Peach Hand Pies (Fried)

Peach Hand Pies-1-12Peaches in the summer are divine. So sweet and juicy, you need to be alone to indulge in them, since you’ll have all that lovely juice dripping down your hands and face. I can eat 3 at a time and it might not look pretty, but is totally worth it.  When my husband and I went on a week long vacation to the mountains of Georgia, we were so happy that we were there right during that area’s peach season. You’d better believe we bought a whole giant basket. Not only did we enjoy them all week at our cabin, but we bought more peaches to bring home with us.

Fried pies are a classic Southern treat. We bought some at a local shop and I knew I had to make some homemade Hand Pies with all the peaches that we brought home. They are crunchy on the outside, with just a bit of glaze to sweeten the pie dough and the sweet, fruity filling gives a burst of fresh flavor in your mouth with each bite. 

Hand Pies have a very special place in my heart. When I was in third grade, we had snack time in the middle of the day and we had to bring our own snacks from home. It was something we all looked forward to. Sometimes I would bring an orange or a cookie and whatever else we had at home. Other days, either we overslept or there wasn’t anything that was “snackable” to take along in my book bag. If we had time, Dad would stop by a gas station on the way to school and pick up something, but other days we had only moments to spare or we’d be late. I remember one particular time that I didn’t have a snack. Just before I knew that the teacher would dismiss us for a short break and our snack, I looked up from my work book, dreading that I would have to miss out. All of a sudden, there was a knock on the classroom door, and there was my Dad, with a snack just for me. It was an Apple Hand Pie. Many times throughout my childhood, Dad would buy us all kinds of hand pies, and any time I see them, it makes me think of him.

IMG_1498 copy

Third grade Olga:).

My Dad has always been so thoughtful and caring. He will go out of his way to do things for our family, from lots of big things, like fixing our cars, listening to our troubles and tales, helping us with house repairs but also so many seemingly trivial things, like bringing us snacks, little treasures like toys and books when we were younger and he just recently got me an awesome clothes iron and hung up a swing for Nathaniel in our yard. That is my Dad, through and through, and it is only the smallest part of who he is. More than that, he is someone I have always looked up to, felt completely protected by and always loved unconditionally. With Father’s Day approaching this weekend, I am just so grateful that I had the honor to be raised by such an incredible man and my son will grow up with the best Daddy and wise and fun grandfather as role models.

Look at that happy grin! You should have heard his squeals of joy.

Look at that happy grin! You should have heard his squeals of joy.

Recipe from Cook’s Country

Ingredients:

Peach Filling:

4 large peaches (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1/4 – 1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice

Pie dough:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup milk

2 quarts of high smoke point oil for frying (peanut, grape seed, avocado, canola, vegetable)

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2-3 Tablespoons milk

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Peach Hand Pies-1-23Start with making the peach filling, because you will need time for it to completely cool before you can use it. Of course, you can use other fillings too, instead of the peaches. My personal favorite is apple filling, and I use this recipe.

Peel and chop the peaches into 1/2 inch pieces.

Here’s a great tip for getting the skin off the peaches. Cut an X on the top and bottom of the peach with a small paring knife. Boil some water in a pot and then submerge the peaches in the boiling water. Peach Hand Pies-1-29In 30 seconds to a minute, take the peaches out of the hot water and place them into some icy cold water to stop the cooking process. Peach Hand Pies-1-30The skin slips right off. You can take it off with your fingers or use a paper towel to help you get a better grip. I use the exact same method to take the skin off tomatoes too.

Peach Hand Pies-1-31

Peach Hand Pies-1-32Place the chopped peaches and the sugar into a small or medium saucepan. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of sugar, but I used only 1/4 cup and it was more than sweet enough for me. Use your own judgement.Peach Hand Pies-1-33Cover and bring to a boil. The recipe in Cook’s Country says that you can use 20 oz of frozen peaches in the filling instead of fresh peaches. I’ve never personally tried it, but I’m sure it will work great too. It will take a little bit longer for the peaches to come to a boil if you’re using frozen peaches though. When they come to a boil, uncover the peaches and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the peaches are soft. Peach Hand Pies-1-34Take the peaches off the heat. Add the lemon juice and mix to combine. At this point, I like to use a potato masher and mash up half of the peach mixture and then add it back to the rest of the peaches. It gives it a chunkier, more even texture, but you still have some nice bits of peaches distributed throughout the filling. Cool completely. You can make the peach filling up to 3 days in advance, just store it in the refrigerator.

Peach Hand Pies-1-37Meanwhile, start making the pie dough.

