Mixing graham cracker crumbs into the pie dough gives these bite-size treats the sweet flavor that would come from a crumb crust with the flaky goodness of a traditional piecrust.
Strawberry-Almond Hand Pies
Makes 14
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg white
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ cup almond meal
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1½ cups thinly sliced strawberries
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- Graham Cracker Pie Dough (recipe follows)
- Garnish: confectioners’ sugar
Graham Cracker Pie Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¾ cup cold water
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Spray 2 (7-well) cast-iron mini cake pans with baking spray with flour.
- In a medium bowl, beat 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, butter, egg, egg white, and extract with a mixer at medium-low speed until smooth. Add almond meal and flour, beating until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; stir in strawberries and lime juice until well combined.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll Graham Cracker Pie Dough to ⅛-inch thickness. Using a 4½-inch round cutter, cut dough into 14 rounds, rerolling scraps as necessary. Transfer dough rounds to wells of prepared pans, pressing into bottoms and up sides. Spoon about 1½ tablespoons almond mixture in center of each well. Top almond mixture with strawberry mixture.
- Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is slightly puffed and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Garnish with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
Graham Cracker Pie Dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cracker crumbs, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until pea-size pieces remain.
- In a small bowl, combine ¾ cup cold water and vinegar. Stir ½ cup vinegar mixture into flour mixture with a fork. Stir in remaining vinegar mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, until a shaggy dough forms and holds together when pinched. (Some dry spots will remain.)
- Turn out dough onto a clean work surface, and knead 3 to 4 times until dough forms a loose ball. Shape into a disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. If refrigerating for more than 1 hour, let dough stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling.
Notes
KITCHEN TIP-If you don’t have two cast-iron mini cake pans, you can bake the pies in batches of 7 at a time in one pan. Cut the dough in half before rolling out, and refrigerate one portion while rolling out the other portion.