Pumpkin Cream Cheese Hand Pies

 the vanilla. The first runner-up, if you still aren’t sold on the vanilla glaze, is my cream cheese glaze from my Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls.

Can I Bake These in the Oven?

Sure! If you want to save on the mess of frying these in oil, you can certainly bake them in the oven. To do that, first, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, add the assembled hand pies onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown, at 400°F.

Air Fryer Pumpkin Cream Hand Pies

Another option amazing when making these hand pies is to make them in the air fryer. To do this, assemble the pies as instructed. Then, place them into the basket of the air fryer and spray the tops with cooking spray. Air fry for 6-8 minutes at 360°F.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Hand Pies

▢1 homemade pie crust, or 2 boxes store-bought pie crust▢2 cups (490 g) pumpkin pie filling, homemade or store bought▢canola or vegetable oil, for frying

Cream Cheese

▢12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature▢¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar

Vanilla Glaze

▢6 cups (750 g) confectioners' sugar▢7-9 tablespoons (105-135 g) whole milk, room temperature▢¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Hand Pies

Roll out the pie crust to ⅛-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut the crust into 4-5-inch rounds. (You should get 26-28 pie crust rounds.)

Cream Cheese Filling

To a medium mixing bowl, add cream cheese and granulated sugar. Using a handheld mixer, mix on high until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).

Glaze

Mix confectioners' sugar and 7 tablespoons milk in a bowl until smooth and creamy. If too thick, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the glaze reaches your desired consistency. Set aside.

Assembly

Spread 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture over a mini pie crust, leaving some room around the edges.

Drop 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie filling on top of the cream cheese.

Fold the mini pie crust into a half-moon shape. Use water to wet the edges of the crust to help seal it. Crimp with a fork. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Frying

In a medium pot over medium heat, add 2-3 inches of oil. Heat the oil until it reaches a temperature of 375°F.

Place 2-3 hand pies into the pan. Fry until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel-lined cooling rack. (Before adding each batch of hand pies, make sure the temperature of the oil is at 375°F; it may cool down after each batch.)

While the hand pies are still warm, coat with the glaze. You can coat the pies by drizzling the glaze over each pie or dipping each pie into the bowl of glaze using a large fork.