• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
An Edible Mosaic™
  • about
    • contact
    • accessibility
    • privacy policy
    • terms and conditions
  • cookbooks
  • recipes
  • world cuisine
    • arabic and middle eastern
    • asian
    • british
    • buffalo foods
    • czech
    • dutch
    • ethiopian
    • french
    • german
    • greek
    • indian
    • irish
    • italian
    • jamaican
    • jewish
    • latin
    • polish
    • russian and ukrainian
    • swedish
    • tex mex
    • thai
    • west african
  • Nav Social Menu

menu icon
go to homepage
  • about
  • fall recipes
  • recipes
  • cookbooks
  • subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • about
    • fall recipes
    • recipes
    • cookbooks
    • subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Type » Desserts » Sweet Pies and Tarts

    Vanilla-Cardamom Pear Hand Pies

    Published: Nov 15, 2013 · Modified: Mar 3, 2022 by Faith · This post may contain affiliate links · 22 Comments

    Vanilla-Cardamom Pear Hand PiesI’m one of those people.

    You know, the people who get an idea stuck in their head and can’t sit still until it’s not just an idea anymore. I need something tangible to come from it.

    Like the time I woke up with the idea of snack cake stuck in my head. It didn’t take long before my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Cake came into fruition.

    Unlike that cake, these little hand-held treats took a bit more thought. All I knew was that “hand pie” was stuck in my head like glue and the idea wasn’t going anywhere until they were made.

    The sky is the limit when it comes to fillings, and for someone like me who has trouble just choosing an entrée when eating dinner out, too many options can sometimes be a bad thing.

    But then I did what I usually do: opened the fridge and looked in it for inspiration. Thanks to the hubby (who knows how much I love them!), I found a beautiful bowl of pears inside. It wasn’t long before the flavor profile of my hand pie filling took shape.

    Vanilla-Cardamom Pear Hand Pies 2The pear is cooked down with a bit of sugar. Also, vanilla to compliment the floral quality of pear, cardamom for an ever-so-slight complex earthy undertone, and sea salt and lemon to pull out the flavors of everything else. As a bonus, the sweet, beautifully-scented syrup that results from cooking the pears is drained off and isn’t needed for this recipe, so you can use it for something else. It makes a wonderful sweetener for tea, oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, etc. or drizzle for pancakes, waffles, or French toast.

    I don’t think I need to mention it, because it goes without saying: the crust will make or break your hand pies. Splurge a little time-wise and make it from scratch; I promise you’ll be glad you did. And once you do, you’ll see how easy it is and be tempted to make hand pies all the time! (If you’re curious, this pastry crust recipe is my all-butter version of my all-purpose pastry crust recipe; you can see the half butter/half shortening version of this crust recipe in action in my recipe for Mini Maple-Cinnamon-Walnut Turnover Cookies. The half and half version yields pastry that is a bit flakier, but also slightly harder to work with; I prefer the flavor of the all-butter version and I also find it easier to work with.)

    After making these sweet hand pies, you would think my craving for them would have been satiated; however, as it happens, I enjoyed them so much, I started toying with other fillings. I even went savory, with an Indian-spiced veggie filling based on my recipe for Indian Potato Croquettes. I originally made this savory variety as an appetizer for an Indian-themed dinner party, but they were just as good (if not better) served at room temperature along with strong, hot coffee the next morning for breakfast. (I didn’t have the chance to snap any photos of them though…maybe next time!)

    Anyway, here’s to the idea of hand pies. :)

    Vanilla-Cardamom Pear Hand Pies 3

    Print
    Vanilla-Cardamom Pear Hand Pies
    Prep time:  40 mins
    Cook time:  40 mins
    Total time:  1 hour 20 mins
    Yield: 8 to 10 hand pies
     
