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Hand pie season is my favorite season, and caramel pear hand pies are fall perfection! Brushed with cream, sprinkled with sugar, and baked until golden, these petite pies are simply irresistible.
Sliced pears nestled over homemade salted caramel sauce make the perfect filling. A sweet, firm pear (such as red D’Anjou) works perfectly here. Enjoy these caramel pear hand pies unadorned, or up the indulgence with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle of caramel sauce or maple cinnamon whipped cream!
Make Ahead Hand Pies
These pies can be assembled in advance and frozen for later. Freeze assembled hand pies on a baking sheet for 1 hour, then transfer to a freezer bag for longer storage. When you’re ready to bake, simply brush with heavy cream, sprinkle with sugar, and bake directly from the freezer, adding one or two minutes to baking time.
Caramel Pear Hand Pies
- Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 hand pies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Caramel pear hand pies are fall perfection! Sliced pears, salted caramel sauce, and cinnamon sugar make a dream filling for these irresistible mini pies.
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
Filling
- 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce
- 1 large pear, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
Topping
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- For the crust, combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add cubed butter and process for 10 seconds, just until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the food processor running, add 1/4 cup ice water in a steady stream through feed tube. If needed, add additional ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, and process just until dough holds together in large clumps (no more than 30 seconds). Divide dough into two equal portions. Wrap each portion 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 up to 1 month).
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place one disc of dough on a floured board and dust dough with flour. Roll out until dough is about 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 fluted 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. Repeat with second disc of dough and preheat oven to 400°F.
- If desired, punch out decorative leaf shapes from the leftover dough and chill the cut-outs for 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Use a pastry brush to brush the chilled leaf cut-outs very lightly with water. Top 12 of the chilled circles with leaf cut-outs, pressing gently to adhere. Use a sharp knife to vent the tops, and chill for 15 minutes.
- To assemble hand pies, place about 2 teaspoons of caramel sauce in the center of the remaining 12 chilled circles. Top with 3 to 4 pear slices. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle evenly over pear slices. Brush edges of the pastry very lightly with water and top with decorative circles. Seal the edges of each pie by crimping with a fork (dust fork with flour first). Chilled assembled pies in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Just before baking, brush hand pies with cream and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake for 26 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool hand pies on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Make ahead: Freeze assembled hand pies on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag for storage. When ready to bake, brush with cream, sprinkle with sugar, and bake directly from the freezer, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
