Chef notes
Hand pies are the perfect portable sweet. Using store-bought dough is a great shortcut, but if you're a baker, by all means make a batch from scratch before filling. These are stuffed with sweet ripe blueberries, but you can mix your berries or choose your favorite for the filling.
Technique tip: For cream infused with fresh herbs, bring the cream and herbs to a low simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes to overnight. Strain out fresh herbs. Completely chill the cream. Once chilled follow the remaining recipe steps.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups blueberries
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 box refrigerated ready-to-bake pie crust dough (2 rolls)
- all-purpose flour, for your work surface
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 5 sprigs fresh lavender or 1/3 cup of mint leaves (optional)
Preparation
For the pies:
1.Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2.In a medium bowl, stir together the blueberries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until evenly combined.
3.Unroll one pie crust at a time. On a lightly floured surface, roll out your pie crust to a rectangle shape. Cut into six rectangles or free-form shapes.
4.Place 1 to 2 tablespoons into the center of each and pinch the sides closed. The filling should fit snugly in the folded over pie crust without any open spaces. Repeat with the second roll of dough and filling until 12 hand pies are complete.
5.Place hand pies onto parchment-lined sheet pans, 6 pies per pan. Pierce the top of each hand pie with a knife for a small vent. One roll of dough will make 6 pies. Place the sheet pans into the freezer for 30 minutes or up to 1 month until ready to bake.
6.Preheat oven to 400 F.
7.Remove sheet pans from the freezer and coat each hand pie with the egg wash. Sprinkle sugar generously over each. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Cool before serving.
For the whipped cream:
Using a handheld mixer or whisk, combine the heavy cream and powdered sugar and whip until medium-stiff peaks. If you want to flavor it, mix in lavender or mint.
Serve in a bowl with a spoon next to the hand pies.
