Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies

from 1 votes

Skip the forks in favor of your fingers with a quick and easy recipe for Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies starring sour cream pie dough pockets stuffed with berries and chocolate.

Baked hand pies filled with strawberries and Nutella sit on a piece of parchment paper.

Hand pies, you have my heart. But this is no new love affair. Long before there were Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies, there were Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies. Gone now are the tender chunks of cinnamon-dusted apples topped with chewy caramel and a pinch of sea salt. And in their place? Juicy strawberries scattered over a schmear of creamy Nutella. It’s an easy strawberry dessert that you’ll want to make on repeat.

There’s just something extra-enticing about desserts enjoyed sans forks, from boozy fruit popsicles and chocolate peanut butter bars to cheesecake brownie bites and chocolate cookie pops. Add the on-the-go versatility of hand pies to the equation, and your summer picnic prayers have just been answered.

And if you love the idea of homemade Nutella and strawberry desserts, you’ll also want to try an easy recipe for Chocolate Strawberry Bruschetta.

Why You’ll Love These Hand Pies

  • Portable and handheld. These homemade hand pies are easy to eat on the go — no utensils needed!
  • Easy-to-work-with dough. The sour cream makes this dough pliant and forgiving.
  • Perfect kid baking project. Set them to work filling and sealing these mini pies.
  • Chocolate and strawberry perfection. Flaky pie crust with chocolate-hazelnut spread and strawberries is the perfect combination!

Ingredients

For the pie crust you’ll need:

  • All-purpose flour: For the most accurate measurement without a scale, watch my video on properly measuring flour using the scoop and sweep method.
  • Salt: The addition of salt adds flavor and dimension to the pastry. Use table salt or fine sea salt so it integrates well into the rest of the ingredients.
  • Baking powder: This ingredient gives the crust a little bit of rise as it bakes, getting a similar result to puff pastry.
  • Butter: Keep your butter chilled until you’re ready to add it to the dough. If it gets soft it will make the pastry heavy and dense.
  • Sour cream: In pie dough, the addition of sour cream makes the pastry tender and adds a bit of tangy flavor. It also makes it pliable and easier to work with than an all-butter pie dough.

For the simple strawberry Nutella pie filling you’ll need:

  • Nutella: This Italian spread is made of cocoa, sugar and ground hazelnuts. Look for it near the peanut butter and jelly in your supermarket. Use the leftover Nutella to make banana and Nutella stuffed French toast.
  • Strawberries: To choose the best strawberries, look for firm, unbruised flesh, a uniform bright-red color, and green, fresh-looking caps.
  • Flour: Tossing the strawberries in a little flour will thicken the juice from the strawberries into a syrupy filling.
  • Egg: Whisked with a little water and brushed onto the pies before baking, the egg encourages browning and makes a shiny finish. It also helps the sugar stick.
  • Sanding sugar: Look for this sparkly decorative sugar in the baking aisle or at a specialty store. It adds a nice crunch and sparkle to baked goods like quick breads (I’m looking at you, apple cinnamon banana bread!) and breakfast pastries.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies

  1. Mix the dry ingredients. Using a whisk will not only combine the salt and baking powder with the flour, but will also aerate the mixture and break up lumps.
  2. Add the butter and sour cream. The butter should be very cold. Work quickly while working the butter into the flour mixture so it doesn’t soften or melt. After adding the sour cream, the mixture should be soft but not too sticky to handle.
Just-mixed pie dough sits in a glass bowl.
  1. Roll the dough. Folding the rolled-out dough and then rolling it out again creates flaky layers, similar to my recipe for cheddar biscuits.
Rolled-out pie dough sits on a white work surface with a wooden rolling pin.

Pro tip: Sprinkle your work surface with flour to prevent the dough from sticking to it as you roll. 

