Jam-filled Hand Pies

1 ¾ cups flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

¾ cup cold butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

2-4 Tbps. Milk

6 Tbsp. jam (I used homemade raspberry jam)

Stir flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until it looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in egg and sprinkle in one tablespoon of milk at a time into flour mixture just until the dough comes together. Knead gently a few times until the dough holds together and can be rolled. Roll about 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut with large cookie cutter hearts or make rectangles or squares using a knife or a small baking rotary blade. Cut pairs of the same size and shape. Spread jam onto the middle of half of the cutouts. Moisten edges of the jam side of the pastry and place a matching pastry cutout on top. Seal edges by pressing with a fork. Brush tops with milk. Bake on a parchment papered cookie sheet for about 17 minutes (oven may vary) or until the tops begin turning golden.

You can also cut out hearts (or whatever seasonal shape) and attach them with milk to the tops of pastries to make them decorative. They can also be glazed for decoration.

Better Homes and Gardens, Feb 2019 p.97

Cake Donuts

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg

2 Tbsp. melted butter

½ cup milk

1 beaten egg

Oil for frying, about a quart

Heat oil in a deep pan to 375*. (For my stove it was about medium-low.) Stir or sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix in butter until crumbly. Stir in the milk and egg until smooth. Knead lightly a few times on a floured flat surface. Roll out to ¼ inch thick and cut with either a donut cutter or large and smaller round cutters. Drop into hot oil and turn over once when golden. Drain on paper towels.

I rolled half of mine in a cinnamon and sugar mix. The other half I glazed with a milk, powdered sugar and almond extract glaze and immediately applied some Valentine sprinkles on top.