Southern Hot-Honey Peach Hand Pies

Serves 6 · 30 min prep · 25 min cook

Ingredients

• 3 medium ripe peaches
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 rounds refrigerated pie crusts
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp water
• 3 cups neutral oil for frying
• 3 tbsp hot honey
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

1. 1Peel, pit, and dice the peaches into 1/2-inch pieces. Place them in a saucepan with the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon juice, and salt.
2. 2Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the juices thicken into a glossy jammy filling and the peaches soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely in the fridge, about 20 minutes.
3. 3Unroll the pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Cut six 5-inch circles using a bowl or cutter; re-roll scraps once if needed.
4. 4Spoon cooled peach filling onto the center of each circle, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Do not overfill or they will leak.
5. 5Beat the egg with the water to make a wash. Brush the borders, fold each circle into a half-moon, and crimp firmly with a fork to seal. Cut two tiny steam slits on top of each pie.
6. 6Pour oil into a deep heavy skillet to a depth of about 1 inch and heat to 350°F over medium heat. Check with a thermometer so the crust fries crisp, not greasy.
7. 7Fry the hand pies in batches of two or three, turning once, until deep golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on a wire rack set over a sheet pan.
8. 8While still warm, drizzle each pie with hot honey and dust lightly with powdered sugar. Let the glaze set 2 minutes.
9. 9Serve warm; the crust should shatter and the peach filling should be sticky-sweet with a gentle chili kick from the honey.