  1. Make the filling. Tossing the diced strawberries with a little flour will thicken the juice into a syrup as it bakes.
  2. Cut out the crusts. Cut out an even number of circles using a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter. Make the cutouts as close to each other as possible to make as many as you can.
  3. Assemble the pies. To ensure the filling doesn’t leak out, don’t use too much filling and be sure to crimp the edges very tightly so they remain sealed during baking.
  1. Brush with egg wash. Beaten egg with a little sugar gives a glossy, browned finish to the baked pies and also helps the sanding sugar stick. 
  2. Bake the pies. The pies will be golden brown when finished. Let them rest before serving to allow the filling to thicken.

Kelly’s Recipe Tips

  • Dice the fruit small. The strawberries should be diced to the size of corn kernels or smaller. This will ensure that they become tender during the quick 15-minute bake time.
  • Avoid sticky dough. If the dough becomes too sticky to work with, sprinkle a pinch of flour over the wet areas and continue rolling.
  • If the dough is too firm to work with after refrigerating, allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling it out and cutting the circles.

Serving Suggestions

  • A la mode – serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
  • Whipped cream – sprinkle with chocolate shavings or crushed nuts for added indulgence
  • Powdered sugar – dust the hand pies with a light coating of powdered sugar
  • Drizzle of chocolate: use a piping bag or a spoon to drizzle it over the top

Storage Tips

Pies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Frozen hand pies will keep in the freezer, wrapped individually in plastic wrap, for up to 3 months. Thaw, wrapped, at room temperature. You can rewarm hand pies in the oven or toaster oven at 300˚F for 5 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use store-bought pie crust instead of making it from scratch?

You can use store-bought pie crust instead of making your own. Follow the packaging instructions to unroll the pie crust and roll it out before cutting out the rounds. You probably will not get as many pies as you would by making the sour cream pie dough in this recipe. 

How do I prevent the hand pie filling from leaking out during baking?

Crimp the edge of the crust firmly with a fork, working all the way around each pie and ensuring that you press hard enough to seal the two pieces of dough together. This, combined with cutting a slit in the tops to allow steam escape, will minimize leaking, though it’s normal for a little of the juice to ooze out!

Can I use frozen strawberries?

Fresh strawberries work better than frozen strawberries in this recipe, as frozen fruit will release more moisture when baking, which could affect the consistency of the filling. If you do use frozen berries, thaw them and drain them as much as possible before dicing. 

Strawberry jam oozy from a baked hand pie that's been topped with sanding sugar.

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Dessert

Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies

Skip the forks in favor of your fingers with a quick and easy recipe for Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies starring sour cream pie dough pockets stuffed with berries and chocolate.
Author: Kelly Senyei
5 from 1 vote
Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 10 (3-inch) hand pies

Ingredients 

For the dough:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 cup cold sour cream

For the filling:

  • 3/4 cup Nutella
  • 2 cups diced strawberries (See Kelly’s Notes)
  • 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg, whisked with 1 Tablespoon water
  • Crystal sanding sugar

Instructions 

Make the dough:

  • Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
  • Add the cubed butter to the bowl and use your fingers to work the butter into the flour until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
  • Stir in the sour cream (the dough will be very wet), and then turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface.
  • Knead the dough a few times until it comes together, adding more flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the dough is too sticky to handle. Roll the dough into an 8×10-inch rectangle and dust both sides with flour before folding it into thirds as if you were folding a letter.
  • Rotate the dough 90º and roll it out again into an 8×10-inch rectangle. Fold the dough again into thirds then wrap it securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes while you make the filling.

Make the filling:

  • In a small bowl, combine the diced strawberries with the flour, tossing to combine. Set aside.

Assemble the pies:

  • Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
  • Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unfold it onto a well-floured surface, rolling it out to a 14×14-inch square. (See Kelly’s Notes.)
  • Using a 3-inch circular cookie cutter or cup, cut out as many circles as possible. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting out circles until you run out of dough, ensuring you end up with an even number of circles. (You should have approximately 20 3-inch circles.)
  • Place six of the dough circles on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Spread a portion of the Nutella in the centers of half of the dough circles leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges. Spoon a small portion of the strawberries atop the Nutella. Place a second dough circle atop each filled circle then use a fork to crimp the edges together, sealing each pie.
  • Whisk together the egg with the water to make an egg wash. Brush each pie with the egg wash, and using a sharp knife, cut two or three vents on the top of each pie. Sprinkle the pies with crystal sanding sugar (optional).
  • Bake the pies for about 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.
  • Remove the pies from the oven and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Repeat the filling and baking process with the remaining dough circles.

