Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day I wanted to make a festive dessert. But I didn’t want to do something basic like sugar cookies so I decided to make something that I thought anyone could enjoy: Strawberry hand pies! But these aren’t just regular strawberry hand pies, they’re heart shaped! I loved making these and they are delicious, they taste just like pop tarts!

I began by preheating my oven to 400°. I then got started on the dough. You can of course use a store bought pie dough to make things easier, but I made my own! To make the dough, I started by mixing the flour and salt. I then sliced up the cold butter really thin and mixed it in with the flour and salt until small balls of dough formed. I added in the cold water a tablespoon at a time and then the vinegar and the dough was done!

I rolled the dough very thin and cut out hearts. You will need an even amount of hearts because each hand pie needs two! I placed the hearts down on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and put a small spoonful of strawberry jelly in the center of each heart. I then placed another heart on top of each piece of dough and used a fork to seal them shut. I poked holes with the fork into the center of each pastry and then coated them in a thin layer of milk with my finger. Lastly, I sprinkled some sugar on top and baked for 10-15 minutes!

DOUGH RECIPE:

½ cup cold butter

1 ¼ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

2-3 tablespoons very cold water

½ teaspoon vinegar

FILLING:

Any strawberry jelly of your choosing. (You can use any jelly you want but I like strawberry!)

COATING:

¼ cup granulated sugar