Hand Pies for Pi Day! (3.14)

Well thankfully I was reminded that today was Pi Day!  And luckily it was in time for me to figure out what to make to celebrate-- Bourbon Peach Hand Pies from SmittenKitchen!  Here is the recipe...pictures soon to follow!!  P.S. 2 lbs of peaches is WAY to many for this recipe (at least for me)... I used 4 peaches but ended up only needing about 2.  I will figure out what to do with them later, or I will make these again because they look delish cooking in the oven!

For the pastry:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into
pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup ice water

For the filling:
2 pounds of peaches
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon bourbon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

One egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons water (for egg wash)
Coarse sanding sugar, for decoration

1. To make the pastry: in one bowl, combine the flour and salt. Put butter in a separate bowl. Put bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Make an opening in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a fork, mix it up until the substance looks like coarse meal. Make another opening in the center. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the opening. Mix in the liquid with hands until you have big lumps. Remove the lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Mush the lumps into a large ball.  Be cautious to not overwork the dough. wrap with saran wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. The dough can be stored in the freezer at this point for up to one month.

2. Divide the refrigerated dough into two halves. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a circular cutter (or the lid to almond butter/PB if you don't have cookie cutters...that would be me), cut seven circles out of the rolled dough. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Do the same for the second half.

3. Make the filling: Peel and chop the peaches into small chunks (make sure they are quite small so they can fit in the peach pies). Mix in the flour, sugar and pinch of salt, and add the bourbon and vanilla.

4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature for 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the peach mixture onto one half of each circle of dough. 


Brush a little cold water around the edge of the dough, and fold it in half, making a semicircle. Seal the pie, and use the back of a fork to make little notches on the edge, which are super precious.  Place the hand pies back on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and return to the fridge for another 30 minutes.

5. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Take pies out of the fridge and cut a small slit in each (so they don't explode) and lightly brush with the egg yolk wash to make them crisp in the oven, creating a nice golden flakey crust. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the pies, and bake in the oven. Bake until the hand pies are golden brown and flakey, about 20 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven.  Cool for a few minutes before serving.