Heart-y Hand Pies | Fat and Happy

Salutations Lush Scouts! On this, Valentine's day eve, I have a super easy recipe for a treat fit for your man, your friends, or your coworkers. It would also be the perfect companion for a restful evening of Netflix binging. Like all of my favorite Lush Scout recipes, it's easy, breezy, and has minimal ingredients. It's adapted from another Pin (GASP), that links to this original recipe. Without further ado:

You need:

Pie Crust

Ricotta Cheese

Cherry Pie Filling

Sprinkles (optional, but also they're sprinkles so TOTALLY NOT OPTIONAL)

Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter

Unroll the dough.

Cut heart shapes. An even number is preferable and I found that the store-bought crust reliably provided 6 on first cut and two more after re-flattening with a rolling pin. 5 pies total.

Arrange the hearts in pairs and smear with a heaping spoonful of ricotta. Feel free to add more if you really like the idea of ricotta and cherry (it's delish though, so you should definitely be open to liking it). Be sure to leave a wide enough berth around the edge to seal the pies.

Add the cherry pie filling. I found that creating a mountain of ricotta with a valley in the middle for the cherries (a la mashed potatoes and gravy volcano) worked best.

Dip your finger in water (or butter) and run around the outside edge, then add the top piece and seal with a fork. It's okay if a little juice comes out, you can wipe it off before baking.

Rub a little water (or butter) on top so the sprinkles will stick. 

I baked the pies on 380º F for about 18 minutes. But that's just my oven and yours might be totally different. The best way is to keep an eye on them, and when the crust is cooked and turning golden brown around the outsides, take those babies out! When they're done, remove from the tray and allow to cool.

And that's all there is to it! I managed to whip out about 15 hand pies within an hour. This tutorial also applies to pretty much any other simple cookie-cutter shape, and alternative fillings, and could be used for so much more than this holiday. They would make a nice birthday treat, mother's day delicacy, or accompaniment to finger sandwiches at a tea party. I highly recommend them. I gave some to Gu (so I suppose she could speak as to their quality without bias), and will take some to my man and my coworkers tomorrow! I hope you all have a very sweet Valentine's day, regardless of your plans, and definitely let me know how your pies turn out!

You make loving fun,

Cait