Recipe: Haroset Hand Pies

So maybe you’re like me. You made too much Haroset of the Sephardi kind. You now have pounds of addicting sticky fruit-wine-cinnamon-nut paste. But you’re afraid all you’re going to do is whittle away at it over the next month. I have a better idea for both of us. Make Haroset Hand Pies and bring them to your friends who aren’t dining solely on Matzo. Share the goodness and for goodness sake, get the stuff out of your house! Recipe Follows…

Haroset Hand Pies

1 recipe favorite pie dough

leftover Haroset (here’s mine)

1 egg

optional sugar for sprinkling

I like square hand pies. You might like round ones.

Roll out your dough ¼ inch thick into something approximating a rectangle. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Trim the edges and cut dough out into an even number of squares or rectangles, about 4×3 for rectangles or use a 4” round biscuit cutter. I hate tiny hand pies, what’s the point?

Beat egg in small bowl to use as dough glue and a bit of sheen on top.

Place a tablespoon or two of filling in the center of half of your cut out dough pieces. Don’t worry about spreading the sticky filling out. The heat will cause it to relax and move a bit. Leave a ½ inch border free of filling around the edges.

Brush the edges with beaten egg. Lay top dough piece over filling. Use a fork or your fingers to crimp the edges shut. Be more dramatic than you think you need to be or else the edges won’t stick together. Brush the top of hand pie lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle on some sugar if you wish.

Lay the raw hand pies on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in a preheated 375° oven. Bake until pastry is golden on top. Check the bottom by lifting up a sample hand pie with a spatula and peak under. The bottom should also be golden brown. Do not undercook.

When done remove from oven and let them cool so you don’t burn your mouth. The filling can be molten! Enjoy!