Keto Strawberry Cream Cheese Hand Pies

Keto Strawberry Cream Cheese Hand Pies…

I've come a long way from my first blog post.. Low Carb Pizza Frittata For One

Mouthwateringmotivation is growing and so am I! I've learned so much over the years and continue to learn everyday. I would have never thought-up a recipe like this years ago. 

This has got to be hands-down, above all of the recipes on my blog, my favourite keto dessert thus far. 

These pies are beautiful. They contain just a simple cream cheese and strawberry filling.. but when combined with a buttery, slightly crisp but still soft in the centre, keto pastry dough and a sweet drizzled glaze.. wow. Epic.

They remind me of a cross between a jelly donut and the best turn-over you've ever had. (Scroll to the bottom of the post to see a quick video clip).

My brother who hates all things keto took a bite and I said: “try the middle it's the best part!” he said “I don't know what you are talking about, I'm already at the best part. These are so good.” (He then proceeded to eat the entire thing in a matter of minutes). 

I brought a piece out to my Dad working in the garage who, tired of trying my desserts constantly (I know crazy right) sighed and said “I guess I'll try some”. He took a bite and his face lit up. “WOAH, THIS IS A HOME RUN. YOU KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK WITH THESE. He took the rest off the plate and told me I wasn't getting it back..andddd to make more. LOL

Even my Mom, my biggest food critic approves of these! 

So basically what I'm trying to say is..  MAKE THESE KETO STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE HAND PIES IMMEDIATELY. 

You won't regret it.

Ingredients In Keto Strawberry Cream Cheese Hand Pies

• Xanthan gum – a great way to improve elasticity in gluten-free baked goods. It’s used alongside vital wheat gluten to provide the best possible “crust-like” texture. If you do not have this ingredient you can still go ahead with this recipe but I’d recommend it if you can get your hands on it.
• Almond & Coconut Flour – I use the Kirkland Costco brand of almond flour (I buy it in bulk on Amazon or at Costco itself occasionally) and this brand of coconut flour for this recipe. As I’ve noted in many of my past recipes, the brand of almond and coconut flour can affect the final outcome of the recipe because absorbency can vary depending on how the flour has been processed.
• Psyllium Husks – This is used in the gluten free pastry to replace vital wheat gluten. It acts similar as it helps the dough to create gluten-like strands.
• Powdered/Granular Monkfruit Erythritol Sweetener  –   I use the SoNourished brand for both granular and powdered sweetener and love it! The powdered is the best option for no-bake goods and desserts where you want a very smooth final product. But it bakes well in any recipe. **UPDATE** lately I’ve switched over to THIS brand of powdered sweetener because of trouble ordering the first one so you can order whichever is easier for you!

Tools I Used To Create Keto Strawberry Cream Cheese Hand Pies

• Low Carb Substitution Guide – This is totally optional but if you like my recipes, I now have a $5 guide available with all of the substitutions I use to create every recipe on my site. You can use this to convert old traditional recipes and create new keto recipes! You can purchase it here and/or read more if you are interested. 🙂 I appreciate your support so much guys!
• Nutritional Food Scale – AKA my best friend. This little buddy has been with me for over 4 years and never fails. Perfect measurements and only needs the batteries replaced maybe once a year!
• Non-Stick Rolling Pin – I didn’t use this one originally for the recipe but I highly recommend it so you don’t have to constantly flour your surface and roll the dough out with wax or parchment paper!
• Wax/Parchment Paper – Makes it easier to roll out dough that’s sticking to your rolling pin.
• Saran Wrap – To wrap the dough for chilling

Tips For Making Keto Strawberry Cream Cheese Hand Pies

• You’ll notice the dough will want to fall apart in chunks at first. This is why the dough must be kneaded a few times. Once you do so, the dough will come together nicely and will roll out much better! Just be sure not to melt or blend in all of your butter when kneading it. 
• Your dough should seem a little dry at first but once you get rolling it, the butter chunks should moisten it more. If you find your dough still very dry, you can sprinkle a bit of cold water on it as needed to add moisture OR alternatively if you find it too wet, sprinkle coconut flour as you are rolling and folding it.
• If your dough rolls out messy and looks rough at first, that’s completely fine, sprinkle flour as needed and continue to follow the folding instructions. It will start to smooth out more after each layer. You can also push in rough edges slightly before rolling to help it come together.
• The gluten free pastry will brown more in the oven than typical pastry but that’s okay! It will still be delicious. It’s just the colour of the psyllium husk added.
• Make sure you pinch the edges of the pockets well and don’t over-do the fillings or you’ll end up with some leakage! 
• These are best served warm the day they are made. Feel free to freeze them in an airtight container between layers of parchment or wax paper and re-heat them in the microwave when you'd like one. They are still delicious but just not as crispy!

Can I Freeze Keto Strawberry Cream Cheese Hand Pies?

