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Made with shortcrust pastry and strawberry jam, these sweet and simple strawberry hand pies are my version of homemade strawberry pop tarts. As written, this hand pie recipe will yield eight delightful mini strawberry pies, complete with bright pink glaze and rainbow sprinkles!
Why Make These Strawberry Hand Pies?
I love these strawberry hand pies because they’re easy to make, and take less than two hours from start to finish.
This hand pie recipe utilizes store-bought ingredients (shortcrust pastry/pie crust, strawberry jam) but these can be as “semi homemade” as you like, or more fully homemade if you enjoy making your own jam or pie crust from scratch.
These mini strawberry pies are also highly portable. With no utensils required, they’re great for on-the-go snacking.
And of course, these pies offer a feast for the eyes (who doesn’t love a pop of pink?) as well as a nice dose of nostalgia—the taste reminds me of a classic strawberry pop tart!
Tools for Making Strawberry Hand pies
A few kitchen tools will come in handy for making these strawberry hand pies. I suggest:
Rolling Mat
While you can work directly on the countertop, I prefer to use a silicone rolling mat. It keeps the counter clean (easy cleanup, yay!) and also allows you to roll the shortcrust without adding flour, which can make your pastries stodgy or dry.
Round Cutter
For cutting the discs of shortcrust pastry. (If you don’t have a round cutter, see below for a few alternate options!) I love my disc cutters, and highly suggest purchasing a set if you don’t already own one. They’re useful for so many things, from cutting biscuits, cookies, and hand pies to tracing templates for macarons or floral wreath meringue cookies.
Pastry Brush
For applying the egg wash. I prefer a natural-bristled brush, about 3/4 inch – 1 inch wide.
Fine Mesh Strainer
For sifting the confectioner’s sugar. (Don’t skip this step!)
Wire Rack
You’ll need a wire rack to cool your hand pies, but it’s also helpful for the glazing step. Read on to learn the best way to utilize a wire cooling rack to glaze these strawberry hand pies.
Hand Pie Recipe Tips and Tricks
When spooning the strawberry jam onto the pastry discs, don’t forget to allow a border around the edges. You’ll need enough room to apply the egg wash and to thoroughly seal the pastry edges, otherwise the jam will leak in the oven.
When adding the second disc of pastry, use your hands to stretch it just a tiny bit (not a lot!) so that the pastry fits neatly over top of the mound of strawberry jam.
I made my hand pies with store-bought jam, but you can substitute a homemade strawberry jam or jelly instead. Similiarly, feel free to use homemade pastry rather than pre-made shortcrust or pie crust.
Finally, take time to sift the confectioner’s sugar. While it’s tempting to skip this step, you don’t want white clumps or lumps in your glaze—these will be very visible once you add the pink food coloring!
Cutting the Shortcrust Pastry
I used a 3-inch round cutter (from my trusty round pastry cutter set) to cut 16 discs of shortcrust. You won’t get all 16 out of one sheet, so keep a rolling pin handy to re-roll the scraps.
You can go slightly bigger with your pastry discs (note that you might need to adjust the amount of jam accordingly) but I wouldn’t go much smaller than 3-inch discs, or you won’t have enough room for the jam.
If you don’t have a round cutter, you can substitute another shape, like hearts or squares. Or skip the cutter and use a sharp chef’s knife to slice the pastry into rectangles instead.
Decorating Your Strawberry Hand Pies
I’ve topped my mini strawberry pies with a simple vanilla bean glaze comprised of confectioner’s sugar, whole milk, and vanilla bean paste, plus a few drops of pink gel food coloring (I used Chefmaster‘s Neon Brite Pink.) To finish, I added a healthy dose of rainbow sprinkles.
If desired, you can skip the pink food coloring to make your pies look more like homemade strawberry pop tarts (which are traditionally topped with white icing, not pink.) And instead of of rainbow sprinkles, try pink sanding sugar, rainbow nonpareils, pink sprinkles, or even hearts for Valentine’s Day, or pastel confetti for a birthday celebration.
I flavored my glaze with vanilla bean paste, but you can use another flavoring. Double down on the strawberry with a few drops of strawberry flavoring, or try a contrasting flavor like mint, almond, or lemon.
Glazing the Pies
To glaze, place pies on a wire rack and sit the rack over top of a piece of parchment or wax paper. (Don’t skip the parchment. The glaze will drip, and if you don’t use parchment, you’ll find yourself scraping glaze from the countertop.) Also, allow the pies to sit on the rack until the glaze is completely set, and be patient—they’ll continue to drip for longer than you think.
When whisking the glaze ingredients together, you can opt for less milk (for an opaque, frosting-like glaze) or more milk if you prefer a thinner, more translucent glaze.
One final note! Make sure your hand pies are completely cool before glazing. If the pies are still warm, the glaze will melt.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
These mini strawberry pies are best enjoyed on the day they are made, or the day after. Store leftover hand pies in an airtight container at room temperature. Be sure to add layers of parchment or wax paper to prevent the pies from sticking together.
If you want to make this strawberry hand pie recipe in advance, you can prepare and bake the pies and freeze them unglazed. (To freeze, layer the pies between sheets of parchment and freeze in an airtight container.) Thaw at room temperature and add the glaze just prior to serving, or serve the pies without glaze.
Other hand pie recipes you might enjoy:
Blueberry Hand Pies
Peach and Ginger Hand Pies
Mixed Berry Hand Pies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Strawberry Hand Pies
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 3-inch round hand pies 1x
Description
This sweet hand pie recipe yields 8 delightful mini strawberry pies, complete with pink glaze and rainbow sprinkles. My take on homemade strawberry pop tarts!
Ingredients
Hand pies:
1 sheet store-bought shortcrust pastry or pie crust (each roughly 10 x 13 inches in size)
120 grams strawberry jam (4 tablespoons)
1 egg, lightly beaten
Glaze:
90 grams confectioner’s sugar (2/3 cup)
1–2 tablespoons whole milk or whipping cream*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Pink gel food coloring
Assembly
Rainbow sprinkles, to decorate
Instructions
Hand pies:
Preheat oven to 400° F / 205° C. Line a rimmed half-sheet baking tray with parchment, and set aside until ready to use.
On a silicone rolling mat or lightly floured countertop, unroll the shortcrust pastry.
With a 3-inch round cutter, cut the pastry into discs.
Use a rolling pin to re-roll the scraps and cut the remaining discs. When finished, you should have about 16 discs total.
Arrange half of the discs on the prepared tray.
Spoon the strawberry jam top of the discs (about 2 teaspoons each), allowing a half-inch border around the outside edge.
With a pastry brush, lightly brush beaten egg around the edges of each disc.
Top each disc with a second disc of pastry, stretching the dough slightly to fit neatly over the jam. Use your fingers to seal the edges.
With a fork, crimp the edges of each pastry.
Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the discs with the beaten egg.
Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until both the tops and bottoms of the pies are golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool. While pastries cool, prepare the vanilla bean glaze.
Glaze:
Sift the confectioner’s sugar into a small bowl.
Whisk in the milk and vanilla bean paste.
Stir in the gel coloring. If desired, add more milk or cream to adjust the consistency.*
Assembly:
Once pastries are completely cool, place wire rack over a rimmed tray or a sheet of parchment.
Use a teaspoon to drizzle the glaze over each pastry.
Top with the rainbow sprinkles.
Allow the glaze to set, then serve.
Store leftover hand pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
Notes
*Use less milk for an opaque, frosting-like glaze, or more for a translucent glaze.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cooling Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Turnovers and Hand Pies
- Method: Oven
