• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Rhubarbarians
  • Home
  • About me
  • Recipes
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About me
  • vegetarian
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • About me
    • vegetarian
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » sweets

    Easy cranberry orange hand pies

    Published: Dec 20, 2020 · Modified: Oct 24, 2023 by Trish Bozeman · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Quick and easy cranberry orange hand pies recipe! Festive and flaky holiday hand pies made with cranberry sauce and store bought pie crust.

    Cranberry orange hand pies in a red pan

    As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Hi, Rhubarbarians! Today we are making the perfect, easy, festive dessert for the holidays. Flaky cranberry orange hand pies!

    These have a super flaky pie crust, and are an adorable hand held size, about the size of a cookie. They make wonderful holiday treat gifts and are easy enough to make at home with the kiddos.

    Roll up your sleeves, crank some Christmas music, make yourself an apple cider hot toddy, and get to holiday baking!

    Jump to:
    • Quick and easy holiday hand pies
    • Here's what you'll need
    • How to make them
    • How to make them vegan
    • How to serve them
    • Make ahead, storing, and freezing
    • FAQs
    • Recipe
    • Comments and reviews

    Quick and easy holiday hand pies

    Super quick and easy hand pies for the holiday season! The filling is loaded with all your favorite flavors of the holidays like cranberry, orange, and warming spices. All cooked in a flaky pie crust.

    Imagine the scent that will fill your house while these holiday hand pies are baking in the oven. Just.. amazingly cozy.

    Psssst.... This baked apples and pears recipe tastes like pie filling! Pie without any of the work. Give it a try!

    We keep things really simple by using store bought pie crust and pre-made cranberry sauce. Canned cranberry sauce (jellied or whole) or homemade cranberry sauce are both great options.

    So... are you ready to make these festive holiday treats?

    LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? GET FREE WEEKLY RECIPES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX! SIGN UP HERE!

    Cranberry hand pies on a cutting board

    Here's what you'll need

    • The pie crust: You'll want a total of four 9" pie crusts. We like to buy the store bought unroll and bake packages that come with two. We go for Simple Truth Organic. Trader Joe's makes a great, vegetarian one as well. Be careful when choosing the pie crust, as some of them are made with lard, which is not vegetarian.
    • Ingredients for the filling: Whole berry cranberry sauce or jellied cranberry sauce, cinnamon, orange zest, brown sugar, allspice, clove, ginger, and salt. Combine these together with a small bowl and a small fork.
    • A cutting board: One large enough to roll out a 9" pie crust.
    • A cookie cutter or glass: A cooker cutter that is 2.75" to 3" in diameter. Or a glass that has a mouth the same width. We use the top of a standard 16" mason jar. Also possibly a knife to cut the circles out, if using the top of a glass.
    • A fork or round hand pie press: For sealing the hand pies together.
    • Milk of your choice, pastry or basting brush, and turbinado sugar: For topping the hand pies before baking. If you don't have a brush, you can use your fingers.
    • 2 baking sheets: Both covered in parchment paper.
    • An oven for baking: Set at 450 degrees F.

    Got leftover cranberry sauce? This is the perfect recipe to use up the cranberry sauce in your fridge! Canned whole berry or jellied cranberry sauce are both great options.

    Christmas hand pies in a row

    How to make them

    These little holiday hand pies are really easy to make! But there are quite a few steps to them (full instructions:

    • First, your pie crust needs to be room temperature. Don't skip this step! If the pie crust is too cold, it will crack when you try to roll it out. Let it sit, unrolled, for at least 30 minutes.
    • Combine all of the ingredients for the filling while the pie crust is coming to room temperature.
    • Preheat the oven, roll out the dough and cut out your circles. You will have scrap dough that you can roll out and make a few extra if you'd like.
    • Build your hand pies and seal them. Cut slits in the top and brush with a bit of milk. Then sprinkle with sugar.
    • Bake until golden brown.
    • Make and bake your second batch.
    • Enjoy!

    Have you tried our easy cream cheese cranberry crescent rolls?

    Cranberry pie filling with spices

    How to make them vegan

    Depending on the dough and cranberry sauce you use, these hand pies should be easily converted to a vegan diet.

    • The dough: We use dough that is free of any animal product and isn't made with dairy or eggs. Be careful, as some store bought dough can contain lard, which is not vegetarian or vegan.
    • The filling: Also make sure that your cranberry sauce doesn't contain any gelatin.
    • The sugars: Sometimes, refined sugar can contain animal products. Read the ingredients and check to make sure.
    • The milk: Use a plant based milk of your choice to brush onto the pies before you bake it. We like almond milk, but any unflavored and unsweetened milk will work.

    Have you tried our vegan cranberry cocktail meatballs? They make a wonderful vegan holiday appetizer!

    Dough for hand pies using a mason jar

    How to serve them

    These cranberry orange pies are perfect for Christmas because they are very versatile in size and don't need to be refrigerated!

    • As a dessert: Serve them the same as you would a slice of pie! So good served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
    • Bring them to a potluck: These hand pies travel very well! They are also individual sized, so there's no need for utensils or serve ware.
    • Add them to a Christmas cookie tray: These are only about 3" wide, making them about the same size as your Christmas cookies. These would be such a big hit in a Christmas cookie tin!
    • Give them as a gift: Who wouldn't love receiving mini, hand held pies as a gift? Wrap them up in cellophane and tie with some ribbon.

    These cranberry orange hand pies are ready in just about an hour, so they make a fabulous last minute Christmas gift!

