Cherry Hand Pies

Ingredients

• 2 cups, stemmed and pitted cherries, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons zest and 3 tablespoons juice from about 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• One half recipe Easy Pie Dough

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, stir together the cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon zest. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, corn starch, and vanilla until smooth, then add it to the cherries and stir everything together. Cook over medium high heat, stirring often, until the fruit juices thicken into a sauce. Take the pan off the heat, cover it, and chill the filling until cool, at least 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, cut parchment paper into eight 6-inch squares. Separate the pie dough into eight equal balls. On a generously floured surface, roll each ball into a 5-inch round. Set each round on its own parchment square and stack them so the dough does not cling together. Chill the dough rounds for 30 minutes to 1 hour, just until they firm up.
3. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Spoon 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons cooled cherry filling into the middle of each round, then fold the dough over the filling and crimp the edges closed. Brush the tops and sides with egg, then scatter the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar over them. Cut 3 small slits in the top of each pie for steam. Chill the assembled pies for 30 minutes.
4. Set an oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the pies for 25 to 30 minutes, until they are golden brown. Take them out of the oven, leave them on the pan for 2 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.