    Ingredients
    Filling:
    • 1 lb (450 g) pears (about 4 small-medium), washed, cored, and chopped small
    • ½ cup (100 g) sugar
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
    Crust:
    • 1¼ cups (160 g) whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
    • ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
    • ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter
    • 2-3 tablespoons cold water
    Other:
    • 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water, for eggwash
    • 1½ teaspoons sugar, for sanding the pastry tops
    Instructions
    1. Add the pears, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and cardamom to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until the sugar is dissolved and the pears are starting to soften, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat off and stir in the vanilla bean paste. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until fully chilled, about 1 hour (up to 3 days is fine).
    2. When you want to make the pies, strain the pears, reserving the syrupy liquid for another use (such as a sweetener for tea, oatmeal, yogurt, etc.).
    3. For the crust, whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl and then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until it looks like coarse meal. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, working the dough together with your fingertips just until it comes together, and only adding enough water so the dough comes together when you squeeze it. Gather the dough together into a ball and then flatted it into a disk; wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
    4. Once chilled, remove the dough from the fridge. Lay a piece of parchment paper out on your work surface, place the dough on the prepared parchment paper, and top with another piece of parchment (or if you have it, freezer paper works even better because it’s thicker). (Done this way, there is no need for flour to roll the dough out.) Working from the center out, roll the dough out to a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Use a 4-inch cookie cutter (or a glass with that diameter) to stamp out circles in the dough.
    5. Place a slightly heaping 1 tablespoon of pear filling in the center of each circle of dough. Use a thin metal spatula to lift up one circle of dough, then fold the dough over onto itself to form a half-moon, pressing the pastry closed along the outside. Set the pastry down on a flat surface and crimp the edges with a fork. Gather the scraps of dough, re-roll them, and repeat until the dough and filling are gone (you should get about 8 to 10 pastries). You can chill the dough scraps at any point if it becomes too difficult to re-roll them out.
    6. Chill the pastries in the fridge for 30 minutes; during this time, preheat the oven to 375F.
    7. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner; arrange the pastries on the tray and use a paring knife or fork to prick the top of each. Brush the tops with the eggwash (you will have extra eggwash, don’t try to use it all) and sprinkle the 1½ teaspoons of sugar on top (this amount is enough for all the pastries; you just need a little bit on each).
    8. Bake until the pastries are golden and flaky, about 25 to 30 minutes.
    3.5.3251

    More Sweet Pies and Tarts

    • blueberry pie recipe featured image
      Easy Blueberry Pie Recipe with Frozen Blueberries
    • mince tart featured image
      Beautiful Mincemeat Tarts Recipe - A British Christmas Tradition
    • mincemeat recipe featured image
      Easy 1 Hour Homemade Mincemeat Recipe - Traditional Christmas Flavor!
    • pineapple bars featured image
      Nana's Pineapple Delight (Pineapple Bars Recipe)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      Rate this recipe:  

    1. Susan says

      March 14, 2014 at 9:51 am

      Wow! We do a lot of cookouts in the spring and summer...These would be perfect! Thanks for the great recipe!

      Reply
    2. Faye says

      February 27, 2014 at 11:27 pm

      Gorgeous!!

      Reply
    3. Coty and Mariah@quirksandtwists says

      November 19, 2013 at 7:06 pm

      Yay, for yummy hand pies!

      Reply
    4. Katie says

      November 17, 2013 at 7:12 am

      Just need my little babe to take an extra long nap so I can crank these out! Look heavenly!

      Reply
    5. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says

      November 16, 2013 at 5:33 pm

      These look absolutely perfect!

      Reply
    6. Dina says

      November 16, 2013 at 11:51 am

      they look yummy!

      Reply
    7. angela@spinachtiger says

      November 16, 2013 at 11:25 am

      I make pear pies for the boys (their favorite), but this recipe looks divine. Love the addition of the cardamon.

      Reply
    8. Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says

      November 15, 2013 at 6:20 pm

      I love those moments of inspiration. Especially when the results are something sweet and yummy like these hand pies!

      Reply
    9. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says

      November 15, 2013 at 3:13 pm

      Such a fabulous flavour! Yum!!

      Reply
    10. Erica says

      November 15, 2013 at 2:16 pm

      The flavor combination sounds amazing! I've never made hand pies but I adore the idea. Handheld dessert? Yes please!

