Bursting with sweet summer flavor, these Jammy Raspberry Cream Pretzel Hand Pies are just what we need right now. Made with a flaky buttery salted pretzel pie dough, fresh berries, sweet jam, lemon, a touch of vanilla, and creamy cream cheese. These cute and easy hand pies are beyond delicious, super simple, and extra jammy. Bonus…you can swap the raspberries for your favorite berry, or use a combo of berries! Either way, you can’t go wrong with these mini berry-filled summer pies. Serve any time of day, breakfast, afternoon snack, or after-dinner dessert with ice cream on top.

overhead photo Jammy Raspberry Cream Pretzel Hand Pies with ice cream

Fridays are made even better with something sweet. Especially when it’s berry-filled, warm, and just out of the oven. Oh, and with ice cream, of course.

It’s no secret that I’m loving the summer fruit right now. Since our Colorado peaches are not yet at their best, I’ve been embracing all the berries. I’m definitely not complaining, I love berries. But I had a whole fridge full of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Actually, I had strawberries and cherries too. So really, ALL the berries.

I knew I wanted to make these mini pies, so I had my dad stock up on berries on his last grocery run before he left. I figured testing shouldn’t be too hard…since the concept I had for these pies in my head seemed fairly simple.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. These took me forever to get just right! I actually ended up having to go back to the grocery for more berries. BUT, once I got them right I was excited. So excited. Because um, well, I firgured out a way to make pretzel pie dough and it’s the “thing” that makes these pies better.

So with that let’s jump right on into these details. My brain is a little foggy today due to one too many failed recipes this week. I’m quite happy it’s Friday. And I’m so very happy to share these pies!

prep photo of pretzel flour

(pretzel “flour”)

prep photo of pie dough

(pretzel pie dough before rolling)

First things first, the dough.

This dough. It’s the result of so many recipe fails, head scratching, and a few tears, but oh my gosh, it’s delicious. At the time of developing this pie dough I might not have been sure all the effort was worth it…

But, I can tell you now, the effort was worth it. This dough is GOOD. It’s adds that extra special touch I love all recipes to have.

And it’s one simple ingredient that made it good, pretzels. A little salty pretzel flavor with your fruit pie. Such a delicious and somewhat addicting (because anything salty always equals addicting) combination.

assembling the pies, cream cheese layer

(a thin layer of cream cheese)

assembling the pies

(berries/jam on top of cream cheese)

Here’s what I will say, you do have to have a  food processor to easily make this dough. You need to finely grind pretzels into flour and the food processor is really just the easiest way. For any of you guys that don’t have a food processor, I’m so sorry. But don’t worry you can still make the pies with extra flour and a pinch of salt (details in the directions).

Grind the pretzels into a fine flour, it should look pretty similar to the texture of all-purpose flour (see the above photo for reference). Now just add in the rest of the ingredients as you would traditional pie dough, so flour, butter, a little sour cream, and icy water.

Once the dough is mixed, roll it out and cut into circles. Then chill while you make the filling.

Jammy Raspberry Cream Pretzel Hand Pies before baking on baking sheet

Onto the filling…

It’s simple and easy as well…and so very good.

Toss fresh raspberries and blackberries (loving this combination right now) with a touch of brown sugar, lemon, and the key ingredient, jam. You all know I love jam. It adds so much sweet flavor and texture. Why both? Well, the fresh raspberries provide a burst of flavor with every single bite. But the jam makes the pies extra sweet, gooey, and well – jammy. I LOVE the combo and it’s the secret to making these pies the BEST. If you haven’t tried using jam in addition to fresh berries in your baked sweets, this is the weekend.

Trust me.

Jammy Raspberry Cream Pretzel Hand Pies after baking on baking sheet

Now that the filling is made, it’s time to assemble. Add a little cream cheese to the center of each dough circle, then spoon the berries overtop. Now add the top piece of dough, and seal those sweet berries inside.

As you are assembling, some of your dough may crack. Do not stress. It’s actually OK if the dough cracks and what I discovered was I ended up preferring my cracked “not perfect” pies over the more perfect looking ones. So it’s alright, just keep going. Promise.

Next up, I like to transfer the pies to the freezer to chill out for a bit before baking. This will give you a perfectly buttery, flaky, and golden crust. They only need fifteen minutes, so it’s a quick chill in the freezer.

overhead photo of Jammy Raspberry Cream Pretzel Hand Pies

Once chilled, sprinkle the pies with pretzel salt or coarse sugar (I like the pretzel salt for these though), then bake.

Simple. Simple.

Why did they take so long to test? Because I was trying to make them way too complicated. In the end, simple with a slight twist is always the way to go.

overhead photo of Jammy Raspberry Cream Pretzel Hand Pie broken in half to expose the filling

These are great as a sweet breakfast, afternoon snack, or after-dinner dessert…with a big scoop of ice cream. Eating them warm out of the oven is the way to go. But they are also delicious leftover, as an afternoon pick-me-up!

Every bite is perfectly salty, extra jammy, and bursting with sweet berries. Best summer weekend baking project. Get at um and enjoy.

overhead photo of Jammy Raspberry Cream Pretzel Hand Pies

Looking for berry-filled summertime favorites? Here are a few ideas for you:

Bursting Blueberry Lemon Thyme Tarts

Blackberry Lavender Cobbler

Marinated Goat Cheese Strawberry Crostini

Lastly, if you make these jammy raspberry cream pretzel hand pies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Jammy Raspberry Cream Pretzel Hand Pies | halfbakedharvest.com
Print
4.39 from 75 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Jammy Raspberry Cream Pretzel Hand Pies

Beyond delicious, super simple, and extra jammy...the perfect summer weekend baking project!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 8 pies
Calories 208 kcal

Ingredients

Dough

Filling

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  1. 1. To make the dough. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels until they become flour (see above photo for reference). Add the flour and butter. Pulse until the mix clumps together to form pea-size balls. Add the sour cream and 1/4 cup cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. If the dough feels dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of additional water.

    2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form a ball. Divided the dough in half and flatten each into round disk. Roll out each disk of dough and cut into a total of 15-16 circles (or cut into 15-16 squares). Chill the dough rounds while you make the filling.

    3. In a medium bowl, toss together the berries, cornstarch, and sugar. Add the vanilla and jam, gently toss to combine.

    4. Assemble the pies on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread 2 teaspoons cream cheese on to the center of half of the circles, then spoon a tablespoon of the filling over the cream cheese, leaving a 1/4 inch border. Brush the edges with the beaten egg. Lay the other half of the dough over the filling and seal the edges by crimping with the back of a fork. Repeat until you've used all the dough. If some of the dough is cracking, don't stress too much about it. It bakes up just fine.

    5. Use a small, sharp knife to cut slits into the top of the pies. Cover the baking sheets and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

    6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Brush the tops of the pies with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt/sugar. Transfer to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. It's OK if the edges get dark. Serve with ice cream. Enjoy! 

Recipe Notes

Pie Dough: in a pinch, you can use 2 store-bought pie dough rounds or 2 sheets frozen, thawed puff pastry. 

If you don't have a food processor: Replace the pretzels with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Then, you can use your fingers to mix the butter with the flour until the butter is pea-sized. Slowly drizzle in the cold water as directed.

Cornstarch: I love a runny tart, so I like to use only 1-2 teaspoons cornstarch. If you would like a thicker berry filling, use 1 tablespoon cornstarch.

overhead horizontal photo of Jammy Raspberry Cream Pretzel Hand Pies