Blueberry Hand Pies was the first bake along recipe that I tried and I am sure glad I did! I have been wanting to participate in King Arthur Flour’s Bake Along since they started it in 2016. I am sure this will be one of my favorites of the many bake alongs I plan to participate in going forward.

I usually don’t follow a recipe precisely, but since this is a bake along I figured I probably should. So I did. The ONLY change I would make to these blueberry hand pies (and it’s definitely a personal change because I like things on the sweeter side) would be to add a bit of sugar to the crust. The crust is great, don’t get me wrong. It’s the flakiest crust I have ever made, but there is zero sweetness. I am usually not a fan of dessert crusts that don’t have any sugar. Some people are though. If you are, you will love this recipe as is. If you are like me, 1/4 cup of sugar ought to do it.

Of course, everyone loved these hand pies. My husband agreed with the crust needing a little sweetness, but my children loved it as is. They actually split the last one and ate it with their breakfast the next morning.

How to make Blueberry Hand Pies

Ok, let’s start with the filling. I like to start with the filling so that it can cool down by the time the dough is ready. I am using fresh blueberries, but frozen blueberries can also be used. You can even use other berries like strawberries. They definitely don’t have to be blueberry hand pies. They can be strawberry hand pies, peach hand pies, raspberry hand pies. Whatever you like. Even chocolate!

Start by placing blueberries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat a bit and then cook for about 5 minutes until liquid evaporates and the mixture thickens.

Set your blueberries aside to cool while you work on the crust.

How to make the crust

The original recipe has you working everything in by hand using either a fork or a pastry tool. I like to use my food processor for dough so only to cut the butter in did I use my food processor. I was very careful not to over process the mixture. You want to be left with pretty large pieces of butter.

Once I pulsed everything in the food processor, I transferred the mixture to a bowl and added the sour cream.

Next, I mixed everything with a wood spoon and my hand until the mixture came together.

Then you want to turn everything out onto your mat to knead a bit and then roll out.

I am using a mat that has measurements, but you can also use a ruler. If you are really good you can eye it :).

First, roll it into an 8″ x 10″ rectangle. You then want to dust both sides of the dough with flour. Starting with a shorter end, fold it in three like a business letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it out again into another 8″ x 10″ rectangle. Fold it in three like a business letter one more time.

Wrap it in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Once your dough is ready, roll it out into a 14″ x 14″ square. With a knife or pizza cutter or something like it, cut it into 3 1/2 inch squares. You can clean up your edges if you like. I am ok with rough edges and those will be my bottom pieces anyway.

Place 8 squares that will be your bottoms onto your parchment lines baking sheet and brush them with an egg wash. This will help the tops adhere to the bottoms.

Next, take your cooled filling and scoop a couple of tablespoons onto each square.

Take your remaining squares and cut vents into them. I did a simple vent here, but you can get real creative and cut out a heart or a star or some other interesting shape. Just be sure not to make your vent toot large or your filling could escape during baking.

Please the tops onto your your bottoms and press the edges with a fork. Careful not to press too hard. You really only want the tines of your fork to indent the top and the pressure to help the top stick to the bottom.

Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. You can probably even use turbinado sugar.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden.

These blueberry hand pies came out so good!

By far, the flakiest crust I have ever made.

I made a few changes to the recipe for these blueberry hand pies after making it as written like adding sugar to the crust and adjusting the temp so feel free to make it how it was originally intended and then make adjustments based on your taste. Make them your own. You don’t even have to use blueberries. I am not a fan of cherries, but if I were making these strictly for my hubby I would certainly opt to use them in this recipe!

Blueberry Hand Pies

Delicious blueberry filling inside of an Incredibly flakey crust.

Ingredients

Pastry Dough

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 sugar
1 cup cold unsalted butter 16 tablespoons
1/2 cup cold sour cream

Filling

2 cups blueberries
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping

1 large egg beaten
2 tablespoons white sparkling sugar optional, for garnish

Instructions

To make the pastry dough: Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Add the butter, working it in to make a coarse/crumbly mixture. Leave most of the butter in large, pea-sized pieces. You can also do this part with your food processor, making sure not to over process the dough. You want your butter to stay in pretty large chunks.
Add the sour cream, and stir until the mixture starts to come together. Turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead it a few times until it comes together.
Pat the dough and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Dust both sides of the dough with flour and then fold it in three.
Give the dough a 90° turn and roll it again into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Fold it in three once more.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
To make the filling: Rinse and drain your blueberries. Place berries in a saucepan. And your cornstarch, sugar, salt, and lemon juice and stir it into your berries.
Cook on medium-high heat, stirring until the liquid in the bottom of the pan comes to a simmer. Reduce to medium and continue to cook, continuing to stir, until the mixture starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked berries to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (The original recipe says 425, but I believe my oven gets hotter than most so 400 was perfect for me).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To assemble the pies: Roll the dough into a 14" x 14" square. With a straight edge and pastry wheel, cut out sixteen 3 1/2" squares.
Divide the filling among eight of the squares, using about 2 tablespoons for each. Brush some of the beaten egg along the edges of each filled square.
Use a knife to cut a vent into each of the remaining eight squares.
Top each filled square with a vented square, and press along the edges with the tines of a fork to seal.
Brush the top of each pie with the remaining beaten egg, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
Bake the pies for 18 to 20 minutes, until they're a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and let cool for 20 minutes before serving.