Preparation

• Pie Crust - Remove the individually wrapped pie crusts from the box and set them on the counter to bring them to room temperature.
• Baking Pan - Cut a piece of parchment paper that will fit in the bottom of the baking sheet pan. Lay the parchment paper inside the pan and set aside.
• Egg Wash - In a small bowl, add an egg and water. Whisk together and set aside.

FOR THE FIRST BATCH:

Crust

• On a large cutting board, add a light dusting of flour. Also, dust a rolling pin with flour.
• When the pie crust is at room temperature, remove it from the wrapping and set it onto the floured cutting board.
• Unroll the pie crust and use a rolling pin to spread out the dough evenly in the middle and on all sides to make the dough a little thinner.

  A rolling pin is used to spread out the premade dough to thin it out just a little. This way the ratio of crust to pie filling is balanced rather than the crust being too thick for such a small pie.

Dough

• About the Amount of Pie Dough - This recipe should make 14 hand pies. Each premade rolled pie dough should make 7 hand pies.

  And for 7 hand pies, there are 7 larger circles for the top, and 7 smaller circles for the bottom of the pies (14 circles in total for 7 pies; and 28 circles in total for 14 pies).
• Cutting the Dough - From the rolled pie dough, cut out 7 larger circles and as many of the smaller circles as you can.
• Cut the circles of dough as close as possible to one another to minimize the amount of dough scraps you'll need to roll for additional cuts.

  TOP of each hand pie = LARGE circles; BOTTOM of each hand pie = SMALL circles
• Transfer the cut circles onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet pan.
• Next, with the rolling pin, roll out the scraps that are left over so that the thickness is the same as before. And cut as many circles as possible out of the dough.
• Continue this process until there are 7 larger size, and 7 smaller size circles. Transfer the remaining cut pieces of dough onto the lined baking sheet pan.

Egg Wash - Seal the Edges of the Pie Dough

• Using a pastry brush, apply the egg wash on the outside edges of the LARGER SIZE CIRCLES (the pie crusts that go on top).
• Set the egg wash aside for use later.

Cherry Pie Filling

• To each of the small size pie crusts (bottom of the pie), in the middle add about a tablespoon of pie filling with 3 to 4 cherries.

  If the cherries aren't too big, add 4 of them along with the cherry glaze.
• For this recipe (makes 14 hand pies) at minimum, 42 cherries are needed (minimum of 3 cherries per hand pie). 

  I used a can of Comstock pie filling which had about 69 cherries in the "regular" can and about 10% more in the can marked "10% more fruit".  But the sizes of the cherries may vary.

Seal and Crimp Edges of Pie Dough

• For each hand pie, turn the top piece of dough (larger size) over so that the egg washed sides are facing down and place it centered on top of the cherry pie filling.
• Then adjust the edges of the top piece of dough onto the bottom piece of dough so that they fit together evenly.
• With your fingers, lightly pinch the top and bottom edges of the dough together so that the edges are sealed.
• Crimp (finish/decorate/seal) the edges of each pie with the tip of a fork or your preferred method. Make sure the edges are completely sealed.

Make Slits on Each Pie

• Using a small knife with a sharp tip, make 3 small separate slits on the top of each pie.

Egg Wash - On Top of the Pies

• Brush the egg wash on the top and edges of each pie. If the egg wash happens to cover up any of the slits, use the same knife to cut through the egg wash within the same slits previously made.

Top Pies with Sanding Sugar

• Sprinkle sanding sugar on top and around the edges of each pie.

Bake

• Bake in a preheated oven (at 425 degrees F.) until the pie crust turns a golden color (about 16 to 18 minutes).

  Some of the pie filling may come out of the slits on top of the pies. 
• Let cool before serving (the pie filling will be very hot).

FOR THE SECOND BATCH:

• While the first batch of hand pies is baking, make the second batch of pies by repeating the process above.

Serve

• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• These pies are best if served fairly close to after they're made when the sugar topping is still slightly crispy.