Sweet potato hand pies are a toaster oven treat that’s perfect for the holidays. They’re everything you love about sweet potato pie in little hand-held portions.
Whole pies are pretty great but mini sweet potato hand pies are sooooo much better. They’re basically, ALL the tasty flavors of a big ol’ slice of sweet potato pie in tiny individual portions.
And you get to eat them with your hands!
Making the filling is the perfect way to use up a leftover toaster oven-baked sweet potato. Just scoop the flesh out and give it a good mash. Stir in a few spices, brown sugar (don’t be shy about adding more if you like your pies sweeter) and some chopped pecans, too.
In our house we’ve always made hand pies using store-bought dough so they’re ready in no time. And truthfully, my homemade pie dough skills are pretty weak.
Is homemade pie dough your kryptonite, too?
Then, the premade stuff will make you feel like a rock star. It’s buttery, flaky, and pretty hard to ruin.
That said, I did notice some things I could have done a bit better making our pies:
- Next time I’d pay more attention to how thick the dough is rolled. The filling to dough ratio was a tiny bit off.
- The dough was a little more crumbly than flaky. That’s probably because it was over 90 degrees the day I baked them. If your house is really warm pop the pan in the fridge for 20 minutes to let the butter in the crust firm up before baking.
- Feeling adventurous I tried sealing the dough edges a few different ways. Pressing with a fork was easiest and did the best job so I’d just stick with it next time.
But the real secret to tasty toaster oven hand pies isn’t in the pie dough.
It’s baking a single mini pie first.
Just like when baking toaster oven cookies, baking a “test pie” is the easiest way to find the best cooking time and temperature for your specific toaster oven.
Then you can adjust the recipe based on your test, pop the remaining hand pies in to bake and rest easy that they’ll all turn out perfect. Pssst…I promise not to tell if you eat the cooked one while waiting!
And if you’ve been avoiding your toaster oven’s convection function this is a great recipe to start with. The convection will cook them a little faster and the crusts will be beautifully light and golden.
Along with a batch or two of sweet potato nachos and pumpkin spice cookies, these hand pies would be a fun addition to any holiday family gathering or office potluck.
If you cut into your sweet potato and it’s white inside, don’t panic! That happens sometimes.
I can’t wait to make them with my nephew during the holidays. He’s going to love rolling out and filling the dough. While my sister will get to enjoy the lack of dirty silverware and plates when we serve them!
Planning a dinner party and need some inspiration?
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Tip: We recommend you learn how to parboil sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potato Hand Pies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Pre-made Pie Crust thawed as directed on package
- Flour for rolling
- 1/2 cup Cooked Mashed Sweet Potato or canned sweet potato puree
- 2 tablespoons Packed Brown Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- pinch of Fine Sea Salt
- 2 tablespoons Chopped Pecans
- 2 teaspoons Turbinado Sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Adjust your toaster oven’s cooking rack to the middle position and preheat to 400°F or 375°F for convection toaster ovens. Lightly grease a quarter sheet pan or line with a silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl combine the mashed sweet potato, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pecans. Taste and add more sugar or spices as desired.
- Unroll pie crust onto a lightly floured surface and roll to a 1/8-inch thickness.
- Use a 3.5-inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles from the dough. Reroll dough scraps to make more rounds.
- Spoon 2 teaspoons of filling onto one side of each round. Fold the un-topped dough over the filling side and press the edges with a fork to seal well. Cut two ½-inch vents in the top of each pie to release steam during baking.
- Lightly brush top of pies with half and half or cream and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake until golden brown, about 11 to 13 minutes.
- Move baked pies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve warmed or chilled. They taste great dipped in whipped cream.