Cook Hand Pies In Your Air Fryer For Easy Desserts Any Time

Whether sweet or savory, there are few things more tempting than pie. Warm, flavorful fillings surrounded by a blanket of flaky, buttery pie crust are certainly hard to resist. However, making a whole pie can be time-consuming and even wasteful if you don't eat it all in a hurry. Enter the puff pastry. Not only does this premade pastry endorsed by Prue Leith allow you to make individual servings of your favorite pies, it also bakes to crisp, golden perfection in the air fryer.

The best part is that you can make these hand pies ahead of time, freeze them, and then pop one or two in your air fryer for a quick dessert. The process is fairly straightforward — simply roll out and cut two sheets of puff pastry into large rectangles, sandwich your favorite filling between pairs of the rectangles, and crimp the edges closed. You'll also want to cut some steam vents into the top crust.

At this point, your pies are ready to be air fried or frozen for later. To air fry right away, preheat your lined air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cook your hand pies for about 9 minutes. To freeze them, place them on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes, then move them to freezer bags to store. When you're ready to eat them, cook in your air fryer at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes to ensure they're warmed all the way through.

If you're experimenting with hand pies for the first time, it may be best to start with jarred cherry pie filling (with cinnamon to counteract the tartness). For anyone with a sweet tooth, stick to desserts and use pretty much any fruit to fill these puff pastry hand pies. Apple, peach, blueberry — you name it, it'll be delicious wrapped in a tender crust. Creamy, cinnamon-y pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie fillings are also great choices. You can even get creative with lemon curd or lime custard, thick and rich chocolate pudding, or rich layers of marshmallow fluff and chocolate ganache sprinkled with graham crackers.

Once you have the process down, you can start experimenting with more flavor combinations, even stretching beyond dessert to savory options like a classic chicken pot pie. This will allow you to create easy weeknight dinners or work-from-home lunches. It could be fun to make individual mini beef Wellingtons, layer mini rounds of Brie together with fruit jam for a sophisticated dessert, or replicate the flavors of a sweet and savory Monte Cristo sandwich.

For more savory options, you might blend together beef Bolognese sauce with ricotta, mozzarella, and lots of roasted garlic for mini lasagna pies. Broccoli, cheddar, and ham are a classic combination, as are pulled buffalo chicken and salty, funky blue cheese crumbles. You could also stuff the puff pastry with a thick, hearty version of your favorite chili with white cheddar for a Southwest version. Spicy chicken curry is both flavorful and comforting.