In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor.

Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and scatter over the flour. Pulse briefly until the mixture forms large crumbs and some of the butter is pea sized.

Add the water and pulse for several seconds until the dough begins to come together but is not totally smooth. You should still see butter chunks.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and press it into a square about ½ to 1 inch thick. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Place the mesh sieve over a medium bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer until the cherries have softened and released their juices.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture through the prepared sieve. Allow the cherries to drain.

Pour the cherry juices back into the saucepan, leaving the cherries in the sieve over the bowl. Bring the juices to a bowl and then cook until the juices have reduced to ⅓ cup. Remove from the heat.

Combine the cornstarch and the water in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the juices and return the saucepan to the heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and glossy, about 5 minutes.

Remove the mixture from the heat. Whisk in the cinnamon, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Add the cherries and stir to combine. Refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to a 12-inch square.

Use a large Mickey Mouse shaped cookie cutter to cut out the pie shapes. Depending on the size of the cookie cutter, you should have 6-8 cutouts, making 3-4 hand pies. Cover and refrigerate the dough cutouts until you’re ready to assemble the hand pies.

Remove the dough cutouts and the cherry filling from the refrigerator. Place a spoonful of cherry filling into the center of 3-4 Mickey Mouse cutouts, and 1-2 cherries in the ears. Leave a clear border around edges.

Brush a little water around the border, then place a second Mickey Mouse cutout on top of the cutout with the cherry filling. Press it down gently to adhere the pieces of dough together. Use a form to crimp the edges of each hand pie. Place the pies in the freezer.

Place the oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Heat over medium-high heat to 350 F. Line a sheet pan with paper towels.

Remove the hand pies from the freezer and place 1-2 pies into the oil, depending on the size of your pot.

Cook until the hand pies are deep golden brown all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked hand pies to the paper towel lined sheet pan.

While the pies are cooling, combine the sugar, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Transfer the glaze to a piping bag and pipe a drizzle of glaze over each hand pie. Let the glaze set, about 5 minutes, and serve. The pies are best eaten the same day.