Strawberry Heart Hand Pies

By Cynthia Graubart

Show your love with heart-shaped hand pies as a valentine for any day of the year.

These heart–shaped hand pies from Strawberry Love are the perfect-sized sweet treat to share with someone you love (no need to wait for Valentine’s Day).

Photo of strawberry heart-shaped hand pies on a baking sheet. — Photo © Keller + Keller Photography.

This recipe makes about ten 2 ½-inch hand pies.

Ingredients

1 package (2-count) refrigerated piecrusts
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup finely diced fresh strawberries
All-purpose flour, for dusting the work surface

1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
Decorating sugar or other large-grain sugar

Directions

Let the piecrusts rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes, or according to package directions. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together the granulated sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add the strawberries and toss to coat.
Lightly flour a work surface. Gently roll out the piecrusts. Using a 2 ½-inch-long heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut hearts out of both crusts (about 20 hearts total). Move half of the heart crusts to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 1 to 2 inches apart. Using a small heart-shaped cutter, cut out a center heart from each of the remaining hearts. Discard these little centers or sprinkle with sugar and bake along with the hand pies for a cook’s treat.
Place 1 rounded teaspoonful of the strawberry mixture in the center of each heart on the baking sheet. Dampen the edges of the hearts with a fingertip dipped in water and top with the remaining hearts that have the cut-outs, pressing the edges to seal. Crimp the edges with a fork.
Whisk the egg white and water together in a small bowl. Brush the pies with the egg wash. Sprinkle with decorating sugar and freeze the pies for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Bake the pies for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Excerpted from Strawberry Love © Cynthia Graubart.

Strawberry Love

by Cynthia Graubart

The arrival of fresh strawberries signals the start of summer, the time to visit pick-your-own farms and farmers’ markets to stock up on plump, ripe berries. Strawberry Love celebrates strawberry season with 45 recipes, all beautifully photographed, for enjoying this heavenly fruit, fresh or frozen. From breakfast treats (French Toast with Strawberry Syrup) to salads (Strawberry, Burrata, and Arugula Salad), main courses (Hamburger Sliders with Goat Cheese, Strawberries and Bacon), and desserts (Strawberry Creamsicles on a Stick and Strawberry Heart Hand Pies), strawberry lovers will find tantalizing new ways—along with the classics—to make the most of their summer berry bounty. The book also includes tips for picking, freezing, and making jams and syrups for enjoying the taste of summer all year long.

$12.95

$16.95 CAD

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Cynthia Graubart

About the Author

Cynthia Graubart is a James Beard Award–winning cookbook author, a cooking teacher, and a culinary television producer whose books include Zucchini Love, Strawberry Love, and Blueberry Love. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Better Homes & Gardens, and Southern Living. Graubart has appeared on Fox & Friends and Hallmark’s Home & Family Show. A champion of family mealtime, she shares her passion for her home state of Georgia and its bountiful produce and products across many platforms. She can be found online at cynthiagraubart.com.

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