A friend asked if I would do some cooking demonstrations featuring local ingredients at the fair. An ounce of self-doubt set in. Speak in front of a bunch of strangers that aren’t fully listening and just want to sit in a chair out of the beating sun? Then I told myself not to be lame and seize the opportunity to challenge myself. I decided to do an appetizer and a dessert: parmesan crusted goat cheese with basil oil and these beautiful hand pies. They have all the yummy flavor of Baklava without the hassle of phyllo dough.
These little hand pies showcase the local honey, pecans, walnuts, oranges, and fromage blanc from the creamery. They have a rich filling of brown sugar, nuts, and warm spices. Some orange zest to really brighten them up. And the fromage blanc, which may seem like an odd ingredient, helps to break up the sweetness and gives them a creaminess that makes me do my happy dance. You know, the one where you bite into something delicious and can’t help but shimmy your shoulders and rock your hips. To finish them off, a drizzle of honey that oozes out a bit while baking and caramelizes.
While I made some during the cooking demo, I prepped a bunch at home the morning of and froze them. They freeze perfectly and actually bake better I would say. And while you could, of course, make pie dough from scratch, I went for the store-bought pie dough. It’s so much faster to put them together – no shame in my game.
Honey Nut Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- 1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup fromage blanc (sub marscapone or cream cheese)
- honey, for drizzling
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts
- 1 egg yolk
- tubinado sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, orange zest, pecans, and walnuts. Melt butter. Add butter and vanilla to bowl and stir until combined. Set aside.
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Lay out some parchment paper and dust with flour. Use a rolling pin to roll crust about 1/8 inch thin. Use a biscuit cutter (3 1/2") to cut as many rounds as you can. On half of the rounds (bottom of the hand pie) put a dollop of fromage blanc (or marscapone, or cream cheese). Then spoon about a tablespoon of filling over the cheese. And finally drizzle with honey.
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Top with second pie crust round, then crimp each pie's edges together with a fork. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk with 2 tsp. water. Brush egg wash onto the top of all pies. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cut two small vent holes into crust with a sharp knife.
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Bake pies at 400 degrees on a parchment lined cookie sheet for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer pies to a cooling rack.
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Once cooled, enjoy!
