#Baketogether: Bananas Foster Hand Pies

This month for #baketogether Abby Dodge made something I love...homemade pop tarts. OK, so she called them hand tarts, but, come on, if you go over to her site and look at the pictures for her brown butter apple hand tarts there is really no question what they look like. At least not to me. Her hand tarts are taken to a whole new level with the brown butter crust. It tastes much better than your average crust. At least, that's what my family tells me...

You see, right now I am dealing with a cold. I think today I am starting to see the tail end of it but when I made my version of hand tarts I couldn't taste anything but sweetness and a little banana. However, judging from my family's response I feel confident in saying that my version is really good.

I decided to do a take on bananas foster for my filling. Bananas foster is one of my husband's favorite desserts so for this month's #baketogether I really wanted to make something with him in mind. I also thought that Abby's brown butter crust would pair well with the filling. I topped them with a maple/rum glaze that even I could taste when it was by itself, but once drizzled over the top of the hand pies mellowed quite a bit and blended well with the other flavors.

The only thing I decided not to do from Abby's instructions was to make the rectangle shape for the hand tarts. I really don't like whipping out rulers in the kitchen unless I absolutely have to so I opted to just roll out the dough and use a 41/2 inch round cutter to use for the shape of what I am calling hand pies. This also resulted in a bigger hand pie than Abby's hand tarts. With almost double the filling, and only nine hand pies compared to Abby's 18 hand tarts, my version is much more of something you would serve for dessert. Although, my husband argued that they could be eaten for breakfast as well saying that there are other desserts you eat for breakfast (doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, etc.). While he may have a valid argument I personally think he was just trying to justify the decision he had already made to eat one for breakfast. So make them for dessert, or say you're an adult and have one for breakfast if you want to,  but if you like bananas foster you'll like these hand pies too.

Printable version

Bananas Foster Hand Pies

Adapted from Abby Dodge's recipe for Brown Butter Apple Hand Tarts

(Makes 9 hand pies)

Ingredients for the brown butter dough:

• 16 tablespoons (8 ounces) of unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup (7 ounces) of firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of table salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups (13 1/2 ounces) of unbleached all-purpose flour

Ingredients for the bananas foster filling:

• 3 bananas
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of rum
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Ingredients for assembly:

• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon of water

Ingredients for maple-rum glaze:

• 1/4 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of rum

Directions for the brown butter dough:

1. Put the butter in a large saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until nutty brown and the milk solids are dark brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Slide the pan from the heat and add the brown sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar is almost dissolved, then set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Using your fingertip, check the temperature of the batter—it should be warm but not hot. If it’s hot, set the pan aside for a few more minutes before continuing with the recipe.

2. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until well blended. Add the flour and stir until a smooth, soft dough forms.

3. Arrange two pieces of plastic wrap on the counter and scrape the dough onto the center of one. Divide the dough in half (about 14 3/4 ounces each) and put half on the second piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic as a guide, shape both into 5-inch squares.Wrap in the plastic and set aside at room temperature until firm enough to roll, about 3 hours. (You can pop the dough into the refrigerator for a hour or so, but you don’t want the dough to be too chilled. It would be impossible to roll.)

Directions for the bananas foster filling: 

1. Slice your bananas in half lengthwise and then cut the halves into half lengthwise. Then cut the bananas crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.

2. In a medium non-stick skillet set over medium heat melt the butter. Once the butter is melted add in the sugar, rum, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbling. Add in the bananas and stir to combine. Allow the bananas to cook for about two minutes until they are slightly softened and the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Directions for assembly and baking:

1. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick liners. Put the egg and water in a small bowl and, using a fork, mix until well blended.

2. Working with one piece of dough at a time on a lightly floured piece of parchment (this dough is soft, so the parchment is a must for successful rolling), roll out the dough to be 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 9 circles using a 4 1/2-inch biscuit cutter.  Arrange the pastry circles about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets and cover with plastic. Roll out and cut the second piece of dough as you did the first one.

3. Uncover the dough on one of the cookie sheets. Spoon 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of the filling onto the center of each circle and spread out, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the edges. Using a small pastry brush, brush the edges of each circle with the egg wash. Lay the remaining circles over the filling. Using the tines of a fork, press (or crimp) the pastry edges to seal. Using the tip of a small, sharp knife, cut 2 small slits in the top of each hand pie to let steam escape. Slide the cookie sheets into the fridge while the oven heats up.

4. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

5. Bake, one sheet at a time, until the pies are dark brown on the edges, 19 to 21 minutes. Move the sheet to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the pies from the sheet and set them on a wire rack and let cool until room temperature. 

6. Meanwhile make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and rum, in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Then using a spoon drizzle the glaze over each hand pie. 

7. The pies are best when served at room temperature or slightly warmed.