Summer fruits are the best fruits. Berries, stone fruit, watermelon. They’re all so sweet and juicy and quenching. Perhaps the blistering heat and humidity make them all the more enjoyable. Either way, I am grateful.

These little hand pies are perfect as an on the go snack or desert. Cherries and peaches are tossed with lemon zest and juice, fresh basil, honey and ricotta, and then wrapped up in phyllo dough for a thin and flaky bite. It’s a mess of creamy sweet goodness that you just can’t pass up.

I think this mixture would be just as delicious in an actual pie crust: maybe mix the ricotta the with the honey, basil and zest, place it in the bottom, then top it off with the fruit and cover with another crust layer? I’ve made a really good crust in the past using oats that I think would work marvelously with this filling. But with just the two of us here at the house, we have no need for a whole pie lounging around teasing our senses; hence the hand pies.

So whether you’ve got some fruit to use up or are simply looking to experiment, give these a try and add some extra fruit in your day.

Peach & Cherry Hand Pies with Ricotta, Basil and Lemon Zest

Serves 4

1 peach, chopped

1 cup cherries, pitted and quartered

3/4 cup ricotta

zest and juice of 1 lemon

4 large basil leaves

Drizzle of honey

Spinach

Sheets of phyllo dough, thawed

Pinch of salt

-Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

-Using halved sheets of phyllo, Lay out 1 sheet and lightly brush with olive oil. Layer the second sheet on top and brush with more oil. Then layer a third and brush again. Make 4 of these.

-Place a few spinach leaves in the middle of each phyllo square and dollop about 1/4 cup of fruit mixture on top. Fold the four sides up and over onto the middle, and lightly seal using a bit more oil. Repeat with remaining 3.

-Lightly brush/spray oil on top so they get a little brown on top.

-Bake in the oven at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

-Let cool before eating. Eat cold or hot!

Quick Tips

Pitting Cherries//I found it best to run your knife through the cherry and around the pit, circling it once first, and then rotate so to run your knife around again to produce quarters. Two to three of the quarters should break off easily, and you’ll have to tear the pit out of the last one.

Oil vs Butter//you could also brush butter instead of oil on the pyllo sheets but because I used full fat ricotta, I wanted to control the saturated fat content so I used olive oil instead. Coconut oil would also do well here.

Looking for some other pie ideas for the summer? Check out the posts below for more nourishing inspiration!