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Mixed Berry Hand Pies with your favorite berries tucked inside a tender, flaky buttery crust. No fork needed!
With all the pies I’ve rolled out in my life, you might think I’ve made a lot more hand pies. Individual pies you can eat with your hands, what fun! The rustic appearance and simple process makes this the perfect recipe for the novice baker. Oozing juices and crispy, flaky crust is the hallmark of these little gems so don’t miss another berry season without giving these a try!
Somewhere hidden in my heart is the desire to write a cookbook about pies. They say getting started is the hardest part and to that I can attest. So of course I continue to research all kinds of pies and pie crust which is what really attracted me to this recipe. The tender, flaky crust is made with a touch of sour cream. Will I make it again? You bet!
These hand pies can be filled with any kind of fruit or combination of fruits. Mixed with some sugar and arrowroot (or cornstarch) this is simplicity at its best.
Don’t overfill the pockets like I tried to do. It makes it too hard to seal the edges.
I was going for the rustic look and didn’t mind a little berry juice seeping out of the sides.
I was really impressed with the flakiness of the pie dough and believe you will be too!
Sprinkled with a little fine sanding sugar or turbinado sugar the crust takes on a lightly sweet crunch.
I love this combination of blackberries and raspberries. There is so much sweet and tart flavor in each little pocket!
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Berry Hand Pies
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 55 mins
Yield: 8 hand pies
Course: Dessert, Pie
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons ice water, plus extra if needed
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, divided
- 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup fresh blackberries
- 3/4 cup fresh raspberries
- 4 1/2 teaspoons arrowroot (or cornstarch)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Sanding Sugar or Turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the sour cream, lemon juice and ice water. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, salt, and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Add the butter pieces and beat with a mixer on low until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few clumps of butter remaining. Gradually add the sour-cream mixture just until combined. The mixture will be crumbly. Test by pinching a small amount of dough together to see if it holds. If it does not hold together add more water 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Divide the dough in half and press into two rectangles. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to rest at room temperature about 10 minutes before rolling. Lightly dust a piece of parchment paper with flour. Using a flour dusted rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 7×14 inch rectangle. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place each rectangle, along with the parchment paper, on a baking sheet and refrigerate 15 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling combine the berries, 1/3 cup sugar, arrowroot and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Gently fold together until combined.
- Remove one dough rectangle, still on the parchment paper, from the refrigerator and place it on a flat work surface. Cut the dough crosswise into four 3 1/2 by 7 inch strips.
- Mound 1 heaping tablespoon of berry mixture in the center of the bottom half of each strip. Brush the edges with the egg wash and fold the top half over the fruit to enclose. Press firmly to seal and trim bottom edge, leaving the folded top edge uncut. Cut vents in each pie and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with fresh parchment paper. Transfer the unbaked pies to the freezer. Repeat with the remaining dough rectangle and berry mixture. Freeze the hand pies for 45 minutes for until very firm.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Lightly brush the pies with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with the sanding or turbinado sugar. Bake rotating sheets and switching racks halfway through. Bake until pies are golden brown, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
(Recipe adapted from Nora Singley, via MarthaStewart.com)
We love pie here at SRFD and if you do too, you’ll want to check out our Mini Blackberry Tarts with a variety of crust toppings. These Peach Hand Pies are incredibly delicious and perfect for juicy summer peaches! For a nostalgic treat, don’t miss these Homemade Strawberry PopTarts – so must better than store-bought 🙂
Check out this creative Mixed Berry Breakfast Pizza from TidyMom – it looks so good! I’m also drooling over these Easy Mixed Berry Crumble Bars from Love From the Oven and this Crock Pot Mixed Berry Cobbler from Wishes and Dishes. Bring on the summer berries!
This past weekend we took a whirlwind trip to Nashville Tennessee, traveling 1,200 miles in just a few days. And … I can’t WAIT to show you what we did! I have a few hundred photos to edit but please check back later this week so we can share our fun adventure with you! Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful week!
Tricia
Rosalva says
Can you use frozen berries.
