Chocolate-Cherry Hand Pies

To prepare the hand pie dough circles, roll dough out into a 12- to 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Using a four-inch cookie cutter, cut out 12 rounds. Transfer the cut rounds onto a baking parchment– or silicone mat–lined cookie sheet. Repeat with the second chilled pie dough. Refrigerate the prepped dough rounds while you prepare the filling. Place cherries, sugar, arrowroot, almond extract, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together with a spoon until well combined. Mash the cherries gently with the back of the spoon to release their juices. Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and leave to sit for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Remove the sheets of chilled dough rounds from the refrigerator. Mound about five to six cherries on top of each dough round on one cookie sheet, leaving about a quarter-inch border. Place a small bit of chocolate atop each mound of cherries. Cover each cherry and chocolate mound with the remaining 12 dough rounds. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork to seal. Beat the egg yolk with the milk. Brush lightly over the top of each pie. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crusts are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes before serving.   From Handmade Gatherings by Ashley English © 2014 by Ashley English. Photographs © 2014 by Jen Altman. Reprinted by arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boston, MA. www.roostbooks.com