The 4th of July is coming up, and I’m already dreaming about sweet treats for the celebration! My hubby is a nut for cherry pie, but a regular pie just won’t do for Independence Day. For goodness’ sake, it needs to be festive!
These star-shaped cherry hand pies are the perfect patriotic dessert. They’re fun to serve, easy to eat, and somehow make it perfectly acceptable to enjoy more than one. The homemade cherry filling makes all the difference, and a splash of Indonesian vanilla extract with rum brings out the rich cherry flavors beautifully.
Before baking, give them a generous dusting of vanilla sugar for a little sparkle and extra sweetness. Add a handful of fresh blueberries and cherries on the side, and you’ve got a dessert that’s as festive as it is delicious. These little stars are guaranteed to disappear fast at any 4th of July gathering!
Ingredients
- 1 can red tart cherries in water; reserving half of the liquid (I buy Oregon Fruit Products, usually sold in the canned fruit section rather than with the canned pie fillings in the baking aisle)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
- Scant 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
- 1-2 tsp Vanillapura Indonesian/rum vanilla extract
- 1 recipe pie crust
- Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water)
- Sprinkling of Vanilla Sugar
Instructions
- Mix the cherries, half the liquid from the can, sugar, cornstarch, and almond extract in a heavy-bottomed pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, for 8-10 minutes or until the liquid turns thick, gels, and bubbles. Remove from heat add vanilla and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Also, bring the pie crust dough out of the fridge to soften slightly (15 min).
- Roll out half of the pie crust on a floured surface. Use a 3 inch, star shaped cookie cutter to cut stars out of the dough. Transfer to parchment-paper-lined cookie sheets.
- Spoon a couple tablespoons of cherry filling onto the center of each heart.
- Cover each with a second dough heart. Press the edges closed with fork tines.
- Use a sharp knife to cut an X (for a kiss) in the top crust.
- (Alternately, use a tiny heart cookie cutter to punch a heart out of the center of the top crusts, before placing them over the filling.) Brush each hand pie with egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown at edges.
- Sprinkle with vanilla sugar.
- Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
