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Southern Fried Hand Pies are a special treat that many folks have fond memories of — from grandma making them in her home kitchen to sitting on the front step and taking that first bite, nothing ever tasted so good. Bring back those memories with these homemade Southern Fried Hand Pies.
In the South, fried fruit pies are synonymous with memories of childhood. And, as many names as we have to call the beloved woman that made them, there are as many ways to make fried pies. But, the traditional southern fried pie are made with dried fruit and a handmade biscuit-style dough. That’s how grandma did it!
Crab Lanterns
According to Wikipedia these fried pies were known as “Crab Lanterns”, a term that dates back to at least 1770. It is believed that the term may have originated from crab apple pies that had slits for ventilation, thus resembling a lantern. Roadside stands here in the South often refer to fried pies as “Crab Lanterns”.
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Southern Fried Hand Pies
Ingredients
Oil for frying
Powdered sugar for dusting
Filling
- 6-7 ounces dried fruit
- 1 cup of sugar (I like to use 3/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar)
- 2 cups of water
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice optional
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon optional
Dough
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup of shortening
- 1/2 cup of milk
Instructions
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Prepare the filling. Place sugar and dried fruit in a pot. Add water and stir. Bring to a boil.
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Reduce heat and simmer until fruit is soft and tender, about 20 minutes.
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Turn off the heat and add the remaining filling ingredients.
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Mash with a potato masher or fork until the fruit is slightly lumpy. Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely.
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Prepare the dough. Sift dry ingredients into a medium bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter or two butter knives. The mixture should resemble coarse meal.
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Add in milk and stir until dough sticks together. Add more flour or milk as needed to achieve the right consistency. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.
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Assemble your hand pies. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
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Once your dough is chilled, divide it into ten portions.
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On a floured surface, roll each portion into a five or six-inch circle about 1/8-1/4-inch thick.
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Place two tablespoons of filling on one half of each circle of dough.
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Brush a little water around the circumference of the dough, and fold it in half so the other side comes down over the filling, creating a half-moon shape. Crimp the edges with a floured fork. Place uncooked pies on the parchment-lined sheet pan. Refrigerate the assembled hand pies for 30 minutes.
- Prepare for frying. Just before removing your assembled hand pies from the refrigerator, prepare your pan and oil. Place cooking oil in a high-sided iron skillet or fryer to a depth of at least 2″. Heat the oil on medium to 350° F. Line another half sheet pan with several layers of paper towels and set aside.
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Fry your hand pies. Using a spatula to lift the pies and lower them carefully into the hot oil. Don’t overfill the pan.
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Cook until browned on both sides, turning as needed. This should take just a minute or two on each side.
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Remove to a paper towel-lined pan.
- Drizzle fried hand pies with glaze while warm or dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Tips
- To make a glaze for drizzling, simply whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small bowl.
- You can use canned biscuits. Just pop open a can and roll out each biscuit into a five or six-inch circle.
- Depending on the fruit you are using you may find you need to add about 1/2 cup more water.
- Apples will be a bit firmer than peaches and other soft flesh fruit.
- If you want, once you roll out your circle you can lay a saucer upside down and cut around the edges to make a perfect circle.
- You can prepare the apple filling a day or two ahead and refrigerate until you assemble the pies.
- The filling needs to be cooled completely. If the mixture is warm when it’s put into the pastry, the pastry will tear during the frying process. I like to make my filling the night before so it is well chilled.
- If assembling the pies the night before serving, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Proceed with frying instructions when ready to cook.
You can bake your hand pies. This is how…
- Chill your plastic-wrapped dough ball for 1 hour instead of 30 minutes.
- Remove the chilled dough and divide it into ten portions. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a five or six-inch circle about 1/8-1/4-inch thick. Place hand pie circles on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Chill the circles for 30 minutes.
- Remove the chilled circles from the refrigerator and spoon two tablespoons of filling onto one half of each circle of dough. Brush a little water around the circumference of the dough, and fold it in half so the other side comes down over the filling, creating a half-moon shape. Crimp the edges with a floured fork. Refrigerate the assembled hand pies for 30 minutes.
- While hand pies are chilling preheat the oven to 375° F and prepare the egg wash by whisking together one egg yolk and two tablespoons of water in a small bowl.
- Remove the chilled hand pies from the refrigerator, and lightly brush with the egg yolk wash. Using a paring knife, cut a few small slits on the top of each hand pie, then sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the hand pies are golden brown. This will take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how thick you rolled the dough.