Peaches are one of my favorite fruits. A perfect, ripe, cold peach on a hot summer day is pretty hard to beat. So, I set out to honor the essence of a peach. The sweetness and sourness. The freshness. The color. After much deliberation and recipe ideation, I settled on a stellar idea – to make mini peach pies that looked like peaches. I would make a marbled yellow, orange, and red dough to mimic the gradations in peach skin. The flavor inspired by old school McDonald’s fried apple pies. This is how it went.

Farmers Market Peaches

I started the journey this week at the farmers market on a sunny day. I hadn’t slept well, so I hopped in the car and groaned at every bad driver and oblivious pedestrian. The market always lifts my spirit. The beauty of summer celebrations and the ephemerality of seasonal produce. There was an old man playing guitar and singing into a microphone under a shady tent in the middle of the common sang something unsettling and horrifying (both vocally and lyrically). Something about sewing his lover to his side.

So, naturally, I picked up the pace, eager to escape his song, and I circled the outer perimeter of the stalls. One produce stand burst like a cornucopia with peppers, tomatoes, herbs, and greens, and had a long line of convivial customers. Strangers that spoke like old friends. The bread and pastry stand was almost sold out, so I kicked myself for not waking up sooner. Another stand had my favorite scallions and small tomato varieties. Mushrooms and onions. Finally, my favorite, had a table covered in wooden boxes of freshly plucked peaches. 

Blanching and Peeling Peaches

So I grabbed a bag and picked out my favorites, marveling at their velveteen softness. Covered in random shades of yellow and burnt orange and brown-ish reds and pinks that seamlessly blended together. I could smell the faint perfume of peaches through the bag. A woman quickly weighed them for me and I gleefully handed her a ten dollar bill. Then, I finished my shopping, escaped the music tent, and made it back to my car.

I knew my recipe this week had the potential to be pretty show-stopping. Sometimes that doesn’t go according to plan, and I’m left with something that makes me yearn for the perfect image in my head. But, this was not one of those times. I’m so proud of the mini peach pies I created, and I enjoyed every step of the process. First, I lightly scored the peach skins. Two cuts on each peach as delicately as my knife would allow. I heard the hiss of boiling water on the stove as I prepared the last peach. I quickly threw together an ice bath by knocking ice trays on the counter and chucking the cubes into a large pyrex of cold water. 

Tri-Colored Pie Dough

Then, I plunged the peaches into the boiling water and paused for 15-30 seconds. They reminded me of bobbing for apples as a kid. My mind wandered back to that nostalgic, uncomfortable yet exciting feeling of catching one by the stem. I quickly lifted them out of the hot water with my spider (a tool for frying, not an arachnid friend) and into the polar plunge bath. After a few minutes and a quick clean up session, I began plucking peaches out of the cold water and pulled the skins off. A highly satisfying process. They slide off super easily and leave you with bright yellow-orange naked peaches. 

Once they were de-skinned, I sliced into them like an avocado and gently removed the pit. I had several peach halves that radiated with a beautiful fresh scent that stained my finger tips. Next I chopped them into bite-sized pieces and chilled them in a bowl. Then, I moved on to making my pie dough. A simple recipe I adapted from my favorite pie dough. This time, I separated the dough into three portions in three small bowls. Each dyed a different color. Natural yellow from egg yolks, a slight coral-y orange, and a maroon-ish red. The process took a while, squeezing together cold butter and flour and washing my hands. Then I repeated 2 more times. Measure, food dye, knead into a pie dough. But it was worth it. After my hard work I had a stack of stunning multicolored doughs. 

Cutting and Filling Mini Peach Pies

Before chilling them, I decided to marble them into one big pie dough to save time later. I wanted to keep large, distinct streaks of color but make sure they blended like a peach skin. So, I took clumps of red and smushed it into orange. I stacked them on top of yellow and kneaded slightly. It was an artistic process of making it up on the spot. Finally I ended up with a pretty cool multi-colored pie dough that reminded me so much of a peach. Into the fridge it went to cool, and I mixed my peaches with spices and sugar to macerate and develop flavors. I also added touch of salt and lemon.

Later, once the dough had chilled, I rolled it out onto a floured bench and cut out circles with a ring cutter. I placed a dollop of peach onto each pie half and ran egg wash around the rims to help secure the lids. Then, I put another circle on top, pressing around the peaches to secure my dough into ravioli shapes. I used the non-sharp side of a slightly smaller cutter to press down and seal the edges in place. I kept them lightly floured and stacked them on a baking sheet before placing them back in the fridge to chill overnight. Not to develop flavor or texture, but because I was exhausted, and had big plans to cook them for the next day’s breakfast. 

Fried Peach Hand Pies

When the next day arrived, I eagerly went to the kitchen to check on my mini peach pies. They were vibrant and streaked with pastel fall colors. Just like a peach. Each hand pie was a unique pattern and shade. I tested one in the oven, baking it for about 20 minutes with no egg wash on a slightly too high temperature. This caused it to lose a little bit of its color and the bottom browned farm too much. So, I decided to fry them. At a slightly lower temperature than usual to gently cook the pie dough.

It went swimmingly well, and I basted the mini peach pies one at a time with oil as they fried in mellow, bubbling oil. The color intensified as they hit the oil, and I marveled at my row of fried peach hand pies on the baking sheet as they came out of the pan. I coated each pie immediately in cinnamon sugar, which took them from galactic 70’s hand pies to perfect round peaches with peach fuzz sugar. 

