Pecan-Bourbon Hand Pies - VeryVera

Pecan-Bourbon Hand Pies

  • Prep Time: 45m
  • Cook Time: 15m
  • Total Time: 3h
  • Yield: Approx. 32 hand pies
  • Category:

Ingredients

Filling

  • 5 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 c light brown sugar
  • 1/4 c cane syrup
  • 1/4 c light Karo corn syrup
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 c Pearson Farm pecans, chopped
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. good quality bourbon

Dough

  • 4 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 4 oz cold lard, cut into small chunks
  • 4 oz cold butter, cut into small chunks
  • 1 c cold water
  • 1/4 tsp. distilled white vinegar
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • course white sanding sugar crystals, for garnish

Instructions

Filling

  1. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter and add the brown sugar, syrups, eggs, butter and salt and stir. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the pecans. Simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and bourbon.

Pies

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and mix on low just to combine. Add the lard and butter and pulse on low until only pea sized fat chunks remain. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the cold water and vinegar. Incorporate just until the dough has formed and pulled away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should have a slight tackiness to it. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. When ready to fill, remove dough from the refrigerator and roll into a rectangle of about ¼ inch thickness. Use a 4-inch round cookie cutter to cut dough into circles.
  2. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling on top of each dough circle, leaving a ½ inch margin for the border. Brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg and fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon shape. Press the edges together and, using the tines of a fork, seal along the border by pressing down. Refrigerate the pies for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to Convection 350°F. Place the pies on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush the exterior of the pies with the beaten egg. With a paring knife, pierce a small vent in the center of each pie. Sprinkle each pie evenly with a small amount of sugar crystals. Bake on Convection for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.