Pepperoni pizza in the palm of your hand, literally! These pizza pockets are like your personal hot pocket, but homemade. Think of them like a calzone, but with a much flakier crust.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
When most people think of cake, they think of something sweet. However, I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth, so I usually crave something savory.
These are easy to make and make a great dinner with a salad, or you can serve them up as a hearty game day appetizer. However you serve them, they will be a hit.
Homemade Pie Crust vs. Store Bought
I’m not an advocate of homemade vs. store-bought pie crust for recipes like this. Almost every time I make an authentic full pie, I make a homemade crust, following a recipe like this Perfect Pie Crust. But store-bought crust is generally easier to work with and readily available.
Either is absolutely fine for this recipe, so use your preference! To make life easier I used Pillsbury Pie Crusts for this version. Make sure they’re well thawed before attempting to work with them, and feel free to re-roll them once to use as much of the crust as possible.
Filling the pizza pockets
I kept the fillings simple for this version, but you can turn any version of pizza into a hand pie like this! Just remember to keep fill levels under control. If you overfill the hand pies, they’ll explode in the oven, leaving you with a big hand pie mess on your, well, hands.
Assuming you want to try my pepperoni pizza option, be sure to follow the amounts I give for each ingredient so you don’t overfill.
If you fall in love with this concept, try pairing buffalo chicken and smoked gouda or broccoli and cheddar.
Sealing the Hand Pies
You want to make sure these hand pies are sealed well so they don’t pop open. I recommend using egg wash for this as it creates a really strong seal. Simply use your fingers to lightly brush the crust around the edges, then knead the dough together.
Secret of the golden brown crust
Many traditional cakes, sweet or not, take 45 to 60 minutes to bake and get a super golden crust in that time. These hand pies take a lot less time in the oven, which means they won’t brown as much without help.
To get that golden brown crust, I like to brush it with some egg wash. You should also use the egg rinse to ensure the hand patties are completely sealed.
The egg wash doesn’t alter the taste of the hand pies in any way, it just gives them a little extra crunch and a nice shiny golden brown exterior.
Freezing your pizza pockets
If you want to freeze these hand pies, I recommend baking them first, letting them cool completely, and then packaging and freezing them in airtight containers. They will freeze great for a couple of months. To keep the crust flaky, heat in a 325°F oven for 20 minutes until thawed and the cheese is melted.
More ways to get your pizza fix!
- Tin pizza for meat lovers
- Cauliflower Crust Hawaiian Pizza
- Spinach Artichoke Sheet Pan Pizza
- Pizza with mozzarella and tomato pan
- Sheet metal pizza with roasted cauliflower and vegetables
Pepperoni Pizza Pockets
ingredients
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2 (9-inch) pie crusts, homemade or store-bought
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1/3 cup pizza sauce, homemade or store-bought
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1 to 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
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1/2 cup diced hot peppers
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2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
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1 egg plus 1 tablespoon of water, for the egg wash
method
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Heat Oven to 375°F:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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Roll out and cut out the dough:
Roll out your pie crust on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8-inch thick. If you’re using store-bought crust, make sure it’s thawed before rolling it out.
Use a 6-inch round to cut circles out of the pie crust. (I use a 6-inch tortilla as a guide for mine; a saucepan lid of the same size would work, too.) You should get 3 hand patties out of each pie crust, but you’ll probably have to re-roll the crust to grab the last ones.
Place the pie crust rounds on the baking sheet.
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Fill the pizza pockets:
The key to making hand cakes like these is not to overfill them while making sure they have enough filling to feel rich. Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of pizza sauce, followed by 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella (you can see it), followed by 1 tablespoon of diced pepperoni and a sprinkling of fresh basil to each circle of pie dough. Be sure to leave a 1/2-inch margin around the fillings for easier sealing.
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Seal pizza pockets:
Brush a thin layer of egg wash around the edges of the hand patty and fold over. Seal the hand pie completely by either pressing down on the rim with a fork or pinching the rim between your fingers. Poke a few holes in each hand pie with a fork to allow steam to escape.
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Bake hand pies:
Brush the hand pies with egg yolk and bake for 20 minutes until the pie crust is golden brown. Some of the filling may ooze out of the cakes, but that’s okay.
Allow the cakes to cool slightly before serving.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and reheated in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Plus, these pizza pockets can be assembled ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you need to bake them.
They freeze best after they’ve baked and cooled. Once frozen, reheat in a 325°F oven for about 20 minutes or until warmed through.
