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When we were kids, we would have traded these for Oreos. In fact, we remember a friend of our grandmother making apricot hand pies that we decidedly refused over and over.

But now, it's a different story. Now we think these miniature pies are adorable and delicious, a perfect summer snack or fun dessert for a party. They've got just a hint of ginger to spice up the peaches. In short, they're definitely worth the trouble.

Trouble? Well, yes, they're a tiny bit of trouble. Not much, really, but if you ever work with pie dough, you know the butter in it can get soft pretty fast, making it sticky and hard to work with. This recipe calls for manhandling the dough more than usual, so it's important to put anything you're not working with right that minute back in the refrigerator. Not a hard concept; you just want to keep things chilled at all times.

Another note: It is probably easier to make these in two batches, simply because the whole batch of dough can be overwhelming. Go ahead and make the full amount of filling, but keep the dough divided in half and do one batch at a time. Or, make half the amount of filling and freeze half the dough for another day (it's the right amount for a regular pie crust).

We used Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee recipe (link below) for the crust, which we love—so easy to work with.

Peach Ginger Hand Pies
makes 24

For the crust:
one making of Pate Brisee, from Martha Stewart Living

For the filling:
3 large or 4 medium peaches, peeled and cut into small (1/4 inch) pieces (about 2 1/2 cups total)
juice of 1/2 lemon (about 3 teaspoons)
3 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (grating it on a microplane is easiest)
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons half and half or heavy cream
extra sugar for sprinkling

Make the pie dough according to Martha's directions, dividing it into two disks and refrigerating for an hour or so.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the peaches, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and ginger in a bowl and stir to combine. Put in the refrigerator while you prepare the dough.

Bring out one disk of pie dough and let it sit on a flour-dusted counter for a few minutes until it's no longer rock solid. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick—slightly thicker than you would make it for a normal pie crust. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut about 12 circles (you may need to gather the scraps and re-roll to get the last 2 or 3). Set them on a large plate and put them in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes (or freezer for 5).

Prepare a baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Then, taking 2 or 3 dough circles at a time, gently roll them out so that they are 5 to 6 inches in diameter. As you finish, place them on the baking sheet and put the baking sheet in the refrigerator. Continue rolling out a few circles at a time, putting the finished ones on the baking sheet in the refrigerator so that they stay cool (it's fine if they overlap).

**Note: If you have a large cookie or biscuit cutter that is 5 inches across, by all means use it. Just roll out your initial lump of dough until it's 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch thick and cut the circles. The largest biscuit cutter we had was 3 inches, and we found it easier to cut thicker, smaller circles and then roll them individually.

While the dough circles are chilling, take the peaches out of the refrigerator. Set a mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the peaches into it, straining away the excess juice. Return the peaches to the original bowl and add the flour, tossing to coat.

Remove the dough circles from the refrigerator. Working one at a time, put a spoonful of peaches on the front edge of the circle, leaving about a 1/2 inch border. Moisten the edge with water (dabbed on with your finger) and fold the top half of the dough over the peaches, pressing the edges gently to seal. Repeat with remaining dough circles. Remember: You will only use half the filling. The other half is for the second disk of pie dough.

Once you've finished filling, use the tip of a fork to press the edges of each pie. Using a small, sharp knife, cut two small slits in the top of each pie. Brush the tops with the half and half or heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 35 minutes or until the tops begin to brown. Don't worry if some of the filling leaks out.

Allow the pies to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before eating.

Related: Back to Basics Cherry Pie

(Images: Elizabeth Passarella)