Peach Hand Pies

(filling and concept adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

I've been wanting to make hand pies ever since the first time I heard the phrase "hand pie". There is something incredibly appealing about that term - it just sounds so comforting and delicious. So when I found myself with more fruit than I could possibly eat before it went bad after a fruit-picking (apples, peaches, and asian pears!) trip to a local orchard, it was time to fulfill the dream, as it were. And this time, I remembered to use my mom's much-easier-and-equally-delicious crust recipe, this time. Bonus!

FILLING
2 pounds of peaches
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus - I used more because my peaches weren't quite ripe
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon bourbon, if you have it - I used drambuie
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peel and chop the peaches into small chunks. Mix them with the flour, sugar and pinch of salt, and add the drambuie and vanilla. Add more sugar to taste. Set aside for awhile if you have the time - I let them sit for about an hour plus.

CRUST
1 1/2 cups flour
1 stick butter, cut roughly into tablespoons
1-2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup cold water

EXTRAS
1 large egg + 1 tbsp water, beaten - to act as the glaze
Extra sugar for dusting

The less you handle the crust mixture, the better - it makes for a flakier crust. Combine the flour, sugar, and butter in a bowl, and mix with your hands until fluffy and combined. Add the cold water, and again mix with your hands until you have dough that you can roll out. Add flour if it's getting too sticky.

Place floured wax paper on your counter and roll out the dough on the paper (lightly flour the rolling pin, too) until it's about the thickness you want for your crust. Use a bowl to cut out circles of dough. My first roll-out made about three rounds - I prepped those, then rolled out the dough again and repeated the process. Do this until you've used all your dough. I had seven and a half pies by the end; I also had leftover filling. (If you want a bigger filling-to-crust ratio, you might make them larger so as to fit more filling.)

The filling process works this way: place your rounds of crust on an ungreased baking pan/sheet. Brush the circumference of each with your egg mixture, then spoon in some filling on one side of the round. Fold the other side of the round over the filling, and press the edges of the crust together. Use the back of a fork to make a design on the edges, and poke a couple of holes in the crust with the fork. Then, lightly brush more egg mixture over the top of the pie, and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Once the pies are filled, place them in the fridge for about 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375. Then place the baking sheet with the pies in the oven and cook until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Then enjoy - eat them right from your hands!