Baklava Hand Pies
Inspired by the flavors of classic baklava, these baklava hand pies are crisp and flaky, with a delicious spiced nut filling. Drizzle with honey and enjoy! Recipe makes 12 mini pies.
There’s nothing not to love about picnic-ready hand pies, baked up to golden and buttery perfection.
Crisp and flaky, with a delightful spiced and orange-scented baklava filling, these hand pies are scrumptious. For the ultimate take on baklava, add a drizzle of honey just before serving, then dig in. Happy baking!
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Baklava Hand Pies
- Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
- Yield: 12 hand pies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
Description
Inspired by the flavors of classic baklava, these baklava hand pies are crisp and flaky, with a delicious spiced nut filling. Drizzle with honey and enjoy!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1–2 Tbsp vodka
Filling
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup almonds, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp honey (for drizzling)
Assembly
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp water
- 2 tsp sugar (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- For the crust, grate 1/4 cup butter into a small bowl; cut remaining 1/4 cup butter into small cubes and place in a second bowl; chill bowls in freezer for 15 minutes. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl; place bowl in freezer to chill for 15 minutes. Chill buttermilk and vodka in freezer for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle cubed butter over chilled flour mixture and toss with a spatula to coat. Use a pastry blender to cut in butter until the biggest pieces are the size of peas; fold in grated butter. Drizzle buttermilk over flour mixture; use a spatula to gather dough together until it forms large clumps. If needed, add vodka 1 tablespoon at a time, then gently knead just to form a ball. Wrap dough in plastic and flatten slightly to form a disc. Chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days, or place in a freezer bag and freeze 1 to 2 months).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place dough on a floured board and dust dough with flour. Roll out dough until dough is a 12-inch circle, 1/8″ thick (If dough starts to stick, use a floured bench scraper to gently lift dough from board). Use a 3 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out 12 circles of dough (re-roll scraps once). Place circles on baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F.
- For the filling, whisk together brown sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Stir in almonds and pecans, then add melted butter and vanilla and fold in until combined. To assemble hand pies, whisk together egg yolk and water in a small bowl. Brush chilled circles lightly with egg wash; top with 1 tablespoon filling. Drizzle filling very lightly with honey. Fold circles over and crimp edges with a fork to seal. Chill assembled pies in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Just before baking, vent pies with a sharp knife, brush lightly with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 18 to 19 minutes, until golden brown. Cool pies on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Make ahead: Freeze assembled pies on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag for storage. When ready to bake, brush with egg wash and bake directly from the freezer, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
Keywords: Baklava, Cinnamon, Honey, Hand Pies
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Can these be made without vodka?
Hi Kathy, yes you can. Here’s a newly updated pastry recipe that works perfectly for hand pies: https://tutti-dolci.com/2018/10/cranberry-apple-hand-pies/
I’m so glad you tried them, Maureen! 🙂 I don’t blame your guests – it’s all too easy to devour mini pies!
I’ve been wanting to try a baklava recipe, but I find it slightly intimidating. I think I’m going to give thisversion a try – they look great!
Thanks so much, Kate! 🙂 You might also like my baklava cookie bars – let me know if you give them a try!
Laura I LOVE these beautiful little hand pies. Know why! Because I LOVE the flavors of baklava, but every time I’ve tried to make baklava it’s been an epic fail! Your photos are so lovely, too!
Oh my gosh, I love these! I don’t think it gets better than baklava in hand pie form 🙂 Perfect for pi day.
Love individual size treats and you flavored these hand pies just beautifully! Perfect way to celebrate Pi- Day.
Hehe these are literally two of my favourite foods in one. Baklava and Hand Pies!! 😀
I’m making them!
Happy pi day!! These sound incredible! 🙂
This is genius! All the flavor of baklava without the hassle of phyllo!
How very pretty!
What a scrumptious way to celebrate pie day! The orange zest and array of spices are fabulous!
Love your baklava pies! And you are so right they would be perfect picnic foods! The filling sounds utterly amazing, esp with the addition of the orange zest! 🙂
Oh, my gosh, these are dreamy!! All the amazing flavors of baklava without messing with filo!!! Love these gems!
What a great idea, putting all the baklava goodness ingredients within a mini hand pie…and just perfect for pie day (3/14!). Nicely done Laura!! 🙂
What a fabulous idea for a hand pie Laura! So creative. Baklava is one of my favorite desserts, so I know I’d love these. One for each hand!!
SO DELICIOUS! I love baklava but have never quite gotten it right at home. I need to try it as a pie! I love it :). And OMG how cute are the hand pies? Your photos have me wanting to dive through my computer screen!
i love this idea!! normal baklava takes forever (the one time i made it, i think it was a 3+ hour endeavor; fun, but not sometime anyone has time to do frequently), and this sounds like a good way to get those baklava flavors without as much of a hassle.