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Baked Sweet Potato Hand Pies

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12 hand pies

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 2 premade 9-inch pie crusts thawed, or homemade shortcrust
  • 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour for rolling

For the Filling

  • 1 ½ cups cooked mashed sweet potato or canned sweet potato puree
  • 3 tablespoon brown sugar packed
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 pinch ground cloves
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoon pecans finely chopped, optional
  • 2 tablespoon heavy cream or half-and-half as needed

To Finish

  • 1 large egg beaten, for egg wash
  • 2 teaspoon turbinado or coarse sugar

Instructions

Make the Filling

  • Mash the warm cooked sweet potato until completely smooth.
  • Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pecans. Add the cream a teaspoon at a time only if the mash is too stiff to spoon.
  • Taste and adjust the sugar and spice, then chill the filling while you roll the dough.

Roll and Cut the Dough

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F, or 375°F for convection, with a rack in the middle position. Line a sheet pan with parchment.
  • Roll the pie dough on a lightly floured surface to an even ⅛ inch thick.
  • Cut 3 to 4 inch rounds. Press the scraps together, chill 10 minutes, and reroll for more rounds.

Assemble and Crimp

  • Spoon 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of filling onto one half of each round, leaving a bare ½ inch border.
  • Brush the border with beaten egg, fold the empty half over, press the edge with your fingers, then crimp all the way around with a fork.
  • Cut two ½ inch vents in each top, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
  • Chill the assembled pies on the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.

Bake

  • Bake one test pie first to check your oven's timing, about 18 minutes.
  • Bake the remaining pies for 18 to 22 minutes, until the tops are deep golden and the edges look set.
  • Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack.

Notes

  • Bake a test pie: One pie on its own tells you exactly how your oven handles the batch.
  • Do not overfill: Two teaspoons per round is right. Filling that reaches the edge will leak.
  • Cut vents: Baked hand pies need two small slits so pressure can escape.
  • Freeze unbaked: Freeze assembled pies flat, bag for 3 months, and bake from frozen at 400°F for 24 to 28 minutes.