These Concord Grape Hand Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches are adapted from Erin McDowell’s new book: The Book on Pie — a perfect treat for anyone who loves pie à la mode.
Table of contents
- Concord Grape Hand Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Concord Grape Hand Pies
- Homemade Concord Grape Jam
- FAQ & Troubleshooting
- Concord Grape Hand Pies
Concord Grape Hand Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Two flaky, jam-filled hand pies joined with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream — that’s what these sandwiches are all about. They combine crispy, buttery pastry with a concentrated Concord grape filling and cold ice cream for an irresistible contrast of textures and temperatures.
This idea and the base recipe come from Erin McDowell’s The Book on Pie. The book is packed with interchangeable techniques and components: dozens of crusts, toppings, and fillings that invite you to experiment. For these sandwiches I used an all-butter pie dough, but you can swap in whole-wheat pie dough, rough puff, or a brown sugar roll-out cookie crust depending on the flavor and texture you want.
Concord Grape Hand Pies
Concord grapes are often relegated to jelly jars and PB&Js, but when cooked down into a jam they deliver a deep, vibrant grape flavor with a pleasant balance of sweet and tart. In-season Concords make especially flavorful jam, but a quality store-bought grape jam will work if Concords are unavailable.
Homemade Concord Grape Jam
Homemade Concord jam is worth the effort. It’s richer and less one-note than supermarket jelly, with real grape character. The recipe below makes roughly the amount needed for the hand pies; if you can’t find fresh Concord grapes, substitute about 1 cup of a high-quality grape jam.
FAQ & Troubleshooting
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes. Pie dough can be made up to 5 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to 3 months — thaw in the fridge before using. The filling can be cooked and refrigerated for up to 2 days; cover it tightly.
My pie dough is dry and crumbly — what happened?
You probably didn’t add enough water. Add liquid a tablespoon at a time until a few tablespoons of the dough compress into a cohesive ball in your palm without crumbling.
My dough is wet and sticky — what now?
You’ve likely added too much water. Sticky dough will be tacky to roll and can make a chewier crust. Next time reduce the water slightly and chill the dough so the flour hydrates evenly.
Why are my hand pies leaking?
Three common causes — overfilling, poorly sealed edges, or lack of vents. Don’t overfill the rounds, wipe the rim clean before sealing, use egg wash and a fork to crimp the edges, and cut small slits in the tops to let steam escape.
Hand pies are portable, simple to serve, and delicious warm, at room temperature, or cold. Turning them into ice cream sandwiches elevates the experience: slice chilled ice cream to fit between two cooled hand pies, press together, and freeze until firm. They freeze and serve beautifully for parties or to keep on hand as a frozen treat.
Below is the streamlined recipe and method adapted for clarity while keeping the original structure and ingredient list intact.
Looking for more pie and tart ideas? Try other recipes in your collection for inspiration.
Concord Grape Hand Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Concord Grape Jam Filling:
- 906 g concord grapes
- 30 g lemon juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 vanilla bean halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 37 g cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Pie Crust:
- 310 g all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 230 g unsalted butter cold, cubed
- 120 g ice water as needed
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
- turbinado sugar for sprinkling
- 2 pints of ice cream for sandwiching
Instructions
To Make the Concord Grape Jam:
-
Squeeze the pulp from the grapes into a medium pot, reserving the skins. Place the skins in a food processor.
-
Cook the pulp over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it simmers and the grapes break down, about 10 minutes.
-
Pulse the reserved skins with lemon juice in the food processor to coarsely chop; set aside.
-
Strain the cooked pulp through a sieve into a bowl, pressing to extract the juice; discard the seeds.
-
Return the strained mixture to the pot, add the chopped skins and cinnamon stick, bring to a gentle simmer, then lower heat and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-
In a bowl, rub the vanilla seeds into the sugar, whisk in the cornstarch and salt, then stir this into the grape mixture. Simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.
-
Spread the filling on a rimmed pan or transfer to a bowl to cool completely. Cover with plastic pressed to the surface to prevent a skin.
To Make the Pie Crust:
-
Whisk flour and salt in a large bowl. Toss cold butter in the flour, then cut or rub the butter in until pieces are about walnut-sized.
-
Make a well, add ice water a few tablespoons at a time, mixing until the dough holds together but is not sticky (about 8 tablespoons total).
-
Divide the dough in half, form each into a 1-inch-thick disc, wrap, and chill at least 1 hour.
To Assemble the Hand Pies:
-
Line two baking sheets with parchment.
-
Roll one disc to ¼-inch thickness, cut 3-inch circles (about 15 total from both discs), and chill the rounds until needed.
-
Spoon about ½ tablespoon filling into each circle, brush edges with egg wash, top with another circle, and crimp edges with a fork.
-
Chill the assembled pies 30 minutes, preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
-
Brush tops with egg wash, sprinkle turbinado sugar, and cut a small vent or X in each pie.
-
Bake 20–25 minutes until deep golden. Cool completely before turning into sandwiches.
-
To assemble sandwiches, flip half the hand pies so the base is up. Slice frozen or slightly softened ice cream into even pieces, place on each base, top with another pie (sugared side up), and freeze until firm.