Kelly’s Notes

  • The diced strawberries should be no larger than the size of corn kernels to ensure they become tender during the quick 15-minute bake time.
  • If the dough is too firm to work with after refrigerating, allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting out the circular shapes.
  • If the sour cream in the dough makes it too sticky at any point in the rolling out process, just sprinkle a pinch of flour atop the wet areas and continue rolling.
  • ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!

Nutrition

Calories: 408kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 138mg, Potassium: 204mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 640IU, Vitamin C: 17.1mg, Calcium: 59mg, Iron: 2.3mg

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Dough recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.


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Comments

    1. Absolutely, Shelly! Theyโ€™ll still be good the next day if you store them in an airtight container at room temp. Iโ€™ve never tried rewarming them so Iโ€™m not certain what the time/temp would be. If I had to guess, Iโ€™d say start really low (250F) and go from there.

  1. When making the filling how much flour do you mix the strawberries with? Sorry, that part has me confused. I can’t imagine mixing and coating the strawberries with flour.

    1. Hi Skylar! The diced strawberries get combined with 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour. Hope that helps to clarify!

    1. Hi there! Frozen fruit might release a lot of moisture when baked so Iโ€™m not sure if that would work. And you’d likely need to increase the bake time.

  2. I tried to make these and they didn’t turn out right I followed the instructions but it went wrong when I added the sour cream any tips to help the issue I’m having

    1. Hi there! I’ve never tried this recipe using puff pastry, however you’ll want to adjust the bake time to ensure the pastry is evenly browned.

  3. Lovely recipe! I’m definitely going to try it. But, can I leave the sour cream or is there any substitute for it? Thank you.

  4. I just made these and they are fantastic! I’m wondering if they need to be refrigerated overnight or if they’re better left at room temperature. Please let me know if anyone has tried it! :)

    1. Awesome! Nope – no need to refrigerate. Just make sure you keep them in an airtight container :)

  5. Hi Kelly,

    I might just have to do a yummy test run. I will let you know how they turn out! :-)

    Cheers!
    Susheila

  6. These are absolutely gorgeous! And how can you go wrong with strawberries & nutella?!

  7. These look awesome! Do you think they’d freeze ok? I want to make them for an upcoming party, and it would be great to make them ahead.

    1. Thanks, Alisha! I’ve never tried freezing them prior to baking so I can’t say for certain if they would turn out just as well as when they’re fresh. Please let me know if you do try it!

  8. Hello! You talk about Cream Cheese in your post about the dough, but I don’t see it in the ingredient list. Did I miss something?

    1. Hi Jeff! Thank you so much for catching this! I meant sour cream, and the post has been updated :)

  9. Hi Kelly! I was thinking this would be a great wedding favour. Can I make and freeze this recipe to batch bake them a week? 3 days? Before the wedding. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Much love!

    1. Hi Susheila! I have never tried freezing the pies prior to baking, so I can’t say with certainty how they would turn out (and I wouldn’t want to guess based on the importance of such an event as a wedding!).

  10. Gosh these look fabulous!!!! I will definitely have to make these for my Nutella chronicles series!

  11. There’s something so satisfying about holding a pie in your hands! Love these!

  12. These are so adorable Kelly! Beautifully photographed too I must add. We still have a couple of quarts left from our picking adventures over the weekend, so I may just have to make these now too.

  13. These look absolutely delish! I was wondering if you think I could use chocolate cream cheese in place of the nutella? My husband can’t have nuts :(

    :) Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  14. Anything you can eat with your hands, I’m down with. Especially when it involved strawberries and nutella. A match made in heaven.