Summer Peaches + Warm Spices

When I was done, I removed the hot oil pan from the heat and let the mini peach pies cool slightly. They were stacked on each other artfully like a bakery display case, which made my (recovering) perfectionist brain quite happy. I could smell the buttery fried pie dough like at a county fair. The cinnamon sugar. The fresh peaches burst with flavor and freshness from inside. Finally, I picked out my second best pie (the best got photographed) and then sat on the couch. I studied my peach-like pastry. It was round with no crimped edges or indication that it was a hand pie. It could have been a donut, or a cookie. The color was exactly like a peach with streaks of red and pink and orange on the yellow dough. The sugar took it over the top, mimicking the fuzz of fresh peaches. 

My first bite was of crispy spiced pie dough. It sent a wave of comfort and memories of fall through me. Then, I tasted the fresh, tender peaches, which developed their flavor and retained a snap and freshness, even after frying. It was like plucking a ripe peach and eating it at its peak on top of fried pastry. With the subtle crunch of cinnamon sugar and warmth of cinnamon. Steam came pouring out of the cavity as I ate and revealed the abundant peach filling. It was protected inside the pastry and almost cool against the warmth of the fried dough. I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. Nor how much it resembled the beauty of a colorful peach. 

One of My Favorite Recipes

This is a recipe for the history books for me. One of my proudest creations. I have been craving peaches all summer and I waited for the perfect time to make something with them. Determined not to ruin their freshness or flavor. These fried peach hand pies accentuate the best qualities of peaches and pair the fruit with familiar comforting warmth and crunch. The images I took made me giddy, as they somehow lived up to the extravagant idea I had in my head. So, I guess you could say I love these.

Every once in a while a recipe comes out better than you had hoped, and this is one of them. I highly recommend making these before the end of summer, or just tasting the magic of a fresh peach with toasted, buttered bread. With cinnamon sugar. That would work too. Once I ate my fill, I froze half of these for a rainy day. I can’t wait to enjoy them well into fall and winter. 

Thank you for reading! Check out my Etsy for 100’s of art prints and recipe cards. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. 

Print Pin

Fried Peach Hand Pies

Crispy, sugary, and spicy peach hand pies with a tri-colored pie dough .

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword hand pies, peach, peach recipes

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp cold butter x 3
• 1 cup AP flour x3
• 1 egg x3
• 1 tsp salt x3
• 1 tbsp vodka x3
• Red orange, and yellow food coloring
• 5 ripe peaches
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp corn starch
• 4 cups neutral frying oil
• 1 cup white sugar + 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Start by making your pie doughs.
• In 3 separate medium bowls, combine 1 cup flour with 1 tsp salt. Then, work in 6 tbsp cold butter to each with a fork.
• In 3 separate small bowls, whisk together 1 egg with food coloring and 1 tbsp cold vodka. In one bowl, make a bright yellow color. The next, orange, and the last, red.
• In each of your 3 flour bowls, add one of the colored egg mixtures and work each mixture into a dough. Do not over-mix.
• Wrap each dough with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to cool for 5 minutes.
• On a floured work surface, remove each of your doughs and alternate ripping off random pieces of each and layering them together into a multi-colored dough with a peach-like pattern. Don’t be afraid to leave large chunks of undifferentiated colors, as you’ll roll them out shortly.
• Once you have your desired pattern, sprinkle a little flour on top and roll your dough into a block, about 12″ x 12″. Then, cover in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
• To make your peach filling, boil a large stock pot of water. Delicately score 2 lines in each of your peaches vertically along the peach ridges.
• Prepare a large ice bath to submerge your peaches after they boil. Then, place each peach into your hot boiling water for 15-30 seconds.
• Plunge the peaches immediately into your ice bath and let them rest for a few minutes to cool. Then, gently remove the peach skins with your hands along the score lines. They should peel off easily if your peaches are ripe.
• Remove pits from peaches and chop into bite-sized pieces. Add to a large bowl and combine with cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, corn starch and lemon juice. Cover and chill until ready.
• After your pie dough has chilled, remove from fridge and let come to temperature for 10 minutes. On a floured work surface, roll your pie dough into a long, large rectangle, about 18″ x 24″.
• Cut out circles with a circle cookie cutter (4″ diameter). You should have between 20 and 24 circles (you can make more by chilling your scraps of dough for a few minutes and re-rolling it).
• With half of your pie circles, brush the edges with egg wash or water to help seal the edges. Place a dollop or two of your peach filling on top of each of the egg-washed pie doughs.
• Place a circle of pie dough on top of each covered pie dough half, pressing the edges of the circles around the peach filling. Use the non-sharp end of a slightly smaller ring cutter to secure the edges without crimp marks (use a rolling pin so you don’t cut your hands on the cutting edge).
• Once you have 10-12 hand pies formed, lightly dust them with flour to prevent sticking and transfer to the fridge to chill for another 20-30 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat up oil in a stock pot until it reaches 325°F. You want a gentle heat that lightly sizzles when your pie doughs go in.
• Fry each pie dough, 1-2 at a time, for 5-7 minutes until the yellow parts of the dough become slightly golden.
• Transfer your fried hand pies to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to blot oil. Then, after 1-2 minutes, toss each cooked hand pie in cinnamon sugar.