Heart Shaped Hand Pies

I was hoping to share these recipes sooner but last week got crazy! I'm so glad I'm still managing to squeeze this fun recipe in before Valentine's Day! This idea popped into my head soon after Christmas - I am always ready for the next holiday! I was so excited to make these when my friend Jess and I got together recently to bake. And when I say bake, I mean, we baked! We made these fabulous heart shaped hand pies and we made gluten free earl grey cupcakes (find those HERE).

Here's the low down on these hand pies - they have the most perfect flaky crust! We cut the crust into hearts, instead of the usual hand pie circles. Then, I filled them with Strawberry Rhubarb. Because red just works on Valentine's day! These festive treats are so darling and they are delicious! Let's get started!

Start by combining 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Once combined, cut in 1 cup of chilled butter. I recommend cubing the butter before cutting it in. The dough should resemble a course meal once the butter is incorporated.

Then you'll need to gradually add in 4-8 Tablespoons of very cold water. I recommend starting 4 Tablespoons then mixing well and adding more one Tablespoons at a time as needed until the dough holds together.

Once the dough holds together well (you may have to use your hands), separate it into two separate pieces. Shape each piece into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.

After the chill time, unwrap the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to be about 1/8 of an inch thick. Then, use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many hearts as you can. I recommend using a relatively large heart cutter (3-4'' in diameter). Once you've cut out as many hearts as you can, re-roll out the dough and cut more hearts! When you've finished with the first disk of dough, you can repeat this process until you're through the second. You should end up with 40-44 hearts total.

In a small mixing bowl, mix 1 1/4 cups of chopped rhubarb and 1 1/4 cups of chopped strawberries together. Mix in 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons of granulated sugar and 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch.

I mean, I made the biggest mess. I don't know what to say about this part! Just do your best, but it gets messy fast! Use a teaspoon to distribute strawberry rhubarb filling among half of the cut out hearts (the other half will be tops). Leave about a half inch of empty space around the edge of each heart so you can seal it later.

Do your best to spread the heart pies across a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush a little bit of egg wash around the 1/2 inch empty border of each heart. Then pair each filled heart with an plain (or empty?) cut out heart and use a fork to seal the edges around the heart. Brush egg wash on top of each hand pie and use a sharp knife to cut a small 'x' in the top of each pie.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the pies for 15-18 minutes until they are golden brown and flaky. Let the pies cool on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling. Let them sit on the wire rack until they are cool enough to handle.

And last but not least, snap some pictures of these cute Valentine's Day treats!

💕HEART SHAPED HAND PIES 💕
yield 20-22 mini pies

ingredients
for the crust...
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup butter, chilled
1/4-1/2 cup cold water

for the strawberry rhubarb filling...
1 1/4 cups rhubarb, chopped
1 1/4 cups strawberries, chopped
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

+ 1 beaten egg

directions
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, the salt and the sugar with a fork.
2. Cut in the butter - the dough should resemble a coarse meal after the butter is added. Next, stir in the water. Start with 1/4 and gradually add in 1 Tablespoon more at a time until the dough holds together.
3. Separate the dough into 2 thick disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.
4. Once the dough has been refrigerated for an hour, unwrap it and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to be about 1/8 of an inch thick. Then, use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts. Cut out as many as you can with the first roll, but you can definitely re-roll and cut out again! Once you have finished the first piece of dough, do the same with the second.
5. Lay the cut out hearts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You will need two hearts of dough to make one hand pie.
6. Make the filling by combining the chopped rhubarb, chopped strawberries, brown sugar, granulated sugar and cornstarch.
7. Use a teaspoon to distribute some strawberry rhubarb mixture in the center of every other circle of dough. Leave about 1/2 around the edge of each heart empty. The empty hearts will serve as the top of the pies.
8. Brush some egg wash around the edge of each bottom circle. Then, place a second heart over the top of the strawberry rhubarb and use a fork to crimp the edges and secure together. Brush more egg wash on the top of each hand pie.
9. Cut a small 'X' in the top of each pie.
10. Bake the pies in an oven pre-heated to 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-18 minutes. When removed from the oven, the pies should be browned on top and the filling should be bubbling.
11. Leave the mini pies to sit on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool longer.

How cute? See you tomorrow with more Valentine's Day fun!