Guess what? I finally finished making everything on my Summer Baking To-Do List! What’s that you say? The list is from 2010? Better late than never!

Peach Hand Pies are essentially summer wrapped up into one neat little tidy package. Of course, this package is one that requires a clean kitchen, lots of patience, and a whole morning of free time, but they’re worth it in the end. Crisp, flaky crust + juicy peach filling = pure summer dessert bliss.

In a new twist over here, my baking soul sister and I do not see eye-to-eye on hand pies. Danielle thinks they’re too much work, and the crust to fruit ratio is off (i.e. not enough fruit). I agree somewhat, only in that yes, I acknowledge they are a lot of work, but I kind of love the bite sizeness of it all. I think these would be super cute to bring to a party, or you can just eat them all with your parents in their backyard, which works too.

Peach Hand Pies

Source: Smitten Kitchen

Yield: 7 hand pies (this is half the original recipe)

Ingredients

Pastry

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into cubes, cold

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup ice water

Filling

1 lb peaches

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp sugar

pinch salt

1/4 tsp vanilla

+ 1/2 tsp bourbon (original recipe has this, I added it but you couldn’t taste it at all, so you can just leave it out)

+ egg wash for brushing (1 egg yolk + 2 tbsp water)

+ coarse sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, until the mixture is crumbly, and the butter is no larger than peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and ice water. Pour over the flour/butter mixture and toss together with a fork until the mixture comes together. Dump mixture onto the counter, and pat everything together into a ball. (If the mixture seems dry, add more ice water as necessary). Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.
2. Roll out the the dough on lightly floured surface until it’s 1/8″ thick. Cut out 4 1/2″ circles (I would do 6″ circles next time) by tracing a plate or bowl. Place circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Stick in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, make the peach filling. Peel the peaches, remove the pit, and dice into small pieces. Add the flour, sugar, salt and vanilla and stir to combine.
4. Remove the circles from the fridge, and let sit at room temperature for 2-3 minutes until a little soft. Spoon about 2 tbsp of peach filling onto one side of a circle. Use your finger to trace a little bit of cold water around the edge of the circle, and fold the dough over to create a semi-circle. Seal the edges of the hand pie by crimping with a fork. Repeat for all the circles, and then stick back in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
5. Heat oven to 375, and cut a slit in the top of each hand pie so steam can escape. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar if you have it. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.