Flaky & Flavorful: The Ultimate Rhubarb & Cheese Hand Pies Recipe for Spring

Get ready to fall in love with these incredible Rhubarb & Cheese Hand Pies! They are truly beyond delicious, a delightful treat that my family absolutely adores. Not excessively sweet, yet perfectly balanced with a rich, tangy filling, and a wonderfully flaky, buttery crust that isn’t too crumbly. These handheld delights are ideal for hands of all sizes, making them the perfect snack, breakfast pastry, or even a unique dessert.

To be completely honest, this was my very first adventure baking with rhubarb. I stumbled upon fresh, vibrant rhubarb stalks at my local farm market, practically glowing straight from the field. They looked so inviting and full of life that I simply couldn’t resist bringing some home. I’m incredibly glad I trusted my instincts, because the result was truly spectacular. Rhubarb season is notoriously short in my region, typically spanning from April to June, so I’ll definitely be stocking up and stashing more away in my freezer to enjoy these pies long after spring has passed!

What Exactly is Rhubarb?

Often mistaken for a fruit due to its culinary use in desserts, rhubarb is actually a vibrant vegetable, typically found at farmers’ markets and grocery stores sold by the stalk, much like celery. Its striking appearance, ranging from deep red to bright pink, adds a beautiful touch to any dish. For those new to this intriguing plant, an in-depth guide on making the most of rhubarb can be found in this informative article.

• A Unique Tang: On its own, rhubarb is quite tart, sometimes even bitter. This inherent tang is what makes it so distinctive and delightful when properly prepared. It’s rarely eaten raw due to its intense sourness.
• Perfect Pairing: Because of its tart nature, rhubarb truly shines when paired with sweeter fruits (like strawberries) and cooked with sugar. The sugar beautifully balances its acidity, transforming it into a wonderfully complex flavor profile ideal for pies, crumbles, and jams.
• Seasonal Delight: Rhubarb is a spring delicacy, harvested in a short but sweet season that typically spans from April to June. Catch it while you can, as its fresh, vibrant flavor is a true sign of warmer weather.
• Colorful Stalks: Rhubarb stalks are known for their beautiful red or bright pink hues, though some varieties can be greener. The color often indicates the sweetness, with darker red stalks generally being sweeter.
• Edible Parts Only: It’s crucial to remember that only the stalks of the rhubarb plant are edible.
• Warning: Poisonous Leaves: The leaves of rhubarb contain oxalic acid and are poisonous. They should always be discarded and never consumed. Always trim them off before preparing your rhubarb.

Beyond its unique taste, rhubarb also offers some nutritional benefits, including vitamins K and C, as well as dietary fiber. It’s a wonderful addition to your spring diet, offering a refreshing and healthy twist to your favorite baked goods.

Crafting the Perfectly Flaky Pastry Dough

The foundation of these exquisite hand pies is a perfectly flaky, tender pastry dough. Achieving this requires careful attention to ingredients and technique. Here’s what you’ll need to make a dough that will impress everyone:

• Unbleached all-purpose flour: Provides the structure for our flaky crust.
• Orange zest: An optional, but highly recommended, addition that brightens the flavor profile of the crust and complements the rhubarb beautifully.
• Granulated sugar: A touch of sweetness for the dough.
• Salt: Essential for enhancing all the flavors in the dough.
• Cold unsalted butter: The secret to a flaky crust! Keeping butter cold ensures it forms pockets of steam during baking, creating those desirable layers.
• Buttermilk: Adds a subtle tang and helps create a tender dough. Its acidity also reacts with baking soda if you were to use it, contributing to lift.

Out of Buttermilk? No problem at all! You can easily make your own by mixing a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice with one cup of regular milk. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until it slightly curdles. This simple trick yields a perfect buttermilk substitute.

