Bourbon Pecan Cherry Hand Pies

Fresh summer cherries made into a sweet cherry-blueberry jam and wrapped up in flaky, buttery pecan pie dough. These cherry pies are not your average cherry pie…they are so much better. Perfect summer dessert to go along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

• Bourbon Cherry-Blueberry Jam

  • 3-4 cups of fresh cherries, pitted
  • 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
  • 1 cup of fresh blueberries
  • 1-2 tablespoons of bourbon

• Pecan Crust

  • 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 3/4 cups of finely ground toasted pecans
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) of chilled salted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/3 cup of ice water
  • 1 whole egg, beaten
  • coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling use a potato masher or fork to break down and mash the cherries. Continue to cook for 8-10 minutes or until the jam has reduced and thickened by 1/3. Stir in the blueberries and cook another 5 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the bourbon. Let cool completely before filling.
3. To make the crust. Add the flour, pecans, and butter to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is combined and resembles peas. Add the ice water and mix with a wooden spoon, drizzling in more water as need, until the dough just comes together
4. Divide the dough in half. Shape each piece into a circular disk. At this point you can cover the dough and place it in the fridge for up to one week OR continue on with the recipe.
5. Roll the dough out into a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut the dough into rectangles, about 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches.
6. Place a tablespoon of jam on one half of the rectangle. Lay the other half of the dough over the filing and seal the edges by crimping with the back of a fork. Repeat until you have used all the dough. Place the pies on parchment lined baking sheets. Cover the baking sheets and place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to chill.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the pies with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden in color. Serve warm or at room temperature.

For full recipe details, visit Half Baked Harvest