Savory Filled Hand Pies ~ or Appetizers

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A heartfelt thank-you to my sweet friend Debbie for showing us how to make these easy-to-make savory appetizers. Debbie made them last month, using an Autumn theme.

In keeping with the season I made them using a winter theme; evergreen trees and bells.

Debbie made them for her Thanksgiving celebration this year in the shapes of pumpkins, acorns and fall leaves. Hers came out so well that I just had to try them. Debbie explained that she discovered them when her friend Colleen made them. The recipe was originally published in Woman's Day magazine, November 2008.

You simply use cookie cutters to cut pie pastry (storebought, or homemade) into the shapes you desire then lay your filling (in this case thinly sliced ham and cheese with some Dijon mustard), then place the top layer of pastry over. Pinch the edges to seal, brush the top with beaten egg, then bake in a 425-degree oven until golden brown. You can serve them warm from the oven or at room temperature. They are VERY good.

Here is a link to Debbie's wonderful blog; Mountain Breaths where you can see the ones she made and the recipe.

Here is a cross-section so you can see the inside, after they are baked:

I used large cookie cutters, as I served them along with a green salad for dinner, but you could certainly make them much smaller so they would be more managable as a one, or two-bite appetizer.

Thanks so much for sharing the recipe Debbie, these are delicious and I'll certainly make them again.