    Making hand pies

    Make ahead, storing, and freezing

    Make ahead: If you need to speed these up a bit, you can make the filling ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use. You can also cut the dough into circles ahead of time and keep those refrigerated until ready to use. You can even build the pies and store them ready-to-bake in the refrigerator.

    Storing: Store your hand pies in an air tight container on the counter at room temperature for up to 2 days.

    Freezing: These hand pies don't freeze well after they are baked. However, they can be frozen before they are baked! Prepare the pies and place them on a sheet pan just as you would to bake them. Freeze them on the sheet pan until they are frozen and then wrap them individually before storing. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.

    You will love the warm spices in this rye flour pumpkin cranberry bread!

    Holiday hand pies with a red and white linen

    FAQs

    Do you have a homemade pie crust recipe?

    I don't. But here is a vegan pie crust recipe for you!

    Do you have a homemade cranberry sauce recipe?

    Yep! Here's a tutorial on how to make jellied cranberry sauce.

    What type of milk is best for brushing on the pies?

    We like unsweetened almond milk. Just make sure you are using unflavored and unsweetened milk.

    How do I reheat these before serving?

    The oven is your best choice here. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and spread the hand pies out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them with foil and bake them just until they are heated through, about 10 minutes. Cooking times will vary, depending on the temperature of the pies before baking. You may want to wrap the edges in foil to prevent the crust from burning.

    Can I make extra with the scrap dough?

    Yes! You should have extra filling after making all 20, so go for it!

    Cranberry orange hand pies on a plate

    Recipe

    Cranberry orange hand pies in a red pan

    Easy cranberry orange hand pies

    Trish Bozeman
    Quick and easy cranberry orange hand pies recipe! Festive and flaky holiday hand pies made with cranberry sauce and store bought pie crust.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 22 minutes mins
    Time for dough to come to room temperature 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 20 hand pies
    Calories 231 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 packages store bought unroll and bake 9" pie crust (4 crusts total)*
    • 1 cup cranberry sauce, canned or homemade
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon orange zest
    • 2 teaspoon dark brown sugar
    • 1/16 teaspoon ground allspice
    • 1/16 teaspoon ground clove
    • 1/16 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1/16 teaspoon salt
    • 4 teaspoon milk of your choice
    • 8 teaspoon turbinado sugar

    Instructions
     

    • Remove the dough from the packaging and let sit on the counter, unrolled, until room temperature. About 30 minutes.
    • While the dough is sitting, combine the cranberry sauce, cinnamon, orange zest, brown sugar, allspice, clove, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
    • Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll one of the pie crusts and make sure it doesn't crack when you unroll it. Press any small cracks back together with your fingers. Using a 2.75" round cookie cutter, or top of a mason jar or glass, cut out 10 circles. Repeat with a second pie crust so you have 20 small circles.
    • Place 1 teaspoon of the cranberry mixture in the middle of one of your dough circles. Lay another dough circle on top of that and press the edges together with prongs of a fork to seal (see pictures for reference). Don't worry if it gets a bit messy! Cut a small slit in the top of each hand pie. You will have 10 hand pies ready to cook. Lightly brush the top of each hand pie with with milk of your choice and then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
    • Bake the hand pies for 11 minutes, or until golden brown.
    • While the first batch is baking, prepare the remaining 10 hand pies by repeating steps 3 and 4.
    • When the first round of hand pies are baked, remove from the oven and bake the remaining 10.
    • Let the pies cool slightly and enjoy!

    Notes

    *We used Simple Truth Organic available at Kroger. But see other options above in this post.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1hand pieCalories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 192mgPotassium: 46mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 6IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword christmas, holiday, thanksgiving, vegan, vegetarian
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    If you make this recipe, please let us know on social media or in the comments below! Leave a star rating in your comment or tag us on Instagram with #Rhubarbarians

    LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? GET FREE WEEKLY RECIPES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX! SIGN UP HERE!

    Got more cranberry sauce? Try one of these ten leftover cranberry sauce recipes next!

    More sweets

    • A square photo of a glass of homemade chocolate mousse topped with raspberry sauce and whipped cream.
      Homemade chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce
    • A square photo of oat flour pancakes with chocolate chips and strawberries on top.
      Ten oat flour recipes you'll love
    • Oat flour banana bread
      Easy oat flour banana bread (vegan)
    • A square photo of a loaf of pumpkin cranberry bread.
      Pumpkin cranberry bread with rye flour and pepitas

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Comments and questions Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Gus

      December 20, 2021 at 5:34 am

      5 stars
      I came in love with this recipe with the first bite! All those spices came to play nicely! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe! Happy holidays!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Rhubarbarians profile photo 200px

    Hi, I'm Trish, a vegetarian mom with a passion for cooking meatless meals with seasonal produce. I'll help you create vegetarian recipes that your whole family will love. Welcome!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • A photo of jellied cranberry sauce in a white ramekin.
      Jellied cranberry sauce recipe
    • A square photo of roasted butternut squash halves on a white plate.
      Roasted butternut squash halves
    • A square picture of whisking honey stir fry sauce in a clear bowl.
      Honey stir fry sauce recipe
    • Butternut squash with cranberries and pecans in a white dish
      Maple roasted butternut squash with cranberries and pecans

    Footer

    Trish Bozeman is a vegetarian mom with a passion for cooking meatless meals with seasonal produce. She will help you create vegetarian recipes that your whole family will love. Read More…

    Pages

    • About me
    • Accessibility statement
    • Privacy policy
    • Recipes

    Sign up for our newsletter

    Rhubarbarians newsletter

    Copyright © 2023 Rhubarbarians on the Foodie Pro Theme