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+ servings
Two rectangular, vegan cherry hand pies with crispy golden pastry sit next to each other on a dessert serving plate.
5 from 1 vote

Vegan Cherry Hand Pies

Author - Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Chilling time 5 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 25 minutes
Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients

For the filling

  • 1 lb (454 g) frozen or fresh pitted sweet cherries (if frozen, allow sweet cherries to thaw in the bag at room temperature for about two hours)
  • 3 tablespoons (36 g) cane sugar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch

For the crust

  • 2 1/2 cups (240 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon cane sugar
  • 2 sticks (224 g) cold vegan butter
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • 7-8 tablespoons ice water

For the vegan egg wash

  • 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
  • 1 tablespoon maple or agave syrup

Instructions

  • To make the cherry filling, place the cherries, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Mix well. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer and stir periodically for about 3 more minutes. The cherries should be soft. There should be a little liquid in the saucepan, but not much. If there’s no liquid at all, add an extra tablespoon or two of water. (If you use fresh cherries, add two tablespoons of water to begin with.)
  • Transfer the cherry filling to a non-reactive bowl. Cover and allow it to cool for thirty minutes. Transfer it to the fridge and allow it to cool completely (about 4 hours, or overnight is fine).
  • To make the crust, mix the flours, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour, until the pieces of butter are about the size of peas (alternately, you can put the flours, salt, and sugar into a food processor, add the butter, and pulse until the ingredients are combined and the butter is the size of peas).
  • Mix the ice water (starting with 7 tablespoons) and vinegar. Add the water into the flour mixture in a thin stream, using a spatula to mix as you go. As soon as the dough holds together without being wet or sticky, and it sticks together when you squeeze a small amount in your hand, it's ready. If your dough is too crumbly and isn't holding together, add additional ice water by the tablespoon until it does. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and shape it into two disks. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. At this point, you can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it for later use.
  • When the filling is cool and the dough has chilled, flour a work surface and rolling pin. Roll the first disk of dough out into a roughly rectangular shape. Using a straight ruler and a pizza cutter (or a knife), cut the dough into rectangles about 3 ½ x 4 ½ inches. You’ll probably need to roll the dough once, cut four rectangles, gather the scraps, roll again, and repeat. Then, repeat this process with the other disk of dough, so that you have 16 rectangles total. Place the rectangles of dough onto two parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
  • To prepare the hand pies, place about 3 tablespoons of filling in the center of 8 of the dough rectangles. One by one, cover each piece with another rectangle of dough. Use your fingers to gently smooth and press the dough together at the edges of the rectangle. Use a fork to crimp the edges of the hand pies. Then, use a paring knife to cut two small, diagonal holes in the top of the pies. Transfer the 8 hand pies to the fridge for another 30 minutes. 
  • While the hand pies chill, preheat your oven to 425F. When the oven is hot, mix the non-dairy milk and syrup together for your vegan egg wash. Use a pastry or basting brush to glaze the tops of the hand pies lightly. Transfer the hand pies to the oven. Bake them for 20 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven and give them another glaze (they’ll already be turning golden at this point). Return the pies to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes, or until browning at the edges and golden all over. Transfer the hand pies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool for at least 20 minutes before enjoying!