The Best Bourbon Strawberry Hand Pies
These hand pies made with a fresh bourbon and strawberry jam filling and a perfect flakey and buttery pie crust are the perfect and easy bite-sized pie treat!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 min
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 12 - 14 hand pies
- Category: Pies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the jam:
- 2 lb's strawberries cut in half's
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the pastry:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup cold bourbon
- 1/4 ice water
- 1 egg for the wash
Instructions
- Start by making the jam. Combine the strawberries, bourbon, sugar, and lemon juice in a large pot and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
- Reduce temperature to medium and simmer until mixture begins to thicken about 40 minutes. Keep stirring, so nothing sticks to the pot.
- Once the mixture starts to thicken, put a tablespoon of the mixture on the plate in the freezer and freeze for 1 minute. Test the gelling point of the jam by pushing your finger up against the cold jam and if it done, it will wrinkle.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Next, make the pastry. Add the flour, salt, and sugar to a food processor and pulse and few times to blend everything together.
- Add in the cubed cold butter and pulse until the butter is pea and lima bean-sized. Add the bourbon and water and mix just enough so it lightly comes together. It will still look loose but will stick together when you squeeze a chunk of it in your fist.
- Pour the dough out onto a well-floured surface and lightly knead until it forms a disk. Divide it into two equal disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Once chilled, roll out the dough until it reaches 1/4th inch thickness. Use a cutter to cut into 2-3 inch shapes.
- Put 1-2 tablespoons of jam onto the bottom layer of dough. Use a little water to wet the outer rim of the dough.
- Place the top layer on top and seal by pressing the rim with a fork.
- Whisk the egg and brush the hand pies with the egg wash.
- Use a knife the cut vents into the pies.
- Place on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake until golden brown. About 25-30 minutes.
Notes
Tips and tricks for pie crust dough:
- Use cold or frozen butter. Cold butter helps create air pockets in the dough, which helps creates flakey layers. Room temp butter will thoroughly blend into the dough and not create those layers.
- I use a food processor to make my pie crust pastry; bakers much debate this method. Pie crust pastry gets its magic from adding just enough water for it to hold together, and it's easier to tell how much water is needed by mixing it by hand. It also is easier not to over-mix the dough when it's done by hand. But it is also a lot more work.
- To make sure you don't over blend the dough, pulse the food processor a few times, and then check to see the butter crumbles' size. You are looking for the pea to lima bean size chunks. When it looks ready, grab and handful and squeeze it together; if it forms into a dough, it's ready!
Tips and tricks for homemade jam:
- Put a cold plate in the freezer before you start making jam. The cold plate will help you judge the consistency of your jam.
- Strawberries have a lot of water in them so you will have to cook them for about twice as long than your would for a blackberry or blueberry jam.
- To speed up the process, you can start to mash the strawberries on the side of your pot as they are cooking.
- When the strawberries have thickened, put a tablespoon on the frozen plate, freeze for 1 minute, and then look at the consistency. If it's thick and jammy, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool.