Rustic Blueberry Hand Pies

Yes, I’m still on a berry bender. These buttery, golden pies are (over-)stuffed with jammy, bursting blueberries.

I love “rustic”. It turns something knobbly and handmade into something artisinal and lovely.

So here, we have rustic hand pies – charming, if lumpy and irregular.

The crust is a gorgeous all-butter pastry. It takes only a minute to whip up in a food processor, but it is infinitely better if you let it chill overnight in the fridge – flakier, more tender, and easier to work with – so I recommend planning ahead by a day.

It’s Deb’s recipe from her Smitten Kitchen cookbook. I’ve had more success with her formula (by weight) than I have with any other.

I froze the pies right away once cool – we have been rewarming them in the oven for a breakfast worth waking up for.

I’m practicing the art of blogging while baby naps in my arms. And… he just woke up! So short and sweet! XO

Ingredients

For Pastry:

• 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup (225 grams/2 sticks) cold butter, cut in 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup ice cold water

For Filling

• 3 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

For assembling:

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp water

For icing:

• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp water

Preparation

For Pastry:

1. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse a few times. Sprinkle butter over top and pulse until butter pieces are about the size of peas. Scatter ice water over and pulse again a few times until a shaggy dough forms.
2. Turn dough out onto a floured counter. Gather the dough into two cohesive lumps of equal size and pat them into discs. Wrap dough discs in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for at least two hours.

For filling:

1. In a medium bowl, toss blueberries with corn starch, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest.

To assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Working with one disc at a time, roll dough into a rectangle (approximately 16″ by 11″ wide). Trim edges to make straight lines. Use a knife or pastry wheel to cut dough crosswise into 5 equal strips.
3. Place 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of blueberries on one end of each dough strip, then fold over and pinch edges to seal. Use a sharp paring knife to cut two 1″ slits in the tops of each pie. Transfer pies to parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with second disc of dough.
4. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk with 2 tsp water. Brush pies with the egg wash. Bake pies for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

To make icing:

1. Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and water. Drizzle over warm pies in a zigzag fashion.

Last Updated on July 22, 2013 by Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD