I’m so excited to be participating in my first #SundaySupper event. Roasted Strawberry Hand Pies are the perfect dessert for this week’s theme, “Finger Foods for Dinner”. Grab a pie and dig-in, no utensils required!

When strawberries come into season I mostly prefer to eat them out of hand. Here in the northeastern U.S., we get to enjoy local strawberries for just a few short weeks. Once I get my fill of fresh berries, then it’s the time for shortcakes, tarts, tempura strawberries (yum, more on that in a later post) and pie.

A seasonal strawberry is glorious to eat because it’s so juicy. But this is also what makes cooking strawberries in a pie a bit tricky. Put uncooked berries into a pie crust you’ll end up with a soggy crust and a mushy filling. This is especially a problem when you’re making hand pies. Hand pies, as the name suggests, need to be sturdy enough to pick up and eat without falling apart in your hands.

For my Strawberry Hand Pies I wanted a filling that tastes as close to fresh strawberries as possible. My goal was to pre-cook the berries enough to avoid a soggy pie, but not so much that I made strawberry jam. Hmmm, seems like a little experimentation is in order. You know I’m always looking for an excuse to do another kitchen experiment!

There was no question how I would start the filling – macerate the berries to draw out some of the juice. Macerating also helps the berries keep their shape while cooking. I use the same technique for making Peach Pie. Check out my peach pie recipe for more information about macerating soft fruits before cooking.

After macerating I planned to roast the berries because roasting intensifies flavor. But rather than just assume roasting was the way to go, I made the filling two ways to be sure. After macerating and draining the juice from the berries, I cooked half the strawberries on the stove top and the other half I roasted in the oven. I preferred the filling made with the roasted berries because the flavor was a little more intense and the fruit remained whole rather than breaking down.

The crust for the hand pies has both cream cheese and butter. By mixing in the cream cheese first you’ll coat the flour to help keep the dough tender and by leaving the butter in large flakes you’ll help create flaky layers. It’s a very easy dough to work with. Of course you can use your favorite pie crust recipe for the hand pies, or you can use puff pastry.

Strawberry Hand Pies

Yield: 18 pies

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

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Ingredients

Dough

• 1 1/4 cups (6 oz 170g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 oz 85g) cake flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 4 oz (1/2 cup) cream cheese, cut into 1" chunks
• 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz, 170g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1" chunks
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

Filling

• 1 Pound (1 dry quart) strawberries, clean, hulled- cut in 1/2 if small and 1/4 if large
• 1/4 cup (2 oz, 56g) granulated vanilla sugar (see note)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons corn starch

Assembly

• 1 egg for egg wash
• granulated sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

Dough

1. Whisk together the flours, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Toss in the cream cheese
3. Using your fingers, mix the cream cheese into the flour until it resembles coarse corn meal
4. Toss the butter into the flour and squeeze the cubes into "flakes"
5. Allow the flakes to break up into slightly smaller pieces.
6. Work quickly so the butter doesn't get warm. Don't break the butter down completely. There should be some large flakes remaining.
7. Combine the water and the cider vinegar.
8. Pour the water onto the flour all at once and toss to combine.
9. Gently work the dough just until it comes together.
10. It may look a little dry in spots, but the water will redistribute as the dough rests.
11. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, or make it the day before and let it rest overnight.

Macerate the Strawberries

2. Toss the strawberries with the sugar and allow to macerate for 1.5-2 hours

Roll and cut the dough

1. Roll the dough to 1/8" thick
2. Use a 3"-3.5" cookie cutter to cut circles.
3. Place the circles onto a parchment lined sheet pan with a sheet of parchment between each layer of circles.
4. Piece together the scraps and form them into a disc, re-roll and cut until all the dough is used
5. Cover and refrigerate the dough rounds while you make the strawberry filling

Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F convection or 375°F regular
2. Drain the juice from the berries
3. Place the drained berries onto a parchment lined sheet pan
4. Bake for 20 minutes until the berries are nicely browned and fragrant
5. While the strawberries are roasting, pour the drained juice into a small sauce pan with the lemon juice
6. Whisk the cornstarch into the juice until there are no lumps (do not heat up the juice before adding the cornstarch!)
7. Cook the juice mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it comes to a boil, thickens and becomes translucent
8. Toss the thickened juices with the roasted berries
9. Allow the berries to cool completely (you can put them in the fridge to speed up the cooling)

