Savory or sweet, hand pies are tiny packages of flavor.

The exact origin of hand pies is ambiguous, and nearly every culture has its own version. Some of the more well-known hand pies include Australian meat pies, Cornish pasties, empanadas, Jamaican patties, samosas and spanakopita. In America, hand pies are considered a Southern staple of convenient snacking.

While there are no limits on shape or filling, hand pies all have a few common characteristics—they’re small enough to hold in your hand, and the filling is encased in pastry or dough. They can be fried or baked.

Made to be convenient for eating on the go, these miniature pies can even be made ahead of time and frozen for a quick meal later.


Moroccan chicken and apricot hand pies

Pastry:

2½ cups pastry flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, cubed
2 eggs, divided
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Filling:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup diced red pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper
pinch of cinnamon, optional
¼ cup diced, dried apricots
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth

Pastry:

In a food processor, pulse together pastry flour and salt. Add butter and pulse 3-4 times or until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces.

In a measuring cup, whisk 1 egg with vinegar, and add enough ice water to make ½ cup. Pour over the flour mixture, and pulse just until the dough starts to clump together.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times or until dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Filling:

Heat oven to 375°.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes or until softened.

Add red pepper, and cook for 5-6 minutes or until tender.
Add cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and cinnamon, if using.

Add apricots, chicken and broth to the skillet. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until chicken is moistened. Let cool.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ¼" thickness. Cut into 4" rounds, re-rolling scraps once, to make 18 rounds. Transfer rounds to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1" apart.

Place a heaping tablespoonful of filling onto one half of each round, leaving a border all around.

Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the edges of the rounds with some of the egg wash. Fold the pastry over, and seal the edges with a fork. Brush the tops with egg wash.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden and crisp.

—Home Baking Association and Ardent Mills


Lamb empanadas with red chimichurri

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 pounds ground lamb
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup sliced green onions
1 cup golden raisins
kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
50 frozen empanada-prepared dough discs, thawed
2 eggs, whisked
1 quart red chimichurri

Chimichurri ingredients:

1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 bunch fresh parsley
16 ounces roasted red peppers, drained
1 cup piquillo peppers, drained
1 shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
½ cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add oil and sauté onion and garlic until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add lamb, paprika, oregano, cumin and cayenne, and sauté until lamb is browned and fully cooked. Add onion and raisins. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.

Heat oven to 375°.

Arrange empanada discs on a flat work surface. Fill with 2 tablespoons of lamb filling, and then brush edges with whisked eggs. Fold half of the round over the filled half, and pinch edges together to seal. Crimp the edges using a fork. Arrange the finished empanadas on a parchment-lined sheet tray, and brush with eggs. Bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.

While empanadas are baking, make the chimichurri. In a food processor, pulse cilantro, parsley, peppers, shallot, garlic, vinegar and paprika until fully incorporated. Stir in oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve empanadas with chimichurri.

—American Lamb Board


3-ingredient caramel apple hand pies

14-ounce box puff pastry, thawed
1 large apple, chopped into ¼" pieces
⅓ cup caramel sauce

Heat oven to 425º, and place a rack in the center.

Unroll or unfold pastry onto a flat work surface. Using a 3" circular cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible—at least 18.

Place half of the rounds on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Spoon one heaping tablespoon of apples into the center of each round, leaving a ½" border. Top apples with one heaping teaspoon of caramel sauce.

Brush pastry border with a pastry brush dipped in water, and top each filled round with a second pastry round. Using a fork, crimp edges together, sealing each pie well to avoid leakage.

With a sharp knife, cut a few small slits in the top of each pie to allow steam to escape. Bake pies, rotating the sheet halfway through, until golden brown and puffed, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

—Recipe adapted from New York Apple Association