mini nutella & raspberry hand pies.

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hubba hubba yum yum.

here’s an easy peasy crowd pleaser!!!

the first thing out of pete’s mouth after one bite of a pie was, “can you make these again?” 😂

why yes, i can and i will make these again.

and you can, too!

i used ye olde trusty alison roman pie dough recipe, same as i’d used in these blueberry basil hand pies. if you really wanna speed up this process, just use store bought, pre-rolled pie dough.

you could have these assembled & baked all in about 30 minutes if you went the pre-rolled route. lightning fast hand pies!

howeva… i’d recommend going the extra mile to make the homemade pie dough because it is so so flaky and buttery and perfectomundo.

the options are endless here with pie fillings, but i was wanting a super simple and somewhat refreshing little dessert pie that would let me use up a jar of nutella that’s been lingering around here a little toooo long (aka. frequent visits to the pantry for “just one more” little spoonful of the good stuff. that costco 2-pack is dangerzone, usa).

we found that the nutella + fresh raspberries were a lovely little balance between sweet and tart, and the pie crust adds so much buttery, flaky texture.

i wouldn’t even bother adding coarse sugar to the tops of the pies. the nutella is sweet enough.

it’s a truly simple dessert!

and. how freaking cute, anyway?

hand pies are such a dream. nothing has to be perfect about them, and they’ll turn out cute to boot every time.

i made several 3-inch (the tiny pies on the plate) and 4-inch pies (pies on the table).

the 4-inch rounds are definitely easier to work with as far as filling and creasing the pies. you have to be a little careful not to overfill the 3-inch rounds.

i forsee many repeats of these little delights in our homestead.

gotta keep extra discs of frozen homemade pie dough at the ready for a hand pie emergency!!

you won’t be sorry :)

and happy valentine’s day today!

Mini Nutella & Raspberry Hand Pies

Makes (12) 4-inch hand pies, or (24) 3-inch hand pies

Total Time: Using Pre-made dough = 30 minutes // Using Homemade Dough (+ 2 hr Chill Time) = 3 hours

Ingredients:

For the Dough: (Recipe from Alison Roman’s Dining In Cookbook, “The Only PIecrust”)

  • *I halved the following dough recipe to make the hand pies, but having extra discs of frozen pie dough stored is convenient!

    • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    • 2 TB. granulated sugar

    • 1 tsp. kosher salt

    • 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled & cubed

    • 1 TB. apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

    • 1/4 cup ice water

For the Filling:

  • 2/3 - 1 cup Nutella or Chocolate Hazelnut spread of choice

  • fresh raspberries

  • 1 egg + 1 tsp. water - egg wash for top of crust

Instructions-

For the dough:

You can make the pie dough way in advance and keep in the freezer. Or make 1-4 days in advance and store flat rounds in plastic wrap in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. OR just use store bought pie dough!

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar & salt. Add the chilled butter cubes and toss to coat in the flour mixture, then use your hands to smash the butter between your fingers. Incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until it appears shaggy and flaky.

Combine the vinegar and the ice water and drizzle it over the flour + butter mixture. Run your fingers through the mixture to evenly distribute the water through the flour until the dough starts coming together.

On a lightly floured work surface, knead the combined dough a few times to gather up and incorporate any dry bits. It will not be smooth or shiny. Knead the shaggy mass with your palms a few more times, then pat into a flat disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap the disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Assemble the hand pies:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with a piece of parchment.

Roll out the pie crust on a well floured surface until it is 1/8 inch thick. Use 4” or 3” cookie cutters (or just the rim of a glass) to press circles into the dough, setting each round on the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll out the dough scraps to make as many 4-inch or 3-inch rounds as you can.

For 3” round pies, place about 1 teaspoon of Nutella and 1 raspberry into the center of the round.

For 4” round pies, place about 2 teaspoons of Nutella and 2 raspberries into the center of the round.

Gently fold one edge of the dough over the filling and adhere to the other side of the dough round, keeping at least 1/4” border around the outside edge. If there’s too much Nutella to close the pocket, scoop a little bit out using a spoon. Press the edges of the dough together firmly with your fingers, then use the tines of a fork to seal it up.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water to make the egg wash. Brush the tops of the pies with the egg wash. Cut 1/4 inch vents on top for steam to escape.

Bake the 3” pies for about 14 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Bake the 4” pies for about 18 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Remove from oven and use a spatula to push away any burnt chocolate that oozed out of the pies. Transfer pies to a cooling rack. Cool at least 10 minutes before eating.

Store in a parchment lined airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

ENJOY!

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