal. Pour in the chili and then spread the top with the remaining cornmeal. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350°. Serve with tortilla chips, salsa, and sour cream. Previous Next

My Mom used to say, “I only like two kinds of pie: hot and cold.” And he was right! There’s nothing wrong with any kind of pie, except one… mushy pie. The best thing about a hand pie is that you can eat it cold or warm it up, but the crust on your leftovers doesn’t get soggy! Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. My husband loves pie, but he loves hand pies even more. There’s something fun about being able to hold a slice of pie in each hand like a cartoon character. More than that, he loves this pie crust. It’s so yummy that the higher crust to filling ratio doesn’t even matter. With hand pies, it really is all about the crust. < Back Pie Crust Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Serves: 10 Level: Beginner Ingredients Pie Crust 1 stick unsalted butter frozen, grated on the large side 1½ cup all purpose flour 1 tsp salt ¼ cup sugar ½ cup ice water Hand Pies 1 1/4 cup pie filling of choice 2 Tbsp egg whites 2 Tbsp turbinado sugar Preparation A Great Pie Crust is Key I use an all-butter crust recipe because I prefer using simple ingredients, and I get a pretty good result without shortening. Here are some of my favorite crust making tips. Freeze and Grate Your Butter My trick for getting the butter to produce a flaky crust is keeping it ice cold. I freeze the stick completely, and use the larger side of a box grater to shred my frozen butter. Simply tossing the butter in the dry ingredients produces the “pea-sized” texture that you look for when cutting-in. With less time to warm up, the butter retains its frosty temperature. Water Works Best, but Bourbon is Good, Too Then, I used water for this recipe. In the past, I have used ice cold bourbon, vodka, vinegar, and water. Vodka and vinegar didn’t do anything for me. Bourbon is AMAZING. It helps with the flakiness and it adds a fun extra flavor. But for our hand pies, we want something basic that will fit any filling. So, this time, we’ll use water. Do Not Over Mix Your Pie Crust Dough The last thing that ensures you’ll get a great crust is how you mix it. You want to drizzle in the water a little at a time, using your fork to distribute moisture. Once you start to see the dough forming, dump it onto the counter. It will likely still look very dry. Keep the ice water nearby. Working with a bench scraper you’ll dig under the dough and fold it. Turn the mass 90-degrees, and fold it again. You’ll continue doing this until your dough smooths out and you can tell layers are forming. Usually, this is because you’ll fold, and the side will crack, exposing flaky layers. At this point, you should still have a cold dough that is fully incorporated and kind of smooth looking. Wrap it in plastic and put it in the fridge to rest for 1 hour. Why Do You Rest Pie Dough in the Fridge? The reason you need to rest the pie dough in the fridge is two-fold. First, you want to make sure your dough is super cold before it goes into the oven. Cold pie dough makes for flaky pie crust. The second reason is that your dry ingredients are not fully hydrated just after mixing. They need a little time to get to know your water and butter. Once they soak up some liquid, they’ll form a better gluten layer. This makes the pastry layers between the butter layers more structured. Structure sounds odd, but within the layers, it keeps your dough from being soggy and hard. More Reasons to Love Hand Pies Now, let’s be honest: just because it’s homemade, that doesn’t make it healthy. But it does mean I have more control over the sugar, and I know it’s not filled with artificial colors or other weird things that aren’t real fruit. The other great thing is that you can do whatever flavor you want! Now, honestly, cherry, peach, and apple pies are our favorites, we could totally do this with any flavor imaginable. How Do You Pick a Flavor? The original version of that post involved turning that pie filling into hand pies, a cheesecake, and a really good ice cream sundae. At the time, it seemed like too much fun for one post. But you know what? It created an opportunity to branch out. And if you don’t feel like making your own pie filling, you can pick up a can from the store. It will work just fine! You could even use fruit preserves. Do You Need to Do Anything Special to the Pie Filling? With the Amaretto-Cherry Pie Filling, or with canned filling or jarred preserves, you can use them right out of the can/jar. With a homemade pie filling that usually cooks down in the oven, you need to do a tiny bit more work. With apples and peaches, in particular, you need to cut your fruit into much smaller pieces. Think about the size diced peaches are in fruit cups. The second thing you need to do is cook down the liquid with a bit of thickener. For my Southern Peach Pie filling, I made up my filling in a sauce pan and brought it to a simmer to reduce the liquid by half. Then, I collected about 2 Tbsp of liquid and stirred in 1 tsp cornstarch. I mixed that slurry back into the filling. Once the filling was very thick, I poured it into a Pyrex bowl with a lid and refrigerated it until it was cold. Remember, you want your pie dough to stay cold, so you also want to keep your filling cold, too. This way, your crust maintains its integrity. Are There Any Cool Tools to Use for Hand Pies? You’ll notice that on my cherry pies, they’re a little more rustic. I simply crimp the edges with a fork. This method is easy and accessible. On my peach pies, though, I used an old Pampered Chef ravioli press that my mother-in-law gave us. I looked for a good alternative, and the next best thing is this 3-inch ravioli stamp. You may still want to use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to get your pie crust cut out. Then, you’ll place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of the bottom crust, brush the edges with egg, and lay the top crust on top. Line up your ravioli stamp and press down for a pretty crimped edge! I’ve already mentioned that a good bench scraper is super important and I definitely recommend that you use one in your crust making to avoid heating up the dough with your hands. This is the one I like best . How Do You Serve Hand Pies? There’s one last very important question to answer. How do you serve these happy, little hand pies up? Well, I recommend letting them cool first. This is just to avoid burning the roof of your mouth on the molten filling. But, they are wonderfully warm! Scoop up a bit of vanilla ice cream, too, and enjoy! I also like them at room temperature with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee. The best thing about hand pies is that you don’t need a plate or a fork. So, you can enjoy them snuggled up on the couch during a good movie. or huddled under your mom’s desk because there’s thunder. So, whether you’re making these for a picnic or a rainy night in, you can enjoy your hand pies however you want. INSTRUCTIONS Pie Crust Whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar with a fork. Shred in the frozen butter and lightly toss in your dry mix to coat. Add in the water (not the ice) starting with 1/4 cup. Still using your fork, stir to distribute moisture. Once you can convince a somewhat dry clump to stick together, dump the bowl out onto the counter. Using a bench scraper, fold the crumbly mixture over onto itself until it is smooth and hydrated. Work quickly so it stays ice cold. If your dough gets warm, put it in the fridge for 10 minutes before continuing to fold it to shape. Once you've achieved a mostly smooth surface (but the sides where you've folded may have cracked and show flaky layers), wrap in plastic wrap or beeswax food cloth. Rest in the fridge for 1 hour. Hand Pies Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out the pie dough to ⅛ inch thick. Use a 4-biscuit cutter to cut out 20 circles. You may need to collect the scraps and reroll them. To do this, stack the scrapes and roll. Do NOT squish them like PlayDoh or you'll lose the layers. Place the circles on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Spoon 1½ Tbsp of the pie filling into the center of 10 of your circles. Brush the edges with egg whites, and then cover with the other 10 circles of pie crust. Use your fingers to press the top crust down onto the bottom crust. Crimp the edges with the fork. Brush more egg white all over the tops of the pies. Sprinkle on turbinado sugar. Use a paring knife to poke a small vent hole in the top. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely before serving. Previous Next