Goldtouch® Nonstick half sheet pan and cooling rack
Cookie cutters of choice
Ingredients
1batch all-butter pie dough
1batch brown sugar filling
Royal icing, to decorate
Sprinkles and candy eyeballs, to decorate
All-Butter Pie Dough
2 1/2cups(300 g) all-purpose flour
1tbsp(13 g) granulated sugar
1tspsalt
1cup(227 g) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1 1/2cup(120 ml) cold water
1 1/2cup(110 g) ice cubes
1tbsp(15 ml) apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
Egg Wash
1large egg
1tbsp(15 ml) whole milk
Brown Sugar Filling
2/3cup(134g) brown sugar
1tbsp(6g) all-purpose flour
2tspground cinnamon
1/2tspsalt
Royal Icing
2cups(240 g) powdered sugar
2tbsp(15 ml) whole milk or water
Gel food coloring, as needed (optional)
Instructions
All-Butter Pie Dough
Make the all-butter pie crust. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the butter. With a pastry cutter or a fork, quickly cut the butter into the flour mixture until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay).
In a large measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the water, ice, and vinegar. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons (15 ml) of the ice-water mixture over the flour mixture and mix with a spatula until the water is fully incorporated. Add more of the ice-water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) at a time.
Using the spatula or your hands, mix until the dough comes together in a ball with some dry, shaggy bits remaining. Squeeze and pinch the dough with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) of the ice-water mixture, if necessary, to combine.
Divide the dough into 2 portions. Shape each portion of dough into a flat disk, wrap each disk in plastic, and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour (or overnight), to give the dough time to rest.
Egg Wash
In a small bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Set side.
Brown Sugar Filling
In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the filling. Set aside.
To assemble
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. The Goldtouch® Nonstick cookie sheet is super nonstick, but I like to still use a piece of parchment for easier clean up.
On a floured work surface, roll out the disk of dough until it reaches 1⁄4 inch in thickness. Using cookie cutters of choice, stamp out an even number of shapes. Transfer half of the shapes to the cookie sheet.
Using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of egg wash to the cut outs on the cookie sheet. This will help seal the edges of the pies when baking.
Place a spoonful of the brown sugar filling in the centers of half of the cut outs, about 2 teaspoons for smaller cut outs and 1 tablespoon for larger cut outs. Take a second cut out of the same shape and gently lay it on top of a filled cut out. Using the tines of a fork, press down on the edges to seal the hand pie. Once all the hand pies have been sealed, use the fork to prick holes in the tops to allow steam to escape during baking.
Apply a thin layer of egg wash to the tops of each pie.
Bake the hand pies for 24 to 28 minutes, until they are golden brown. Remove the hand pies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer the hand pies to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating
Royal Icing
Make the royal icing glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk/water. Add more milk if too thick or more icing sugar if too runny. You want the consistency to be similar to honey. Divide the royal icing into smaller bowls and colour the icing to desired colours.
Using the back of a small spoon or with royal icing transferred to a piping bag, spread a thin layer of the royal icing glaze on each cooled hand pie. To garnish the hand pies, add sprinkles and candy eyes on top of the glaze before it sets.