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Close-up of glazed cherry hand pie donuts stacked on a plate, with several opened to reveal cherry filling.
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Cherry Hand Pie Donuts

Cherry Hand Pie Donuts are made with refrigerated biscuit dough, cherry pie filling, and an almond glaze. Crispy outside, jammy inside, and ready in 40 minutes.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: canned biscuit donuts, cherry hand pie donuts
Servings: 8
Calories: 241kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

For the donuts

  • 10 refrigerated biscuits 16 ounces
  • ¾ cup cherry pie filling
  • vegetable oil for frying

For the glaze

  • 1½ cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Separate the can of biscuits into 10 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each biscuit out into a circle about 5 inches wide. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cherry pie filling onto one half of each circle, leaving a clear border around the edge. Do not overfill, since too much filling will burst out during frying.
    Biscuit dough rolled into a flat circle, then topped with a spoonful of glossy cherry pie filling.
  • Fold each circle in half over the filling to make a half moon. Press the edges together firmly with your fingers, then crimp them with a fork to seal. A tight seal is the whole game here, any gap and the filling leaks into the oil.
    A single sealed cherry hand pie beside ten assembled pastries, ready to be fried until golden brown.
  • Pour 2 inches of vegetable oil into a heavy pot and heat it to 350°F (175°C). Getting the temperature right matters, too cool and they soak up grease, too hot and they brown before the dough cooks through.
  • Working in batches, fry the hand pies for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and cooked through. Turn them gently so they do not split. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack set over paper towels. Let them cool for about 5 minutes, since glaze on a hot donut just slides right off.
    Cherry hand pie donuts frying until golden brown, then lifted from the hot oil using a wire skimmer.
  • Whisk together the 1½ cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon almond extract until smooth.
    Powdered sugar and milk combined in a glass bowl, then whisked together into a smooth white glaze.
  • Dip the top of each hand pie donut into the glaze, or dunk them fully for more coverage, then set them back on the rack to let the glaze set.
    Cherry hand pie donut dipped in glaze beside freshly glazed pastries draining and cooling on a wire rack.

Notes

  1. Biscuit type: use a flaky layers or Grands style biscuit. Small buttermilk biscuits are too little to roll out to 5 inches.
  2. Oil temperature: keep it at 350°F (175°C) between batches. The temperature drops every time you add dough, so let it come back up.
  3. Sealing: crimp with a fork and press firmly. This is the difference between a hand pie and a mess.
  4. Storage: best the day they're made. Leftovers keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
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