Blueberry Hand Pies Recipe

Name: Blueberry Hand Pies
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 125 min
Ingredients: For the crust; 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold; 6 ounces cream cheese, cold; 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 6 tablespoons ice cold water; For the filling; 2 cups blueberries, divided; 1/3 cup granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; For finishing and the glaze; 1 large egg; 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, optional; 2 tablespoons blueberry purée (reserved from filling); 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar; Milk or water, as needed

In This Recipe

Swapping Out the Berries
Pie Crust Tips and Tricks
Baking with Frozen Berries
Making Ahead
How to Store Hand Pies

Hand pies are portable and fun to serve at small parties, bake sales, potlucks, picnics, barbecues—pretty much anytime, anywhere. These blueberry hand pies have a flaky, buttery crust and are bursting with berry flavor. Their rectangular shape and bright and cheery glaze are reminiscent of a Pop-Tart—only much, much better.

Easier to make than a traditional blueberry pie, these hand pies come together and bake quicker, too. They’re great served warm or at room temperature, making them perfect for all of your summer gatherings.

Swapping Out the Berries

While this recipe calls for blueberries, other berries such as strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries can easily be substituted. Just use an equal amount of berries in place of the blueberries.

Since each of these berries has a slightly different water and sugar content, you may want to adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste and look for visual cues to see when the berries are cooked down to the right thickness (glossy and coats a spoon). I don’t recommend substituting other types of (non-berry) fruit in this recipe.

Blueberry Hand Pies (One Broken in Half) on a Parchment Paper Lined Baking Sheet With Bowl of Glaze and Blueberries Sprinkled Around the Hand Pies — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Pie Crust Tips and Tricks

Pie crust can be intimidating for some, but this one comes together in just a few minutes and with very few ingredients. Plus, the flaky and tender crust can all be made by hand in one bowl—no special equipment required.

The key here is to keep everything as cold as possible and to work quickly. When rolling out the dough, make sure to lightly flour your surface to ensure the dough doesn’t stick. The rectangular shape of these hand pies minimizes the scraps when cutting the pie dough, so there’s no need to re-roll.

Baking with Frozen Berries

During the peak of summer, if you can get your hands on fresh, sweet blueberries, they will make the most delicious hand pies. However, if you’re using frozen berries, you can use the berries straight from the freezer; do not thaw them before using.

When using frozen berries, increase the amount of cornstarch in the filling to 1 1/2 tablespoons to account for some of the water content the fruit releases as it thaws.

Blueberry Hand Pies (Some Glazed, Some Not Glazed) on a Cooling Rack With Blueberries Sprinkled Around the Hand Pies, and Next to the Cooling Rack, a Bowl of Glaze and a Lavender Kitchen Towel — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Making Ahead

The crust and filling can be made ahead of time. Tightly wrapped pie dough will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before you use it. The blueberry pie filling can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

You can also assemble the pies up to the point right before egg washing the top and freeze all or some of the prepared pies on a baking sheet. Once frozen, the unbaked hand pies can be wrapped individually and transferred to a freezer bag.

When you’re ready to bake, arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and continue with the recipe (brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar). Bake from frozen and add about 10 minutes to the total bake time.

How to Store Hand Pies

Blueberry hand pies are best eaten the day they’re baked for optimal taste and texture. However, they will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. To enjoy them warm, the un-glazed pies can be reheated in a 350°F oven for a few minutes until heated through.

Blueberry Treats

Blueberry Hand Pies

Prep Time 40 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Chill Time: 60 mins

Total Time 2 hrs 5 mins

Servings 8 servings

Yield 8 hand pies

If you are using frozen berries, do not thaw them. Increase the amount of cornstarch in the filling to 1 1/2 tablespoons.

For the crust

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cold
6 ounces cream cheese, cold
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons ice cold water

For the filling

2 cups blueberries, divided
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice

For finishing and the glaze

1 large egg
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, optional
2 tablespoons blueberry purée (reserved from filling)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Milk or water, as needed

Make the crust:

Cut the butter and cream cheese into 1/2-inch cubes and place them in the freezer while you measure out the dry ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add the cubed butter and cream cheese and rub between your fingers until there are coarse crumbs and the largest pieces of butter are the size of peas. Pour in the cold water and mix until the dough comes together.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces and form each piece into a disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or ideally overnight.

Tip

The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months and thawed in the refrigerator the night before using.

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Make the filling:

Place half of the blueberries and the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until a few of the berries start to burst, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining blueberries, and let cool completely before using. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the filling mixture and set aside. This will be used for the glaze.

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Assemble the pies:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Beat one egg in a small bowl to use for the egg wash. Roll each disk of pie dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle measuring 16x12 inches. Cut each rectangle into 8 smaller rectangles, each measuring 4x6 inches.

Tip

If at any point your dough becomes too warm to work with, stick all or part of it in the fridge for several minutes before proceeding.

Place about 2 heaping tablespoonsof the filling in the center of 8 of the rectangles. Brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg. Top each of the rectangles with the remaining dough, pressing along the edges with the tines of a fork to ensure that the hand pie is sealed.

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Bake:

Set each pie on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a small knife or a decorative cutter to cut a vent in the top of each hand pie. Brush the top of each pie with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if using.

Bake until the tops are golden brown, rotating halfway through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Make the glaze:

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with the reserved blueberry liquid to create a glaze. Add water or milk as needed until you reach desired consistency (I only needed 1 tablespoon). It should be thick but pourable.

Spread on top of cooled hand pies and let sit for 15 minutes or more before serving.

Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
572	Calories
31g	Fat
69g	Carbs
6g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	572
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g	40%
Saturated Fat 19g	94%
Cholesterol 90mg	30%
Sodium 275mg	12%
Total Carbohydrate 69g	25%
Dietary Fiber 2g	7%
Total Sugars 34g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 4mg	21%
Calcium 40mg	3%
Iron 2mg	12%
Potassium 118mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.