Dough Preparation Steps:

1. Combine Dry Ingredients: In the bowl of your food processor, whisk together the unbleached all-purpose flour, fresh orange zest (if using), granulated sugar, and salt. Pulse briefly to ensure they are well combined.
2. Incorporate Cold Butter: Add the chunks of very cold unsalted butter, distributing them evenly over the flour mixture. It’s crucial that the butter remains cold to achieve a flaky crust.
3. Process the Dough: Using short, quick pulses, blend the butter with the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. Avoid over-processing, as this will lead to a tough crust.
4. Add Buttermilk: Pour in the buttermilk and pulse until the dough just begins to come together as a craggy mass. If necessary, add a bit more buttermilk, one tablespoon at a time, until you achieve the desired shaggy, cohesive texture. The dough should be moist enough to hold together but not sticky.

Chilling the Dough for Optimal Flakiness:

5. Divide and Chill: Once your dough has formed, divide it in half. Wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap and gently flatten it into a disc shape. This makes it easier to roll out later.
6. Refrigerate: Place the wrapped dough discs in the fridge to chill for at least one hour, or even up to two days. Chilling allows the gluten to relax, making the dough easier to roll, and keeps the butter cold, which is vital for that desired flaky texture.
7. Advance Preparation & Freezing: For ultimate convenience, you can prepare this dough well in advance. Simply slip the plastic-wrapped dough discs into a freezer bag and freeze them for up to two months. When you’re ready to bake, transfer the frozen dough to your fridge and let it defrost overnight, usually about one day, before proceeding with the recipe.

Preparing the Sweet & Tangy Rhubarb Filling

While your pastry dough is happily chilling in the fridge, it’s the perfect time to prepare the luscious fillings for your Rhubarb & Cheese Hand Pies. The star of the show, of course, is the rhubarb itself, cooked down to a beautifully sweet and tangy compote.

Ingredients for Rhubarb Filling:

• Trimmed rhubarb stalks, cut into small chunks: Fresh is best, but frozen (thawed and drained) works too!
• Granulated sugar: To balance rhubarb’s natural tartness.

Rhubarb Filling Instructions:

1. Combine and Cook (Initial): Place the rhubarb chunks and granulated sugar in a small-to-medium saucepan. Stir them gently to combine, ensuring the rhubarb is coated. Cover the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. There’s no need to stir during this initial phase, as the rhubarb will release its natural juices.
2. Continue Cooking (Thicken): After 15 minutes, remove the lid and increase the heat to medium. Continue to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb has completely broken down into a thick, jam-like consistency.
3. Check Consistency: You’ll know it’s ready when you can run a spoon across the bottom of the pot, and a clear trench quickly forms and then slowly disappears. This indicates the perfect texture – thick enough to hold its shape in the pies.
4. Cool Rapidly: Transfer the hot rhubarb mixture to a large plate and spread it out thinly. This helps it cool quickly and prevents further cooking. For best results and easier handling, place the plate in the fridge or freezer to cool rapidly. Once cooled, scrape the mixture into a bowl. Keep it cold until you’re ready to assemble your hand pies; a thicker, chilled filling is much easier to scoop and work with.

Preparing the Rich & Creamy Cheese Filling

The second layer of pure deliciousness in our hand pies comes from a velvety cream cheese filling. This adds a wonderful creamy texture and a complementary tang that makes these pies truly irresistible.

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Filling:

• Cream cheese, at room temperature: Ensures a smooth, lump-free mixture.
• Granulated sugar: For sweetness and to balance the cream cheese tang.
• Lemon zest: Adds a bright, aromatic lift.
• Lemon juice: Enhances the tang and freshness.
• Egg yolk: Helps bind the filling and provides richness, contributing to a smooth texture.

Cream Cheese Filling Instructions:

1. Whisk Until Smooth: In a small bowl, combine the room temperature cream cheese, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg yolk. Whisk all the ingredients together until the mixture is perfectly smooth and creamy, with no lumps.
2. Keep Chilled: Keep this cream cheese filling cold in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. A chilled filling will be much easier to manage and scoop onto your pie bases.

Assembling Your Delicious Rhubarb & Cheese Hand Pies

The moment has arrived to bring all your delicious components together! With your flaky pastry dough chilled and your sweet and creamy fillings prepared, you’re ready to assemble these delightful hand pies. Here’s what you’ll need for the final touches:

• A large egg: For an egg wash that gives a beautiful golden sheen.
• Water: To thin the egg wash.
• Coarse sugar: For a sparkling finish and a delightful crunch.

