Berry Hand Pies

Does anyone else remember those small handpies you would buy at the convenience store or gas station for a dollar? They’d be wrapped in a wax wrapper and supposedly have a fruit filling, though it always tasted vaguely of cough syrup. Yeah, I loved those things.

This recipe appealed to my gastronomical nostalgia as well as my still-lacking-a-rolling-pin kitchen (I know, I’ve been working for a couple months now, I can totally afford to buy a rolling pin. I’m just lazy at this point). It uses premade puff pastry and a quick fruit filling. While my version was a bit sloppier than the gas station version, I think I’m a convert. No cough syrup taste in sight and a flakey crust. Sold.

Berry Hand Pies

Adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures 

As you can see from the pictures, I had a bit of a disaster when making these originally. My filling exploded everywhere. It was delicious delicious carnage. I ended up scooping the filling from the sheet and stuffing it back into the pie, but you can avoid this fate (and mess) by simply reading the directions thoroughly. I forgot to brush the edges of each pie with the egg wash, leading my sad little crimps little choice but to yield to the tidal wave of filling. You should also be wary of over-filling each pie. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons cold water

1 and 1/2 cups frozen berry mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg white (for egg wash)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Equipment:

Baking sheet, large pot, knife, fork

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water and set aside.

In a large pot, combine the frozen berries, vanilla, sugar, and salt and set over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the berries release their juices, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, making sure to stir frequently. Once boiling, remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. Stir occasionally to make sure the mixture sticks to itself, not the pan.

Crack and egg and separate white from yolk. Combine egg white with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl, whisking to break up the egg white.

Roll one sheet of puff pastry to a 12 x 10 rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, measuring 5 x 6 inches. Brush the edge of each rectangle with the egg wash and place about 2 tablespoons of the cooled berry filling on one side. Fold the dough over the berries to make a 5 x 3 rectangle. Transfer pie to baking sheet. Using your fingers, press to seal the edges of the rectangle and use a fork to crimp the edges and provide extra sealing. Use a knife to cut a few slits in the top of the pie to vent.

Repeat with remaining dough (and repeat process again with next sheet of pastry puff).

Brush the tops of the pies with egg wash and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Refrigerate pies for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Once chilling has completed, bake pies for about 30 minutes (my oven is hot, so mine were ready in 25 minutes). Cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on wire cooling rack.

Makes 8 pies