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Posted by Aimee 54 comments
Published: Jun 26, 2023 Last Updated: Jan 23, 2024
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Easy 4 ingredient oven-baked Lemon Hand Pies Recipe: flaky, baked hand pies with a sweet lemon filling! A dusting of powdered sugar adds a beautiful finishing touch.
If you love lemon desserts, be sure to try these soft and fluffy Lemon Ricotta Cookies. Or give our lemon cheesecake recipe a try for the ultimate treat.
Why this Recipe Works
If you love lemon tarts, think of these hand pies as the portable version! Bright lemon tang meets a buttery pie crust in this simple recipe.
- Only 4 ingredients for the ultimate easy hand pie recipe!
- Refrigerated pie crust creates perfect flaky crust. No guess work or hassle.
- Use prepared lemon pie filling or whip up a batch of Homemade Lemon Curd.
- Hand pies are so easy to transport, eat and share at any occasion.
We’re no stranger to hand pies around here. From easy blueberry hand pies, to festive cherry hand pies, we’ve got you covered with flavors and techniques!
Ingredient Notes
We love that this recipe is only three ingredients! You can make it as easy or as difficult as you like.
- Pie Crust- whether you choose homemade pie crust or refrigerated pie crust, it’s totally your call.
- Lemon Pie Filling- we love the flexibility of this recipe. Use a can of lemon pie filling or a batch of homemade lemon curd.
- Eggs- separate the egg. Use the egg yolk around the edges of the hand pie to help it stay closed. And brust the tops of the hand pie to give it a beautiful color and texture.
- Powdered Sugar- completely optional, but a delicious finish to this sweet treat.
How to make Lemon Hand Pies
- Cut pie crust. Let refrigerated pie crust come to room temperature. Unroll and cut each crust into 6 circles using a biscuit cutter. You can use our homemade pie crust if you prefer.
- Fill and shape. Drop a tablespoon of lemon pie filling (or homemade lemon curd) into the center of each crust circle.
- Close and pinch. Brush the edges of the open hand pie with egg yolk, or water. Fold each one in half and pinch the edges. Press the tines of a fork along the seam to seal.
- Bake. Brush the tops of each hand pie with beaten egg white. Bake the pies for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Tips and Tricks
- If making homemade lemon curd for these pies, reserve the whites from your egg yolks. You can use the egg whites to brush the tops of the lemon hand pies! Or use the egg whites to make meringue cookies or white cake.
- Chill the baked hand pies before serving for best taste! If you can’t wait, go ahead and enjoy right away.
- We love how easy this recipe is when using refrigerated pie crust and canned pie filling. And the flavor is magnificent. That said, feel free to use homemade ingredients if you feel the urge or need.
- For more flavors, swap out the filling for other fruits. Our peach hand pies and apple hand pies are equally delicious!
- Swap out the powdered sugar and drizzle some sweet icing on the top instead.
- Try out our lemon chess pie recipe next for a sweet custard treat!
Recipe FAQs
How many hand pies does this make?
Using two boxes of prepared pie crust (2 crusts each) this recipe will yield about 24 small hand pies.
Help! I can’t get six 4-inch circles out of my pie crusts. What am I doing wrong?
Getting that 6th circle can be tricky. Try gathering up the dough scraps and rolling them out again to create enough crust for the sixth circle.
And if you don’t wind up with 6 full circles, don’t worry! You’ll still have plenty of delicious lemon hand pies to enjoy.
Why is the pie filling leaking out of my crust?
Make sure to completely seal the edges of each hand pie before baking. I use fork tines to seal them together. You can also press with your hands and give the corners a slight twist to prevent the lemon filling from escaping. Dip your fingers in water or egg yolk and brush along the edges of each circle. This helps the pie crust seal and not leak.
Can you freeze these homemade lemon hand pies?
Yes, you can freeze them after baking and cooling. When ready to eat, let thaw in the fridge and dust with powdered sugar.
Frozen lemon hand pies will keep well about 2 to 3 months.
More Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Coconut Cake
- Lemon Crumb Coffee Cake
- Lemon Bar Recipe
- Lemon Cream Cake
- Blueberry Lemon Cake
Also, give these Apple Empanadas a whirl on a fall day!
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Lemon Hand Pies
4.79 from 19 votes
By: Aimee
Lemon Hand Pies: flaky, baked hand pies with a sweet lemon filling! Don't forget the dusting of powdered sugar on top!
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 24 hand pies
Ingredients
- 2 boxes refrigerated pie crust 14.1 ounce each
- 1 can lemon pie filling (or homemade lemon curd) 15 ounce
- 1 egg white beaten (save the yolk to brush the pie crust edges)
- ½ cup powdered sugar optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove pie crusts from package and allow to come to room temperature while you prepare filling.
Unroll pie crusts and cut 6 circles from each crust using a 4-inch biscuit cutter. You may have to re-roll the scraps to get the 6th circle.
Using a 1 tbsp cookie scoop, drop lemonpie filling into center of each pie crust circle. Brush the edges of each circle with water or beaten egg yolk. Fold in half and pinch edges completely. Fold pinched edges over and press with the tines of a fork to seal. Poke hand pie with fork once, to prevent bursting.
Beat egg white in a small bowl until frothy. Brush over the tops of each hand pie. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet (1 inch apart) for about 15 minutes, until browned.
Remove cooked pies from baking sheet andcool completely. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and enjoy. These are great refrigerated and served chilled.
Notes
- Use our recipe to make homemade lemon curd for the filling.
- Chill the baked hand pies before serving for best taste! If you can’t wait, go ahead and enjoy right away.
- Swap out the store bought crust for my Homemade Pie Crust recipe if you have some extra time on your hands!
- Store hand pies in refrigerator for up to 3 days for best flavor and texture.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1pie, Calories: 87kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 73mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g
Course: Pies and Tarts
Cuisine: American
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