Bourbon Pecan Hand Pies

These petite hand pies make everyone’s favorite nutty desert into a grab-and-go treat.

3⁄ cup heavy cream

4

1⁄ cup corn syrup

3

1⁄ cup light brown sugar, firmly

4

packed

2 tablespoons corn starch

2 egg yolks

1⁄ teaspoon salt

8

1 tablespoon salted butter 2 tablespoons bourbon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1⁄ cups pecan halves, toasted

2

2 puff pastry dough sheets (see

Note)

1 large egg, beaten

Instructions: In 2-quart saucepan, whisk together the heavy cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, corn starch, egg yolks and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in butter, bourbon and vanilla. Stir in the pecans and let the pecan pie filling cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.

To assemble the pies, thaw puff pastry at room temperature until pliable but still cold, approximately 15-30minutes.

Roll out each sheet on a lightly floured surface to 12-inch by 16-inch rectangles. Cut each sheet into 12 (4-inch) squares.

Place 1 heaping scoop (1 1⁄ tablespoons)

2 pecan pie filling onto the center of each puff pastry square.

Brush the edges of each square with the beaten egg. Fold opposite corners together to create a triangle. Dip fork in flour and use it to press the triangles firmly along the edges to seal.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pies on parchment-lined sheet pans. Brush the pie tops with the remaining beaten egg.

Bake the pies for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.

Note: If your store doesn’t stock puff pastry, you can use two pre-made, 9-inch pie crusts. Let them warm enough at room temperature to unroll on a lightly floured surface. They should still be round. Cut each crust into quarters.

To assemble the pies, place a portion of the filling on each quarter of crust and fold the straight edges of the dough together to form a narrow triangle. Bake the pies as instructed with the puff pastry version. These hand pies will be larger than the puff pastry version, closer in size to an empanada. This method will make 8 pies.

Makes 24 pies

Adapted from restaurantbusinessonline.com

Paul Stephen / Staff