Fried Sweet Potato Hand Pies
Half-moon hand pies with a short, tender scratch crust and a thick, spiced sweet potato filling, fried until deep golden and dusted with powdered sugar.
Servings 12 hand pies
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cold, cubed
- ¼ cup shortening cold
- ½ cup ice water added gradually
For the Filling
- 1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes roasted or boiled, mashed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg freshly grated if possible
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup evaporated milk or half-and-half added gradually
For Frying and Finishing
- peanut or vegetable oil enough for a 2 to 3 inch depth
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Roast the sweet potatoes at 400°F for 45 to 55 minutes, or boil peeled chunks for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife slides through easily.
- Scoop the hot flesh into a bowl and mash smooth. Stir in the butter, then both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt.
- Add the evaporated milk a splash at a time until the mash is thick enough to hold a soft peak on the spoon. If it slumps, cook it in a pan over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes to tighten it.
- Chill the filling completely before assembling.
Make the Dough
- Whisk the flour and salt together. Cut in the cold butter and shortening until the largest pieces are the size of a pea.
- Sprinkle in the ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough holds together when squeezed.
- Pat into two flat discs, wrap, and chill at least 30 minutes.
Assemble the Pies
- Roll one disc at a time on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛ inch thick. Cut 4 to 5 inch rounds with a biscuit cutter.
- Spoon 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of cold filling onto one half of each round, leaving a clean ½ inch border.
- Dab the border with water, fold into a half moon, press the edge with your fingers, then crimp all the way around with a fork. Do not cut vents.
- Chill the assembled pies on a sheet pan for 15 minutes.
Fry the Pies
- Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F.
- Fry 2 or 3 pies at a time, crimped edge down first, for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden.
- Drain on a rack set over a sheet pan and let the oil return to 350°F between batches.
- Cool 5 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Keep the filling cold: Warm filling softens the dough and finds every weak spot in the seam.
- No vents: Unlike baked hand pies, fried pies must stay fully sealed.
- Hold 350°F: Below 325°F the crust absorbs oil, above 375°F the outside browns before the seam cooks.
- Freeze unfried: Assembled raw pies freeze flat for 3 months and fry from frozen with 1 to 2 extra minutes per side.