Assemble and Bake

1. Whisk the egg with a pinch of salt to make an egg wash
2. Lay 1/2 the chilled dough rounds on your work surface
3. Brush the rounds with egg wash, making sure to go all the way to the edge of the round
4. Divide the strawberries among the egg-washed rounds, there should be about a tablespoon per pie.
5. Place the remaining rounds onto the filled rounds, being careful to keep the strawberries in the middle of the dough
6. Gently pinch together the edges of each pie, making sure they are well sealed
7. Place filled pies on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper
8. Cut vent holes in the top of each pie
9. Brush each pie with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar
10. Bake until puffed and golden brown

Notes

I used vanilla sugar for the filling. If you don't have vanilla sugar you can add a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the juice.[br][br]To work ahead - make the dough and cut the rounds in advance. Wrap and freeze the dough rounds with parchment paper between them so they can be easily separated.[br][br]The filling should made the same day that you will bake the pies.[br][br]The pies are best the day they are baked but will keep at room temperature for a day or two.

Thanks to Christie Campbell from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting this week’s Sunday Supper and special thanks to Sue Lau of Palatable Pastime for mentoring me through my first event.

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here:Sunday Supper Movement

Check out these fabulous “Finger Food” recipes from the Sunday Supper taste-makers:

Pinky Appetizers

• Artichoke Jalapeno Bruschetta by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Bacon Wrapped Dates by Our Good Life
• Baked Blue Cheese Olive Bites by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Baked Chicken Flautas by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Baked Piroshki (Russian Stuffed Rolls) by Curious Cuisiniere
• Blue Cheese & Buffalo Chicken Wonton Bites by Moore or Less Cooking
• Caprese Polenta Cakes by Eat, Drink and be Tracy
• Cherry Topped Brie Bites by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Chicken Pesto Pizza by Taste And See
• Classic Homemade Guacamole by Pies and Plots
• Fresh Vegetable Rainbow Rolls by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Italian Fried Stuffed Olives by La Bella Vita Cucina
• Healthy Buffalo Chicken Kabobs by Hardly A Goddess
• Mini Feta Leek Quiche by FoodieTots
• Mini Mediterranean Shish Kebabs by Hey What’s for Dinner Mom?
• Pan Seared Bruschetta by Seduction in the Kitchen
• Raspberry Glazed Chicken Wings by Family Around The Table
• Sesame Chicken Fingers by An Appealing Plan
• Spicy Popcorn Chicken by Brunch-n-Bites

Manual Mains

• Battered-dipped Turkey Tenders by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Beef Wellington Bites by Food Lust People Love
• Broccoli, Ham and Cheese Egg Muffin Cups by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Broccoli, Ham & Cheese Double Stuffed Potatoes by Simply Healthy Family
• Cheesy Baked Garlic Chicken Strips by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
• Chicken Parmesan Sliders by The Chef Next Door
• Cuban Sandwiches by My World Simplified
• Ethiopian Injera and Tikel Gomen (cabbage, carrots and potato) by Caroline’s Cooking
• Fish fingers and Old Bay Dip by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Crunchy-Coated Haddock Fingers by Turnips 2 Tangerines
• Ham and Cheese Sliders by Feeding Big and More
• Mini Pizza Pockets by The Freshman Cook
• Mini Pizzas by Angels Home Sweet Homestead
• Ribs with Whiskey Maple Barbecue Sauce by Palatable Pastime
• Savory Beef and Veggie Hand Pies by Positively Stacey
• Spinach-Feta Rolls by Wholistic Woman
• Lasagna Cupcakes by A Mind Full Mom
• Tacos in Lettuce Wraps by Simple and Savory
• Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps by Casa de Crews
• Thai-Indian Beef Lettuce Cups by The Texan New Yorker
• Vegetarian Piadina Sandwich by she loves biscotti
• Yuca Fritters Stuffed with Cheese by Basic N Delicious

Digit Desserts

• Blueberry and Brie Tarts by Momma’s Meals
• Roasted Strawberry Hand Pies by Baking Sense
• Salted Caramel Cream Puffs by The Redhead Baker

Plus Plus Bite-sized Pavlovas and More Finger Food Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.