Peach Hand Pies-1-24Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a food processor and mix to combine. Peach Hand Pies-1-25Pour in the melted and cooled butter and pulse the mixture until it looks like wet sand. Peach Hand Pies-1-26

Peach Hand Pies-1-27Scrape down the sides of the food processor, then pour in the milk and pulse again until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture looks pebbly. Peach Hand Pies-1-28Take the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and hand mix it, until it all comes together, but be careful not to over mix it. Peach Hand Pies-1-35Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and pat them into small rounds. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Peach Hand Pies-1-36Take the dough rounds out of the refrigerator and roll each one of them out into 6-7 inch circles. I honestly didn’t need any additional flour on my counter to roll out the dough.

Place 2 – 2 1/2 Tablespoons of the peach filling into the center of the dough circles. If the dough is very floury, brush the edges with flour, so they will stick better.
Peach Hand Pies-1-38Fold the top of the dough over the filling and pinch of edges of the dough together, sealing really well, and making sure to get as much air out of the inside of the pies before you seal the edges. Also, try not to get too much of the peach liquid into the center of the dough, since you don’t want it to be too wet, otherwise the edges won’t adhere well and the hand pies will bust open. Trim the edges of the pies to make them neater. Peach Hand Pies-1-40Use a fork to go around the edges and seal them even better. Peach Hand Pies-1-41You will have 8 hand pies. You may have some peach filling left over. We love the peach filling so much, I usually make double the amount and we use the leftover filling on top of pancakes, french toast or add it to plain Greek yogurt.

You can form all the peach pies and store them in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before frying them, or fry them right away.

Peach Hand Pies-1-22When you are ready to fry the pies, pour in the oil into a large dutch oven and heat it up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Peach Hand Pies-1-20Line a large plate with paper towels, so that you can place the fried pies on the paper towels to drain the excess oil.

It is very important to heat the oil to the right temperature. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the hand pies will soak up too much excess grease and the hand pies will be WAY TOO greasy. Yuck. If the oil is too hot, the outside of the pies will get golden brown too fast, but won’t cook all the way through.

When the oil comes to temperature, add 4 of the hand pies to the oil and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes, flip the hand pies over and cook for another 1 1/2 minutes. Keep checking the oil, adjusting the heat as needed, to maintain the temperature to at least 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Peach Hand Pies-1-19

Take the hand pies out of the oil and place them to drain on the paper towel lined plate. Return the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and add the remaining 4 hand pies, cooking them for another 1 1/2 minutes per side and then draining them on the paper towel lined plate.

Peach Hand Pies-1-18For the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract until you have a smooth consistency. Peach Hand Pies-1-21I usually start out with 2 Tablespoons of milk and then add more if the glaze is too thick. Peach Hand Pies-1-17Brush the glaze on one side of the hand pies. Peach Hand Pies-1-16I usually only glaze one side, but you can glaze both sides. It’s up to you. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving, so that the hot filling doesn’t burn your mouth. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days, although they never last more than a day at my house:).Peach Hand Pies-1-15

Peach Hand Pies (Fried)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Sweets
Serves: 8 hand pies
Ingredients
Peach Filling:
  • 4 large peaches (about 1½ lbs)
  • ¼ - ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
Pie Dough:
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 6 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 quarts of high smoke point oil for frying (peanut, grape seed, avocado, canola, vegetable)
Glaze:
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 Tablespoons milk
  • ¼ - ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Peach Filling:
  1. Peel and chop the peaches into ½ inch pieces.
  2. Here's a great tip for getting the skin off the peaches. Cut an X on the top and bottom of the peach with a small paring knife. Boil some water in a pot and then submerge the peaches in the boiling water. In 30 seconds to a minute, take the peaches out of the hot water and place them into some icy cold water to stop the cooking process. The skin slips right off. You can take it off with your fingers or use a paper towel to help you get a better grip. I use the exact same method to take the skin off tomatoes too.
  3. Place the chopped peaches and the sugar into a small or medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. When they come to a boil, uncover the peaches and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the peaches are soft.
  4. Take the peaches off the heat. Add the lemon juice and mix to combine. At this point, I like to use a potato masher and mash up half of the peach mixture and then add it back to the rest of the peaches. It gives it a chunkier, more even texture, but you still have some nice bits of peaches distributed throughout the filling. Cool completely. You can make the peach filling up to 3 days in advance, just store it in the refrigerator.
Pie Dough:
  1. Meanwhile, start making the pie dough.
  2. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a food processor and mix to combine. Pour in the melted and cooled butter and pulse the mixture until it looks like wet sand. Scrape down the sides of the food processor, then pour in the milk and pulse again until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture looks pebbly.
  3. Take the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and hand mix it, until it all comes together, but be careful not to over mix it.
  4. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and pat them into small rounds. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
  5. Take the dough rounds out of the refrigerator and roll each one of them out into 6-7 inch circles. I honestly didn't need any additional flour on my counter to roll out the dough.
  6. Place 2 - 2½ Tablespoons of the peach filling into the center of the dough circles. If the dough is very floury, brush the edges with flour, so they will stick better. Fold the top of the dough over the filling and pinch of edges of the dough together, sealing really well, and making sure to get as much air out of the inside of the pies before you seal the edges. Also, try not to get too much of the peach liquid into the center of the dough, since you don't want it to be too wet, otherwise the edges won't adhere well and the hand pies will bust open.
  7. Use a fork to go around the edges and seal them even better. You will have 8 hand pies. You may have some peach filling left over. You can form all the peach pies and store them in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before frying them, or fry them right away.
Cooking the Hand Pies:
  1. When you are ready to fry the pies, pour in the oil into a large dutch oven and heat it up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large plate with paper towels, so that you can place the fried pies on the paper towels to drain the excess oil.
  2. It is very important to heat the oil to the right temperature. If the oil isn't hot enough, the hand pies will soak up too much excess grease and the hand pies will be WAY TOO greasy. Yuck. If the oil is too hot, the outside of the pies will get golden brown too fast, but won't cook all the way through.
  3. When the oil comes to temperature, add 4 of the hand pies to the oil and cook for about 1½ minutes, flip the hand pies over and cook for another 1½ minutes. Keep checking the oil, adjusting the heat as needed, to maintain the temperature to at least 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the hand pies out of the oil and place them to drain on the paper towel lined plate. Return the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and add the remaining 4 hand pies, cooking them for another 1½ minutes per side and then draining them on the paper towel lined plate.
  4. For the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract until you have a smooth consistency. I usually start out with 2 Tablespoons of milk and then add more if the glaze is too thick.
  5. Brush the glaze on one side of the hand pies. I usually only glaze one side, but you can glaze both sides. It's up to you. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving, so that the hot filling doesn't burn your mouth.
  6. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days, although they never last more than a day at my house:).

