pecan hand pies
Pecan hand pies are my favorite way to eat pie. With the ideal ratio of flaky, golden crust to rich brown sugar-pecan filling, these adorable petite pies are a must bake for your Thanksgiving table.
Spend a blissful morning in the kitchen rolling and filling the pies, then stash the batch in the freezer until you’re ready to bake. If you plan to feed a crowd (or even if you don’t!), be sure to double the recipe for gifting and enjoying. And you didn’t hear this from me, but if you’re in a time crunch, feel free to use your favorite store-bought dough. 🙂
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1–2 Tbsp vodka
Filling
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
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, cinnamon, nutmeg, 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, combine brown sugar, pecans, and salt in a small bowl. Add melted butter and vanilla; 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. 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.
Nutrition
- Calories: 195
- Carbohydrates: 24
Keywords: Pecan, Brown Sugar, Hand Pies, Pecan Pie
More hand pies to try:
Caramel Pear Hand Pies
Cranberry Apple Hand Pies
Apple Hand Pies
Baklava Hand Pies
23 comments
These look awesome! Normally you don’t get all that flaky crust with a pecan pie- loving these hand pies and the filling/pastry ratio 🙂
Pecan pie is my favorite! I love these cute hand held pies…perfect for snacking! 🙂
What a cool idea but they look like I’d be eating way more than one 😉
Ah yeah!!!!!! Count me in for all of these delicious things!
What a brilliant idea! I’ve only seen fruit hand pies but a pecan version would be divine 😀
Pecan pies one of my favorite desserts of all time Laura! pecan pies one of my favorite desserts of all time Laura! I love the idea of making these ahead and freezing them for later. They’re gorgeous too!!
I love your hand pies!!! These are perfection! If I could, I would order 50 of these! love!
I couldn’t agree more about the ration of crust to filling in these adorable hand pies! These are perfection, Laura!
Hands down…you are THE BEST blogger out here!! I love receiving your daily recipes and every one I’ve tried comes out looking like the pics and always taste d-lish!!
Cheers,
Wendy
Thank you, Wendy! That is so sweet of you! 🙂
Sweet little hand pies, Laura! Can’t get enough of pecan goodness during the holiday season and these little edible bites are just the things to satisfy that craving. Great idea for gift-giving! LOVE!!
A double batch for sure! Hand pies would be a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving! Often we pack a picnic of Thanksgiving leftovers and head to the beach. These lovelies would be perfect!
I love the size of these beauties! Yummy.
These are fabulous, Laura!!! Finally a way I can enjoy pecan pie without having to eat the whole thing myself!!!
After a big meal these little pies are so much more appropriate than a big heavy dessert, love them laura!
I love the recipe and being able to freeze half for another time but do you really get 12 of the 3.5 inch rounds out of the 12 inch dough? Just curious. Will double the recipe if needed because it sounds so good.
Hi Trimelda, yes I did – I cut out 7 or 8 circles, and then re-rolled the scraps once to punch out the rest. Hope that helps – I made these twice and was able to cut out 12 rounds both times.
These are so lovely, Laura. THAT CRUST! <3
Is there a way to make this without the vodka?
You can omit the vodka and use 1/3 cup buttermilk instead.
If I were eating these myself, I wouldn’t have to ask this question but they are for my husband, who can control himself. How do you recommend storing them? Air tight container at room temp or refrigerator?
★★★★
Thank you, Liz! 🙂 If it’s not too warm/humid in your kitchen, you can store them at room temperature. To really keep them fresh, you can stash them away in the freezer and then warm through in the oven for that freshly-baked pie experience!
Oh! And the crust is to die for!!!!