These Nutella Hand Pies came about after I’d finished making (and semi-devoured) my Almond and Apple Crostata, and I was in the mood for more dessert wrapped in crispy, buttery flaky pastry. From there it was almost too easy to dream up these Nutella parcels. I mean, come on, Nutella in pastry you guys! Yup, yup. Sounded like a match made in heaven to me.

I’m pretty sure you’ll love these Nutella puff pastry twists too

3 nutella hand pies stack on top of one another. The top two are broken in half to show the inside.

What are hand pies?

If you haven’t heard of hand pies, then you’ve been missing out. They are exactly what they sound like – cute little pies you can hold in one hand (aka perfect as dessert finger food or dessert on the run) and can be made with a wide range of fillings.

These ones have gooey Nutella and hazelnuts and it’s that perfect combo of soft centre with some added crunch that takes these over the top. I also have a recipe for delicious peach hand pies.

A batch of nutella hand pies surrounded by hazelnuts and nutella on a sheet of baking paper

Quick and easy flaky pastry

You truly need to try this pastry to believe it. It’s crispy and flaky from all the perfect layers inside and it takes literally 5 minutes to make. I’m not even kidding. The less attention you give it, the better and it will turn out perfect every single time.

What I mean by this is that it’s best to work quickly and don’t over-process or over-knead this dough. Why? It’s the cold butter that makes this pastry so flaky. As they bake, the steam releases and creates all those crispy layers.

Here’s a few tips to make sure you get the perfect flaky pie crust too.

  • Use all your ingredients COLD, straight from the fridge. If it’s the height of summer, you can put it all in the fridge for 15 minutes first (including the flour). Cold = good.
  • Don’t pulse for too long in the processor – you want it to look crumbly, not like a solid dough. You should see small bits of butter still.
  • Use your hands as little as possible or the dough will warm up. Just gently press the processed dough until it holds together, flatten into a disk and wrap in baking paper before the next step.
  • Make sure to place the dough in the fridge for half an hour before rolling it out. This gives that all important butter some time to get nice and cold again.
  • Move quickly (especially in warmer weather) – This pastry is the work of mere minutes.I swear.
  • Don’t skip the second chill – once the hand pies are made up, put them into the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Once again, it’s all about making sure that butter is cold.

Birdseye view of a batch of nutella hand pies on a sheet of white baking paper. Hazelnuts are scattered around and a spoon of nutella

Now that we’ve covered off the important stuff there are just a couple of ingredients left

  1. Nutella (duh)  – for gooey nutella-ness
  2. Crushed hazelnuts – for crunch and to echo one of the main nutella ingredients
  3. A beaten egg yolk
  4. Demerara / turbinado sugar – a little extra crunch and sparkle

How to serve hand pies

Nutella hand pies can be served hot, room temperature or even cold. They don’t need anything else (except maybe a cuppa and a comfy chair).

They’ll keep just fine in an airtight container in a cool spot, like the pantry for 4-5 days. The pastry will soften the longer they’re kept, however, the sugar on top and the hazelnuts will always give a satisfying crunch. Or you could heat them in the oven again for 10 minutes to crisp the pastry up again.

Closeup of a pile of nutella hand pies with one broken openThese Nutella Hand Pies, and even the pastry on it’s own, are an absolute must for you to try. Who doesn’t love a mini pie, right?

More recipes you’ll love

A batch of nutella hand pies surrounded by hazelnuts and nutella on a sheet of baking paper
4.7 from 3 ratings
These easy Nutella Hand Pies are filled with soft, gooey nutella and crunchy hazelnuts. With the best ever sweet flaky pastry from scratch, these hazelnut and chocolate hand pies are irresistible.
This recipe requires resting time for the pastry dough.

Ingredients

For the pastry: (see notes)

  • 115 g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled (1 stick / ½ cup)
  • 150 g plain (all purp) flour (1 cup + 1 tablespoon)
  • 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons ice water (notes)

For the filling:

  • ¼ cup Nutella
  • 1 tablespoon hazelnuts (notes)
  • 1 egg yolk, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons demerara (turbinado) sugar

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Instructions
 

To make the flaky pastry:

  • Place the flour, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until it looks like lumply sand. Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse between each until the dough just starts clumping together
  • Turn the dough out onto a sheet of baking paper and just gently pull it together – don’t knead it too much (see notes)
  • Shape the dough into a rough disk, wrap it up in the baking paper and for at least 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 200C / 395F / 180C fan forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  • Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about 3mm thick.
  • Use a cookie cutter to cut out 24 circles (roughly 5-6cm / 2-2.5 inches round). Place half the circles on the baking tray.
  • Put 1 teaspoon of Nutella into the centre of one of the shapes then sprinkle over a few of the chopped hazelnuts so they sit on top of the Nutella.
  • With your finger, run a light line of water around the edge of the pastry shape. Place another piece over the top and press down lightly around the edge. Crimp the edges together with a fork all the way round.
  • If you want to neaten the edges, you can press the cookie cutter down again to cut off any excess pastry.
  • Use the fork to poke a hole in the top of each.
  • Combine the egg yolk with a dash of water and mix well. Brush the tops of the pies with beaten egg then sprinkle with demerara sugar.
  • Place the tray in the fridge to chill for a further 10 minutes.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Notes

  1. I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (= 4 teaspoons worldwide)
  2. If you don’t feel like making your own pastry, you could use store bought sweet puff pastry.
  3. Once you turn the dough out onto a board you don’t want to knead it too much or you will cause the butter to melt. The crispiest results will come from keeping the dough as cold as possible at all times before baking.
  4. For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
For more pies and tarts, click here
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.

Some nutella hand pies stacked up on a sheet of baking paper. The top one is broken in half.