Let’s Get Started on Assembly:

1. Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two to three large baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure easy cleanup. In a small bowl, beat the large egg with one tablespoon of water to create your egg wash. Set this aside along with a pastry brush and a small bowl of coarse sugar.
2. Roll Out the Dough: Generously flour your work surface. Take one of your chilled dough rounds from the fridge. Begin rolling it out gently, pressing lightly with your rolling pin from the center outwards. Don’t rush this step – it’s unlikely you’ll get it perfectly flat in just a few rolls. Be patient! Roll a few times in one direction, then lift the dough, rotate it a quarter-turn, and repeat. Continue this process until the dough is uniformly about 1/8-inch thick. A rolling pin with adjustable thickness guides works exceptionally well for achieving this consistent thickness.
3. Cut Your Shapes: Using a 2 3/4-inch to 3-inch square cookie cutter (a crinkle-edged cookie cutter adds a lovely touch, but a sharp knife, pizza wheel, or fluted pastry wheel will also work perfectly), cut out as many squares as possible from your first dough disc. Carefully transfer these base squares to your prepared baking sheets, spacing them about one inch apart. Repeat the rolling and cutting process with your second refrigerated dough disc. For this second batch of squares, cut a small crisscross vent in the center of each – these will serve as the “lids” for your hand pies, allowing steam to escape during baking.
4. Maintain Cool Temperature: It’s important to work quickly while the dough is still cold from the fridge. If it becomes too warm, soft, and tacky, simply return it to the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm up before continuing. To maximize your dough, gather up any scraps, gently reshape them into a flattened disc, and chill for a few minutes before rolling out any additional pies.
5. Fill & Seal: Lightly brush the edges of each base square on the baking sheets with your egg wash. In the center of each egg-washed base, place a small dollop (approximately one measured teaspoon) of the cream cheese filling, followed by a dollop of the rhubarb filling on top. Be careful not to overfill them, ensuring you have a clean edge all around for a proper seal. Place a vented dough square on top of each filled base. Gently press the outer edges of the top and bottom dough together with your fingertips to seal them securely. For an extra decorative touch and a tighter seal, you can crimp the edges with the tines of a fork.
6. Finish & Bake: Brush the tops of your assembled hand pies generously with the remaining egg wash, then sprinkle them with coarse sugar. This will give them a beautiful golden crust and a lovely sparkling texture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pies are puffed, golden brown, and slightly more browned at the edges. The aroma filling your kitchen will be absolutely divine!
7. Cool Before Serving: Once baked, transfer the hand pies to cooling racks and allow them to cool to room temperature before serving. While they smell tempting warm, cooling them fully helps the fillings set and prevents them from being too soft.

The Finished Delight: Rhubarb & Cheese Hand Pies!

With their beautiful golden crusts, these Rhubarb & Cheese Hand Pies are sure to impress your family and friends. After my very first attempt at making these beauties, my family was convinced they came straight from a gourmet bakery – they couldn’t believe they were homemade! They are truly versatile and wonderful at any time of day: enjoy one with your morning coffee for a delightful start, as a satisfying afternoon snack, or even as a sophisticated dessert, perhaps with a scoop of your favorite vanilla bean ice cream to complement the warm, fruity, and creamy filling. These hand pies are a testament to the joy of seasonal baking and the unexpected harmony of rhubarb and cream cheese.

Storage & Reheating Tips:

These hand pies are best enjoyed the day they are baked for peak flakiness. However, any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To enjoy them warm again, a few minutes in a toaster oven or regular oven at 300°F (150°C) will crisp up the crust beautifully.

Love the addition of a bit of cheesecake in your baked treats?

If the creamy, tangy goodness of cream cheese filling in these hand pies has captured your heart, you’ll definitely want to give these Easy-To-Make Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies a try from Truffle Nation. They’re equally delightful and incredibly satisfying for any cheesecake lover.

These Rhubarb & Cheese Hand Pies are truly a celebration of spring flavors, offering a unique blend of tartness, sweetness, and creaminess all encased in a perfect flaky pastry. They’re a homemade treat that tastes gourmet and is sure to become a beloved recipe in your household. Enjoy the process of creating these delicious pastries and the joy of sharing them with your loved ones!

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