Yes! You can either freeze the dough itself after you are done folding it in step 8, just wrap in Saran Wrap and place in a ziplock bag. (I do this often! Saves a ton of time and the dough can be used for so many different things!)

OR you can freeze the hand pies themselves once you’ve formed them by placing them on a parchment line tray and freezing flat, then transferring them to a ziplock bag lined with some wax or parchment paper and bake them off from frozen, just be sure to add an extra minute or two to the baking time.

Keto Strawberry Cream Cheese Hand Pies

Serves: 5 regular hand pies or 8 mini hand pies

Ingredients:

Pastry Dough 

• 5 tbsp whole psyllium husks, 26g (you can also use ground, just be sure to account for the weight difference, you'll likely need 3 tbsp instead of 5)
• 1/4 cup almond flour, 30g
• 1 tbsp coconut flour, 7g
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup +1 tsp butter, cold, 125g
• 1/2 cup cold water (more or less as needed, the dough will absorb it as you go)
• 1 egg white

Fillings

• 5 tbsp cream cheese, softened, 2.6oz
• 3 tbsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener, 36g
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup no sugar added strawberry jam (I use E.D smith's jam)
• 1 whisked egg + 1/2 tbsp water for the egg wash

Glaze

• 6 1/2 tbsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener, 80g
• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp light cream or milk, 40ml
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Add your dry ingredients to a food processor and grind until everything is a fine powder (if you do not have a food processor you can definitely still make this recipe, your dough may just be a bit more textured)
2. Next add in chunks of butter (roughly chopped, doesn’t have to perfect) and pulse a few times until the butter chunks are a bit smaller and coated with flour but still visible. (again doesn’t have to be perfect, if you don’t have a food processor, just chop the chunks ~1/8th of an inch thick and and stir them into your dry ingredients).
3. Dump this mixture into a bowl and add your cold water and egg white. Mix with a spoon until a rough dough forms.
4. Press the dough together and knead it a few times until it starts to stick together (you don’t want the butter chunks blended in but you also want the dough to hold together without crumbling and have a smoother surface).
5. Press the dough into a rough ball shape, wrap it in Saran Wrap and place in the fridge for 30min.
6. Next unwrap your dough and roll it out flat between two sheets of parchment paper. (Flour your parchment and rolling pin lightly with coconut flour)
7. Fold each side of the dough inward (see photo), then turn the dough 90* and roll it out flat, squishing down the folded layers you just made. Then once again, fold each side inwards, turn 90* and roll it out flat. You want to repeat this 4-5 times to ensure layers of butter are spread throughout the dough. It will start off very rough looking but don’t worry about that! Just push the rough edges in a bit and continue repeating the process until it looks more uniform. ( If at any time your dough feels warm, place it back in the fridge or freezer for a bit to get cold again. You don’t want your butter to melt).
8. After you’ve rolled the dough out 4-5 times following step 7, fold it once more, Saran Wrap it and place it back in the fridge for another 30min.
   

   

9. Pre-heat your oven to 400*F.
10. Roll the dough out again, it will be a bit thick at this point. I usually cut the dough in half and place half, wrapped, back in the fridge so I only have to work with one piece at a time. This makes rolling it thin much easier!
11. Next, cut circles of dough using a large mouth glass or mug. Punch the glass down and twist to make an even cut. Place the cut-outs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat this process with the other half of your dough in the fridge and then taking the scraps of your dough and rolling them out again, make more circles.
12. To make your cream cheese filling, beat together the cream cheese, vanilla extract and 3 tbsp powdered sweetener.
13. Divide your cream cheese evenly between half of the circles, placing a small dollop in the centre (remember you are putting two circles together to form a whole so only one side needs fillings). Repeat this with the jam, placing it on top of the cream cheese filling as you can see in the photo.
14. Top the piece of dough with fillings with another circle cut-out and pinch the edges down gently with your fingers to join the two pieces. Then go around the sides again pressing down with a fork to seal everything in.
15. Finally, make a small little cut in the top of the dough to allow the air to escape while baking and place your finished hand pie on a parchment paper lined tray. Repeat step 14-15 with the rest of your pieces of dough.
16. Brush the tops with the egg wash (1 whisked egg + 1/2 tbsp water) and bake the hand pies for ~15-20min at 400*F. Your oven may take more or less time. Just make sure that they are golden brown and a slight bit crispy on the edges when they come out. (My oven took 17min and it usually bakes slower than the average oven!)
17. Serve warm with the sweet glaze drizzled on top (to make the glaze just whisk all 3 ingredients in a small bowl until smooth). Enjoy your Keto Strawberry Cream Cheese Hand Pies!

Nutrition for 1/5th of recipe (1 hand pie): 305 calories | 29g fat | 5g NET carbs | 2.8g protein | 7g fibre

*These are best served warm the day they are made. Feel free to freeze them in an airtight container between layers of parchment or wax paper and re-heat them in the microwave when you'd like one. They are still delicious but just not as crispy!

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