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Strawberry Rhubarb Hand Pies with Pecan Crust

Ingredients

To make the crust:

Pulse the pecans in a food processor until finely ground. Add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt and pulse a few times until combined. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse a few times until the butter is chopped to the size of peas. Add the water and continue to pulse just until mixture begins to come together. Dump out onto a clean surface and shape into a disk, mixture will be slightly crumbly. Cover in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge at least 2 hours.

To make the filling and assemble the hand pies:

Put the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla extract in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently as the sugar dissolves and fruit breaks down. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer mixture until reduced and thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie crust out until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Use a 4 or 5-inch round cutter to cut dough into rounds.
Place a rounded tablespoon in the center of each dough round, leaving 1/4-inch space around the edges. Brush edges with egg wash. Fold one half of each dough round over, creating a crescent shape. Press to seal, then use the tines of a fork to complete seal. Use a sharp knife to cut vents into the top of each pie.
Put assembled hand pies on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and freeze for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Brush hand pies with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Bake until hand pies are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Hand pies are best the day they are baked.

Since hand pies are small enough already, you don’t want to lose any of that precious filling. Keep the edges of the crust sealed with these tips.