Peach Hand Pies-1-12

17 Comments

  • Liliya

    These sound so delicious! What thermometer do you use? I need to get one and don’t know what’s good. Also, do you think there is any way to bake them and for them to turn out as good?
    Thanks.

    • olgak7

      I would not recommend using this recipe for baking. It’s specifically designed to be hearty and withstand frying. I would use regular pie dough if I was to bake these. They will not be as crispy though:).

  • Sophie

    Oh yum! These must be so delicious! Unfortunately my deep frying attempts always turn out terribly 😮 Perhaps I need to get a thermometer. But the peach filling I will definitely make next time they are in season.
    Such a blessing to come from such a loving family and to have that example from them for when you parent yourself. Nathaniel is very blessed to have you two as his parents I’m sure!

    • olgak7

      Frying without a thermometer is very hard! It’s almost impossible to see if the oil is at a good temperature unless you have tons of experience and even then it’s a hit or miss. But when you do use a thermometer, there’s no guess work and so easy.
      I hope you enjoy the peach filling, Sophie:). It’s great on pancakes, crepes, French toast or yogurt.

  • Olesya

    Olga, thank you so much for sharing that story with us. It brought tears into my eyes! I’m soooo excited for this recipe. I dont know anyone who’s more obsessed with peaches then me! Lol can’t wait to make them! ☺️

  • Tzivia

    Mmmmm wow olya another cool dessert recipe love peaches so very perfect for this time of year great way to use up any extra peaches love the pic of u @ a little girl you were so cute and btw Nathaniel is getting to be such a big boy and kudos to your dad and hubby for helping out happy father’s day to the both of them will definitely hafta try makes me think of my great aunt Shirley she loves peaches too nice homemade summer gift so easy and yummy thanx @ always luv cheers

      • Tzivia

        Awwwww thanx olya darlin yo she is a very sweet special person oh we sure will enjoy em gurl now I need to get myself a candy thermometer extremely important thanx for your reminder tips have a gr8 day and week cheers

  • lily vyalitsyna

    hi i was wondering if you have the recipe to Bread & Buttered Pickles, and anything marinated or canned recipes. american recipe website aren’t clear enough or to confusing to follow. so i was hoping maybe you be able to post it if you can. thanks in advance 🙂

    • olgak7

      I’m sorry, I don’t have a recipe that I love for Bread and Butter Pickles. I’ve made them before, but don’t make them very often. This is the pickle recipe that I love and make all the time. I hope you enjoy it.

  • Milana

    These were HANDS DOWN the most delicious peach pies ever!
    I really need to make these.
    Thank you for sharing them with me 🙂

  • Lana

    I’ve made these pies yesterday and they were ready to be fried but my baby didn’t have any more patience to stay with me in the kitchen, so we went outside to play. It was late in the evening and my husband called to let me know that he’s coming home so we went inside and I thought I could finish these pies and have them ready before hobby would come home. Nope, the baby was too tired by then and so I thought I would experiment and bake these pies in the oven instead. I preheated the oven to 375F and in about 20 minutes, wolaaaa these beautiful pies were baked to perfection! We loved them so much!!! They turned out flaky and the glaze just perfectly sealed the deal:) thank you, Olga😄

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.