Strawberry Walnut Hand Pies

DESCRIPTION

Enjoy a blast from the past with this nostalgic hand pie recipe, reminiscent of our favorite childhood toaster pastries! The easy pastry dough is made from scratch and infused with walnut flavor from ground California walnuts, filled with irresistible fresh California strawberries and chopped walnuts, and finished with pink vanilla frosting and a sprinkling of chopped walnuts. It’s a classic childhood snack with a few delicious upgrades.

Total Time
1 Hr, 57 Mins
Serves
6
Serving Size
1 hand pie
Meal
Breakfast Dessert Snack
Course
Main Snack

Total Time

Prep Time
1 Hr, 30 Mins
Cook Time
27 Mins
Total Time
1 Hr, 57 Mins

Nutrition

Calories
272 cal
Total Fat
15.8 g
Saturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
63 mg
Sodium
113.7 mg
Carbohydrates
28.8 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Total Sugars
8.1 g
Added Sugars
6.9 g
Protein
4.2 g
Vitamin D
12 mcg
Calcium
17 mg
Iron
1 mg
Potassium
53 mg

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 1¼ cups all purpose flour

  • ¼ cup finely ground California walnuts

  • 1 tsp cane sugar

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • 7 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed

  • 4-5 Tbsp ice cold water

  • 1 egg, beaten

For the strawberry walnut Filling:

  • 1 cup California Strawberries, tops removed/halved

  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

  • 1 tsp cornstarch

  • 2 Tbsp cane sugar

  • 1/3 cup finely chopped California walnuts

For the frosting:

  • ½ cup powdered sugar

  • 2 Tbsp 2% milk

  • ½ tsp beetroot powder (optional for color)

  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts

Preparation

To make the dough:

  1. Add flour, ground walnuts, sugar, and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add cubed butter and pulse until butter is in small pieces. Add cold water to food processor one tablespoon at a time, pulsing as water is added. When dough starts to stick together, it is ready.

  2. Transfer dough onto a clean work surface and shape into two (4-inch) disks. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make the filling:

  1. Add halved strawberries and lemon juice to food processor and pulse until just slightly chunky.

  2. Transfer to a saucepan and gradually whisk in cornstarch until dissolved. Stir in sugar.

  3. Heat over low heat until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Turn heat off and stir in chopped walnuts. Transfer mixture to a small jar or bowl and refrigerate.

To assemble the hand pies:

  1. Remove one disc of dough from refrigerator. Lightly flour work surface and rolling pin. Roll out dough into a large rectangle. Slice dough into 6 (4×2 inch) rectangles. Place on a large parchment paper lined baking sheet.

  2. Brush perimeter of dough rectangles with egg wash. Place a tablespoon of strawberry walnut filling on center of dough.

  3. Roll out second disc of dough the same as the first, creating 6 more rectangles of dough. Place on top of jam and crimp edges with a fork to seal. Freeze hand pies for 20 minutes to firm butter in the dough.

  4. Preheat oven to 375ºF.

  5. Trim uneven edges of dough with a sharp knife and brush tops and sides of pies with egg wash.

  6. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until golden brown around edges. Cool hand pies at room temperature for 5 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to a wire cooling rack until completely cooled.

  7. Whisk together ingredients for frosting until thick but smooth. Drizzle frosting over cooked hand pies and top with finely chopped walnuts. Cool for 15 minutes or until frosting is set.