Cranberry Hand Pies

Delicious flaky hand pies filled with a sweet-tart cranberry and orange filling. These individual-sized pastries feature a buttery crust wrapped around fresh cranberries enhanced with vanilla bean and citrus.

8 servings

4 hr 25 min

Published October 4, 2025

Ingredients

•3⅔ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
•1 cup sugar
•1½ teaspoons kosher salt
•1½ cups unsalted butter
•1 pound cranberries
•1½ cups sugar
•1 teaspoon orange zest
•2 tablespoons orange juice
•½ teaspoon instant tapioca
•½ whole vanilla bean
•1 whole egg
•2 tablespoons raw sugar
•1 piece cookie cutter

Cooking Instructions

1.
Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal (no big pieces of butter should remain). With motor running, slowly drizzle 1/2 cup ice water through feed tube. Pulse until dough just begins to come together.
5 min
2.
Divide dough in half. Form each half into a ball; flatten into disks. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic. Chill for at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to soften slightly before rolling out.
120 min
3.
Combine cranberries, sugar, orange zest and juice, and tapioca in a medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Let stand for juices to accumulate, about 10 minutes, then cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer and begins to thicken, 5-6 minutes. (Some cranberries will have burst.) Let cool completely. DO AHEAD: Cranberry filling can be made 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.
25 min
4.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until very thin, about 1/16" thick. Using cookie cutter, cut out 16 circles.
15 min
5.
Brush edges of 8 circles with beaten egg. Place 1 heaping tablespoon filling in center of each egg-washed circle. Top with remaining circles to form 8 pies. Using a fork, crimp 1/4" around edges to seal. If desired, use cookie cutter to clean edges. Repeat with remaining dough, egg, and filling.
20 min
6.
Divide pies between prepared sheets; chill for 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Pies can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover; keep chilled.
45 min
7.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Working with 1 baking sheet of pies at a time, score dough, forming a small X in the center of each pie. Brush tops of pies with beaten egg and sprinkle with raw sugar.
10 min
8.
Bake pies until crust is golden brown and filling bubbles out of Xs, 17-20 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining baking sheet of pies.
25 min

Ingredients

•3⅔ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

•1 cup sugar

•1½ teaspoons kosher salt

•1½ cups unsalted butter

•1 pound cranberries

•1½ cups sugar

•1 teaspoon orange zest

•2 tablespoons orange juice

•½ teaspoon instant tapioca

•½ whole vanilla bean

•1 whole egg

•2 tablespoons raw sugar

•1 piece cookie cutter

Cooking Instructions

Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal (no big pieces of butter should remain). With motor running, slowly drizzle 1/2 cup ice water through feed tube. Pulse until dough just begins to come together.

5 min

Divide dough in half. Form each half into a ball; flatten into disks. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic. Chill for at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to soften slightly before rolling out.

120 min

Combine cranberries, sugar, orange zest and juice, and tapioca in a medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Let stand for juices to accumulate, about 10 minutes, then cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer and begins to thicken, 5-6 minutes. (Some cranberries will have burst.) Let cool completely. DO AHEAD: Cranberry filling can be made 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.

25 min

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until very thin, about 1/16" thick. Using cookie cutter, cut out 16 circles.

15 min

Brush edges of 8 circles with beaten egg. Place 1 heaping tablespoon filling in center of each egg-washed circle. Top with remaining circles to form 8 pies. Using a fork, crimp 1/4" around edges to seal. If desired, use cookie cutter to clean edges. Repeat with remaining dough, egg, and filling.

20 min

Divide pies between prepared sheets; chill for 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Pies can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover; keep chilled.

45 min

Preheat oven to 425°F. Working with 1 baking sheet of pies at a time, score dough, forming a small X in the center of each pie. Brush tops of pies with beaten egg and sprinkle with raw sugar.

10 min

Bake pies until crust is golden brown and filling bubbles out of Xs, 17-20 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining baking sheet of pies.

25 min