      Reply
    11. Laura (Tutti Dolci) says

      November 15, 2013 at 11:27 am

      I'm one of "those" people too. Adorable pies, love the pear + cardamom!

      Reply
    12. Anna @ Bashful Bao says

      November 15, 2013 at 10:39 am

      What lovely little hand pies! The filling combination sounds wonderful!!

      Reply
    13. Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says

      November 15, 2013 at 9:39 am

      hand pies are soooo adorable i dont know why i never think of making them.

      Reply
    14. Rosa says

      November 15, 2013 at 7:03 am

      Beautiful hand pies and delightful flavor combination!

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      Reply
    15. deana says

      November 15, 2013 at 6:58 am

      I'm just like you, I get something in my head and it won't let go. Glad you didn't because this is a great recipe. I love hand pies. Love the pictures too....

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. 25 Quick and Easy Mini Pie Recipes says:
      October 18, 2016 at 2:44 am

      […] create a terrible mess in the kitchen after a long evening of dish-washing. Head over to An Edible Mosaic to see the […]

      Reply
    2. 26 Juicy, Must Make Pear Recipes! says:
      August 9, 2015 at 6:10 am

      […] Vanilla Cardamom Pear Hand Pies | An Edible Mosaic […]

      Reply
    3. 65 Scrumptious Pie Recipes - A Spectacled Owl says:
      February 19, 2015 at 1:19 pm

      […] Vanilla-Cardamom Pear Hand Pies from an Edible Mosiac […]

      Reply
    4. Best Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes - Snappy Gourmet says:
      February 1, 2015 at 4:38 pm

      […] With Coconut Whipped Cream (Little Ferraro Kitchen) Vanilla Praline Pumpkin Pie (Kitchen Treaty) Vanillacardamom Pear Hand Pies (An Edible Mosaic) Vegan Pumpkin Pie (Around My Family Table) Wellspiced Classic Pumpkin Pie With Bourbon Whipped […]

      Reply
    5. 50 + Perfect Holiday Pie Recipes - BonBon Break says:
      January 13, 2015 at 12:15 pm

      […] Vanilla-Cardamom Pear Hand Pies by An Edible Mosaic (pin it) […]

      Reply
    6. 15 Pear Recipes | Bake Your Day says:
      December 31, 2014 at 9:33 am

      […] Pear Apple Chutney from The Tomato Tart Pear Walnut Salad with Pear Vinaigrette from Simply Scratch Cardamom Pear Hand Pies from an Edible Mosaic Caramelized Pear & Gorgonzola Pizza from Fifteen […]

      Reply
    7. Currently Crushing On. | How Sweet It Is says:
      November 16, 2013 at 7:16 am

      [...] vanilla cardamom pear hand pies. sound SO [...]

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    faith photo with welcome

    Hi, I'm Faith!

    I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind An Edible Mosaic. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had. Welcome to An Edible Mosaic!

    More About Faith →
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • RSS Feed

    Popular Recipes

    • boba milk tea featured image
      How to Make Bubble Tea (Easy Boba Tea Recipe)
    • mini victoria sponge cakes featured image
      Mini Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe - Fit for Royalty & Easy to Make as Cupcakes! {video}
    • canned chicken salad featured image
      Canned Chicken Salad Recipe
    • low carb chicken casserole featured image
      Keto Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole - Based on the Dip! {video}

    Seasonal Recipes

    • pear kale salad featured image
      Simple Pear Kale Salad with Candied Almonds and Crumbled Feta
    • slow cooker enchiladas featured image
      Really Easy Crockpot Enchiladas (Ground Beef Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole)
    • baked brie featured image
      20-Minute Elegant Baked Brie Recipe with Honeyed Grapes
    • caramel apple popcorn featured image
      Easy Caramel Apple Popcorn Recipe and a Fall-Themed Movie Night Snack Board

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Contact
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    an edible mosaic stamp logo 1200 square

    SEE RECIPE INDEX

    Social

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • RSS Feed

    My Other Blogs

    • Daily Desserting
    • The Keto Queens

    An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I use and love.

    Copyright © 2023 An Edible Mosaic