Instructions

Cream Cheese Dough:

Combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter and cream cheese and pulse for a few seconds to just combine the flour and fat. Combine the ice water and vinegar in a dish. Pour in water mixture, a little at a time, until dough comes together. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap each one and place in the refrigerator for an hour or overnight. 

Filling:

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. With a fork, poke holes in the sweet potatoes, and bake on a foil lined baking sheet for about 1 hour or until soft when poked.  Cool. Cut open the potatoes and scoop the insides of the potatoes into a measuring cup, and measure 2 cups. Set aside. 

Assemble:

Roll out one pie dough disk on a lightly floured work surface. Use a 3 inch round cookie cutter and cut out 10-15 circles. Gather the scraps up in a ball and set aside. Roll the second dough. Cut another 10-15 circles. Gather all of the scraps together and knead into a ball. Cut out additional circles so that there are 30-40 circles total. Roll out the extra dough and use leaf and acorn cookie plungers to cut out leaf and acorn shapes. Place the decor on a small parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use. 

Line 1-2 large baking pans with parchment paper. Place down half of the cut out circles. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in the middle of each. Brush water around the perimeter of each round. Cut 3-4 slits in the second rounds. Place a second circle on top of the hand pies. You can also cut some of the dough into strips and make a lattice design on others if desired. Use a fork to crimp the edges of the hand pies to seal them.

Beat the egg and milk in a small dish. Brush the egg wash on top of each hand pie. Decorate the tops of the pies with the leaves and acorn cut outs. Brush the pies with the egg wash. Place the baking sheet into the freezer for at least 30 minutes. This will help the dough cut outs hold their shape during the baking process. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust browns. Remove and let cool slightly.

Recipe by our friend Monique Polanco @MoniquePolanco_