Tricia Buice says
Hi Rosalva – yes you can use frozen berries. No need to thaw first. Enjoy!
Lynnette says
Could you use strawberrries and blueberries if your children don’t like the seeds?
Tricia Buice says
I don’t think there are any seeds in these. Not clear on the question – help!
Jacqui Stilson says
Can the unbaked hand pies be frozen for baking at another time? My husband and I wouldn’t eat all these in a few days time when they’re first assembled.
Thanks!
Tricia Buice says
Hi Jacqui – I think they’ll be great frozen. My grandmother used to freeze entire apple pies. I would lay them out on a baking sheet in a single layer and pop in the freezer. Once frozen you can transfer to an airtight container. Great idea! Good luck 🙂
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
These are such beauties!! Thanks for linking to my Cobbler!
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Ashley!
Christi says
My mouth is watering, these look amazing!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Christi – they are so good – perfect for spring and summer gatherings.
michael says
Tricia,
Been browsing your site looing at all the wonderful desserts and recipes you have posted!! Wow, you are so talented and all of your desserts look so delicious!! I love this recipe, it looks so delicious,…my problem is everything I try to make my own pie dough it never turns out. These look so delicious!! Many times I will buy puff pastry to make something like these but pie dough would be much better. You should post these on Instagram and mention the recipes can be found on your blog!!
I hope you are having a great weekend, I appreciate you taking time to take more photos of my work!! thank you! Michael
Tricia Buice says
Thanks so much Michael! I know you could make these! You can make anything – have a great week 🙂
Hungry Jenny says
Ooh Tricia, a pie book by you sounds amazing – you gotta do it!! These hand pies look amazing. I have never tried making hand pies either (do sausage rolls count? 😉 I love cute things like this but always get put off by the extra fiddliness that's involved. Really tempted to try these out though!
Cheri Savory Spoon says
Not sure how I missed this email when it first came out, but oh my goodness these look amazing. The pies look crispy and flaky and just oozing with berry goodness. I have to make these. Thanks for sharing.
Monica says
A pie book sounds absolutely perfect for you, Tricia! These hand pies look wonderful – I can almost taste the flaky, buttery goodness of them mixed with that sharp fruit. I think the ones with berries oozing out look great.
Spicie Foodie says
You should totally write that cookbook! Your pies look delicious and so pretty too.:)
Anna and Liz Recipes says
Amazing, amazing, and even more amazing! These look so delicious – I bet you can't eat just one!
Sue/the view from great island says
These look fantastic Tricia, I love pie in this form, and the berries are so tempting right now.
Angie Schneider says
These hand pies are so gorgeous, Tricia. Bet they are addictive!
Elzbieta Hester says
Looving these packet pies! Time I make some too. Thanks! 🙂 ela
[email protected] is How I Cook says
Tricia, i love hand pies. I made them last summer and they are so good. Only your photos are way better and probably the pies, too! Can't wait to see the pics of Nashville. Zoe was almost there last weekend. she said she was glad she didn't go because, I guess, it snowed!
Wendy says
These look wonderful Tricia! Can I pre-order your pie cookbook? It could be a selling point to a publisher if you handed them a list of enthusiastic customers! 🙂 I don't normally like pie, but your photos of these little hand pies have my mouth watering…summery berries and crunchy pastry…oh my, yum! I need someone to teach me how to make delicious crust like this! <br />You have me very
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow says
Those hand pies are about the most delicious looking things ever! I LOVE pastry AND fruit. Oh, my!! I can't wait to hear about your Nashville trip… did you have biscuits at the Loveless Café?? 😉 blessings ~ tanna
Chris Scheuer says
Tricia, these look amazing! I'm imagining them served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My family would go crazy. I think you should definitely do a pie book, you are the pie queen in my book, for sure!!
Mijú says
Que crujiente y bueno con esos frutos.<br />Un saludito
Kitchen Belleicious says
those look so southern to me and so delicious. The filling looks rich and sweet but I think i am in love with the top the most because it has that perfectly crisp buttery top!