Description
Delight in these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Hand Pies, featuring flaky homemade or store-bought pie crusts filled with a luscious cream cheese and pumpkin pie filling combo. Fried to golden perfection and finished with a sweet vanilla glaze, these hand pies offer a perfect balance of creamy, spiced, and crispy textures for an irresistible fall dessert or festive treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Pie Crust
- 1 homemade pie crust or 2 boxes store-bought pie crust
Filling
- 2 cups (490 g) pumpkin pie filling (homemade or store-bought)
- 12 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
Glaze
- 6 cups (750 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 7–9 tablespoons (105–135 g) whole milk (room temperature)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
For Frying
- Canola or vegetable oil (enough for 2-3 inches deep frying)
Instructions
- Prepare Pie Crust Rounds: Roll out the pie crust to ⅛-inch thickness and use a 4-5 inch round cookie cutter to cut 26-28 rounds for assembling your hand pies.
- Make Cream Cheese Filling: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and granulated sugar. Use a handheld mixer on high speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Prepare Glaze: In a separate bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar with 7 tablespoons of whole milk and the vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Adjust consistency by adding more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed. Set aside.
- Assemble Hand Pies: Spread about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese filling onto each pie crust round, leaving space around the edges. Top the cream cheese layer with 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie filling.
- Seal Pies: Fold each pie crust round over the fillings into a half-moon shape. Wet the edges with water to seal the pies and crimp the edges with a fork to secure.
- Heat Oil: Pour 2-3 inches of canola or vegetable oil into a medium pot and heat it over medium heat until it reaches 375°F (190°C).
- Fry Hand Pies: Carefully place 2-3 hand pies into the hot oil. Fry each batch for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, maintaining the oil temperature at 375°F between batches to ensure even frying.
- Drain and Cool: Remove the fried hand pies and transfer them to a paper towel-lined cooling rack to drain excess oil.
- Glaze Hand Pies: While still warm, dip or drizzle the hand pies with the prepared vanilla glaze to coat them thoroughly, adding a sweet finishing touch.
Notes
- The oil temperature is crucial: keep it at 375°F for perfectly crispy and non-greasy hand pies.
- You can use homemade or store-bought pie crust depending on your preference and time.
- The glaze consistency can be adjusted to drizzle or dip depending on your desired coating thickness.
- Serve these hand pies warm for the best flavor and texture.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated and lightly reheated before serving.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Pumpkin hand pies, cream cheese hand pies, fried pumpkin pies, fall dessert, holiday treats, pumpkin dessert, hand-held pies
