Puff pastry makes these handheld cherry pies a piece of cake pie to prepare.
GUESS WHAT. I made little handheld pies! And I have to say/type that these simple cherry pastry pies are my favorite dessert of the summer. That says a lot considering s’mores tartlets.
So about the pastry pies. They’re hand pies! And also sort of like toaster strudels, which is enough reason to make a mad dash to the kitchen like, right now. But what makes them even better than store-bought toaster strudels is that the filling is made from actual real fruit. Summer sweet cherries to be exact.
We’re using frozen puff pastry today. Store-bought puff pastry is a lifesaver in the kitchen—I sometimes use it for these apple turnovers, too. Buttery, crisp, flaky, and convenient all in one. One package of puff pastry comes with 2 sheets. You’re going to cut each sheet into 6 rectangles, like so:
So, you’ll end up with 12 rectangles. 6 will be the bottoms of the pastry pies and 6 will be the top. Following?
Now you’ll layer on a homemade cherry filling. The great thing about this filling is not only are you using real cherries, you can use frozen cherries. Making my adorable cherry pastry pies a year-round treat.
Now, layer the remaining rectangles on top. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal all that cherry goodness inside. Which will still likely ooze out a little. Embrace the slight spillage. It’s yum.
The cherry pastry pies turn a beautiful golden brown as they bake. Before going into the oven, brush them with a little egg wash, which gives the tops a beautiful sheen. A sprinkle of coarse sugar adds a little sparkle.
Clearly, a necessity in my kitchen.
Since they’re sort of like toaster strudels—and totally like pop-tarts too—I’m having one for breakfast to shake up my very blah morning. If you are in more of a pop tart mood you can (and should!) try my chocolate pop tarts or brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts!
If you love baking with cherries, you’ll also love my cherry pie, cherry pie bars, cherry cobbler, cherry almond linzer cookies, and cherry pastry pies.
The shortcut is in the frozen puff pastry!