Sweet, juicy peaches wrapped in a rustic, flaky crust. These Baked Peach Hand Pies are the perfect summer dessert for your family or a dinner party!

overhead view of half eaten hand pie with scoop of melting vanilla ice cream

Easy Peach Hand Pies

Hey y’all! I’m Lexie from A Slice of Sweet and I am SO thrilled to be sharing one of my favorite summer recipes on Oh Sweet Basil today!

Happy National Peach Month! If you couldn’t tell from the “y’all” in my greeting, I’m from Texas and we are pretty serious about our peaches. There is really nothing better than a fresh, juicy peach on a hot summer day. 

We also love our peach pies in the South! While I do love a whole pie, one of my favorite variations are these Baked Peach Hand Pies. Sweet, juicy peaches wrapped in a rustic, flaky crust… you really can’t go wrong! And everything is at least five times better in a mini version, right?!

Tip: Check out one of my other favorite peach recipes here!

overhead view of pile of peach hand pie on metal tart pan

What’s Needed for Peach Hand Pies? 

This fresh peach dessert has two main components: the peach pie filling and the homemade hand pie dough. Here’s what you’ll need to make these easy fruit hand pies: 

  • Fresh peaches
  • Granulated sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Cornstarch
  • Peach preserves 
  • Lemon juice
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Kosher salt
  • Unsalted butter
  • Ice water
  • White vinegar 
  • Egg

How to Pick the Best Peaches

If you are lucky enough to have a local farmers market (search for one in your area here!), you should absolutely stop by to grab fresh peaches for this recipe (and don’t forget to grab some veggies to balance out your dessert!). One tip for picking out the perfect peaches for baking: you want them to be nearly ripe, but not soft. They should give just a little when you gently squeeze them.

You want to find freestone peaches because they are sweeter and easier to work with. For a list of my favorite freestone peaches, head to our peach cobbler post!

side view of peach hand pie that's been broken in half and topped with vanilla ice cream

How to Make Hand Pies

Don’t let the homemade pie dough in this peach dessert recipe scare you — this is such an easy recipe to make! 

  1. Make the hand pie dough, then divide into two balls and chill for at least 1 hour. 
  2. Meanwhile, make the peach pie filling. 
  3. Once the hand pie dough has chilled, roll out each ball and cut into circles (you can use a large cookie cutter, the top of a large glass, etc.). 
  4. Spoon a little peach pie filling into the center of each dough circle, making sure not to include too much of the juices.
  5. Brush one half of the outer edge of each circle with the egg wash, and fold each circle in half to make a semi-circle.
  6. Press edges together and crimp with the tines of a fork.
  7. Brush egg wash over the top of each hand pie and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
  8. Bake until golden brown.

How to Peel Peaches

Sometimes peeling fruit just isn’t peachy (see what I did there?). Skip the frustration and follow these simple steps to easily remove the skins from your peaches.

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  2. Place peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds.
  3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches and place them immediately in an ice-water bath to stop the heat from cooking the peaches.
  4. Gently rub the skin and peel it off.

Tip: If you’re a visual person like me, check out these photos from The Kitchn.

peach hand pie broken in half and topped with melting vanilla ice cream

How to Store Hand Pies

These peach hand pies are best served warm and eaten on the same day they are made. However, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, and reheat in oven at 325 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes.

Can I Freeze Hand Pies? 

Yes! Let them cool completely, then freeze on a baking tray. Once hardened, transfer the peach hand pies to a freezer bag. To reheat, bake in a 325 degree F oven until warmed through (15 to 20 minutes, I should think). 

Tips for the Best Hand Pies

This is noted in the recipe, but if you want a super flaky crust, I recommend doing the extra step called Fraisage, where you will take small pieces of dough and push them along the counter with the heel of your hand. This is a French technique to create longer strands of butter, and as the crust bakes, the moisture turns to steam and expands to form pockets between the layers. Check out this video for a visual of the technique.

However, if you want to skip the step of making your own dough, that is totally fine and respectable. Let’s be honest, we could all use a shortcut every now and then. I have used refrigerated store-bought pie crust (the kind you roll out) to make these peach hand pies and they have turned out great!

Another thing I LOVE about these fruit hand pies is that you can totally make them with different fruits! Blueberries, strawberries, apples — just toss in the respective fruit preserves in place of the peach preserves and the possibilities are endless!

More Peach Dessert Recipes:

Baked Peach Hand Pies

Baked Peach Hand Pies

4.25 from 12 votes
Servings: 8 hand pies
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Chill Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 2 hrs

Description

Sweet, juicy peaches wrapped in a rustic, flaky crust. These Baked Peach Hand Pies are the perfect summer dessert for your family or a dinner party!

Ingredients 

For the Filling:

  • 4 peaches, semi-ripe, peeled, sliced, & chopped into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons peach preserves
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the Dough:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ cup butter, unsalted, cold & cut into small cubes (1.5 sticks)
  • ½ cup ice water
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar

For the Egg Wash:

  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Make the hand pie dough:

  • To make the dough, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
  • Cut the cubes of butter into the dry ingredients using two forks or a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles small peas (you can also use a food processor or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment).
  • Add vinegar and ice water and gently form dough into a ball.
  • This step is optional, but it creates a flakier crust: Place dough on the counter. Taking a small piece of dough at a time, push the dough across the counter using the heel of your hand. Scrape up the dough using your hands (a metal dough scraper also works well here) and gently form all of the scraps into a new ball.
  • Divide dough into two balls and wrap in plastic wrap or a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

Make the filling:

  • Meanwhile, make the filling. Combine the peaches and sugar in a bowl and let sit for an hour (you can do this while your dough is chilling).
  • Drain the juices from the peaches and sugar. Add the cinnamon, cornstarch, peach preserves, and lemon juice and stir to combine.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat egg and water together in a small bowl and set aside.

Assemble the hand pies:

  • Remove dough from the fridge. Roll each portion out on a flat, lightly floured surface (a little thicker than a tortilla).
  • Using a circle cutter, large cup, or plastic top that is about 5 inches in diameter, cut the dough into circles (you should have enough for 4 circles with each ball of dough).
  • Gently transfer the circles to your prepared baking sheets.
  • Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each dough circle, making sure not to get too much of the juices. Brush one half of the outer edge of each circle with the egg wash, and fold each circle in half making a semi-circle. Press edges together and crimp with the tines of a fork.
  • Brush egg wash over the top of each pie and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!

Notes

  • Best served warm and eaten on the same day they are made. You can store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, and reheat in oven at 325 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pieCalories: 401kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 7gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 401mgFiber: 3gSugar: 13g
Author: Lexie
Course: America's Best 4th of July Desserts, Recipes and Sides, Over 100 Favorite Fruit Dessert Recipes
Cuisine: American

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Be sure to share photos of your Baked Peach Hand Pies and tag @OhSweetBasil and @asliceofsweet on Instagram!

A Baked Peach Hand Pie with an open crust and peaches oozing out and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.