Canned Biscuit Pocket Pies

If you love those golden, delicious little pocket pies, the ones you can hold in your hand and eat without a fork, you're going to love this quick recipe.

Whether you love sweet or savory pies, this is one that will work for your next get-together. And best of all, this recipe starts with one simple ingredient that you probably have in your refrigerator right now: canned biscuits.

What are Pocket Pies?

Pocket pies are small pies that (traditionally) were tiny enough to fit into one's pocket. Some people call them hand pies.

In the Spanish culture these are called empanadas. I grew up eating them from a local restaurant. They were stuffed with all sorts of things--from pizza stuffing to Mexican/taco-type offerings.

Of course, they also come in a sweet variety: you can stuff the with apple pie filling, cherry pie filling, or any flavor you enjoy. If you choose to use canned pie filling you can (literally) make this recipe with two ingredients!

For the sake of my recipe I decided to go with sweet, not savory. I'll share the flavor I chose below. (See if you can guess! This is a fruit I use. . .a lot!)

I had my filling idea. But first, to come up with the dough. And I had just the thing in mind!

Can I Really Make Pies Out of Biscuits?

Yes, you can (pun intended)! I've been on a roll, (additional pun intended) making all sorts of things out of canned biscuits. Maybe you saw my Easy Cinnamon Rolls from Canned Biscuits recipe or my Apple Pie Monkey Bread Muffins. Easy-breezy!

Turning biscuits into something special has become something of an endeavor to me! And I plan to add more and more recipes as time goes on, so if you have some ideas, let me know!

Ingredients for These Easy Pocket Pies

(This recipe should make 16, depending on the brand of biscuits you choose. You'll want to make 3-4 per person since they're small.)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE PIES:

• 2 cans of biscuits (any brand). Plain is good! No need to buy biscuits with added butter or extra flaky or anything like that. Just plain old biscuits will do!

FOR THE FILLING:

I went with Bananas Foster filling, and here's what I used to make it:

• 3 bananas
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

This will probably make more than you need but y'all. . .this stuff is delicious all by itself. Or with ice cream. Or baked into a cake, like my Caramel Banana Cake.

How to Make these Quick Pocket Pies

Start by preparing your filling. Put a stick of butter into a skillet and turn on medium heat.

While butter is melting, measure out your brown sugar and slice your bananas.

Add brown sugar to melted butter and stir, then lower heat.

Add bananas to your mix and stir well. While bananas are warming up, chop your walnuts. Add walnuts to the pans.

Simmer until mixture begins to thicken. Set aside to cool

To prepare the biscuits, simply roll them out until they're nearly flat (or, as I did, just thin them out with your fingers).

Place a dollop of the filling into the middle of the stretched biscuit.

Fold the dough over and pinch it down as best you can.

Take a fork and crimp your edges.

Time to cook them!

Fried or Baked? Which is the Better Way to Make Pocket Pies?

That, my friend, is totally up to you. You can fry them in vegetable oil for a couple of minutes (until they turn golden brown), then strain on paper towels.

I chose to bake mine. I already had my oven heated for another project and it just made sense. Besides, I didn't want to have to use up any oil or make a big mess, so baking won out!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it's nice and hot, place your pocket pies on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes.

Once they're golden, you pull them from the oven and cool on a wire rack until they can be handled.

My crimped edges came uncrimped while baking. (This, I suppose, was a hazard of choosing "baking" instead of "frying.") Or maybe it's because I didn't take the time to properly roll my biscuit dough perfectly flat.

I tend to be a little impatient at times.

But, no worries! I fixed 'em! With some fork prongs I added the crimping back to the biscuit edges. Voila! Bananas Foster Pocket Pies!

What to Expect from these Little Pocket Pies

Okay, I'll confess, the filling isn't the prettiest thing I've ever made, but y'all. . .it's so incredibly delicious you won't even care! It's rich and sticky and gooey-gooey, just like I like it!

I only wish I'd taken the time to sprinkle some powdered sugar on these to give an added bit of sugar on the outside. That would've sent them over the top.

Oh! Idea! Next time I make these I should drizzle caramel on top. I think that would be just the ticket!

Sweet or Savory Pocket Pies: Which Should I Make?

Maybe you're reading this post and thinking of what you might like to put in the middle of your pocket pies. Perhaps you can't make up your mind. Let's explore some possibilities!

Here are some ideas for those of you who might be stuck:

SAVORY OFFERINGS:

• Pizza: Combine mozzarella, pasta sauce, and pepperoni, then fold and crimp.
• Taco: ground beef cooked in taco seasoning, grated cheddar, fold and crimp.
• Shredded beef in BBQ sauce: You won't need much. These will be so yummy!
• Chicken, onions, and garlic. Yum!
• Black bean and beef with spices you enjoy.
• Breakfast favorites: scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese
• Spinach and feta: Skip the meat and use your favorite veggies and cheese!

SWEET OFFERINGS:

• Apple pie filling with cinnamon (drizzle with cinnamon glaze when done)
• Cherry pie filling (dip in sweetened cream cheese after they bake)
• Blueberry pie filling (Add lemon zest glaze after they bake.)
• Sweet potato casserole. (Nope, I'm not kidding! If you have leftover sweet pototoes loaded with brown sugar and pecans, you can use those in your pocket pies.)
• Pumpkin pie filling. Yep, that too.
• Chocolate Pie Filling. You'll have to use a thick version for this one to work.

No doubt you're already coming up with ideas of your own. And hopefully your pies will look prettier than mine. Next time I make them I'll take better pictures and post them. For now, enjoy coming up with ideas. Feel free to share them below.

Other Sweet Treats from Out of the Box Baking

If you love the idea of pocket pies, you'll probably love some of these offerings:

Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake: This rich dessert is the best of both worlds--pineapple upside down cake and a rich cobbler.

Easy Doctored Brownie Mix (with mint chocolate): This is a personal favorite. And my son-in-law has instructed me to always bring them to his house when I make them.

Easy Peach Cobbler (with pie crust): You could use peach pie filling in your pocket pies, but you might want to make this tasty (and easy) cobbler, instead!

Delicious apple crisp: If you love a crispy topping, this is the one for you! Use fresh apples or even apple pie filling. Tasty and sweet!

Here's a fun site I found online at Taste of Home called 53 Canned Biscuit Recipes. Fun, right?

That's it for now, y'all. Check out all of my tasty treats on my main page.

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