Hand pies are totally a thing. So much more fun than regular pies, don’t you think? Small enough to hold in one hand and filled with good stuff. And these, with creamy chocolate Nutella and strawberry jam are not only fun, but represent everything that is good and sweet and right with the world.
Whether you’re planning a treat for Valentine’s Day or need an easy, quick, pack-it-up-and-go dessert, these should be your thing. Serve them on their own or put them on top of a scoop of ice cream for something fun and totally unique.
I’m not a huge fan of traditional pies. I’ll never turn down a slice (obviously), but they just aren’t at the top of a long list of desserts I crave.
But somehow, when that very same pie is packed into a little pocket that can be held and enjoyed in a few bites, it climbs way up my list. Something about a hand pie is just more fun than a plain old slice.
Plus, they’re mini. So you can eat two…or five.
And the magic filling combination brings together two of my favorite things. Nutella and strawberry jam. Anything that offers an excuse to buy a jar of Nutella is good in my book.
Nutella is only allowed in our house when needed for “testing”.
If we kept it around here on the reg, Frank would come home to find me hiding in the pantry, eating it with a spoon.
Have I mentioned that once these Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies baked to golden brown, they’re impossible to resist. Almost as impossible as spoonfuls of straight-up Nutella.
Warm, creamy chocolate with the tart, bright flavor of strawberries on top?
Simple, pretty, and so much fun to eat. Bonus that they travel really well. You can pack them up and take them anywhere.
Just be sure to hide them where little snack-ish hands can’t find them. (We learned that one the hard way.)
Happy baking friends!
- Flour, for dusting
- 1 batch of Pie Crust Dough (use store-bought or homemade)
- ⅓ cup Nutella
- ⅓ cup Strawberry Jam
- 1 Egg, whisked
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Dust a counter with flour and roll pie dough out to about ¼" thick. Use a cookie cutter (any shape will work, but we used a 3 inch heart cookie cutter for these) to cut out uniform pieces of dough. Working with one piece of dough at a time, fill the center with Nutella and jam. Dampen your finger tips with water and run them around the outside of the piece of dough and place another piece of pie dough on top. Press the edges down and crimp them with the tines of a fork. Repeat with all remaining pie dough pieces.
- Arrange filled hand pies on a baking sheet and pierce the top of the hand pies a couple times with the tip of a knife (this will allow some steam to release during baking). Whisk the egg and brush the surface of each hand pie with egg wash.
- Bake the pies until golden brown, 11 to 14 minutes (this will vary depending on the thickness of the dough). Allow to cool before serving.
- Store at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days.
In keeping with the trend of baking with the kiddos this winter, I had two great little helpers while I was testing these particular desserts. They liked adding sprinkles the best….
These hand pies look so delightful – the flavor combo, the shape, everything! I have to be careful with Nutella too…I try not to buy it too often but then my mom sends me coupons for it and I can’t pass up the good deal. It’s dangerous!
Oh gosh, Mara – coupons! Who can pass up a deal on that shockingly addictive stuff!
YUM! I also have that same rule for Nutella! I recently bought some to make something similar to this… nutella”pop tarts”. I love the idea of using strawberry in them too! Thanks!!!
Also your girls are getting big! So cute!
Oh my…Nutella pop tarts…I link I’m in love.
These are super delicious! I added a few strawberries to each hand pie to up the fruit component. They turned out so well! Thanks for the recipe!
Great idea to add the strawberries Ana – thanks for the idea!
All my jam leaked out!! I sealed them…or @ least I thought I did . I’m so sad! 🙁
Oh no, Joy! What a disappointment. The sealing is definitely the trickiest part of these. Sometimes if I have any doubts, I cut the shapes bigger than I normally would and fold them over a bit before pressing them with the tines of a fork. Just to make sure they’re good and tight.