Blueberry Hand Pies
Meet blueberry hand pies, aka the everyday gal’s pie.
These hand-held treats pack all the delicious, traditional blueberry pie flavors you love into a fun-sized, grab and go dessert perfect for everything from summer picnics to lazy beach days. The best part is the entire recipe takes less than one hour, so any day - no matter how crazy or busy - can be a homemade pie day.
It all starts with pre-made pie crust. That’s right, we’re skipping the entire “make your own pie crust “ step because it tends to be the most time-intensive and temperamental component of any pie recipe. If you’re a pie crust master, major kudos to you; you should feel free to use your favorite from-scratch crust recipe here. For the rest of us, pre-made pie crust is about to become your best friend. Perfectly buttery and flakey crust, here we come!
Next, let’s talk filling. These hand pies feature a fresh, antioxidant-rich blueberry filling. This classic flavor was not only chosen for its broad appeal, incredible taste, and health benefits, but because blueberries are one of the few fruits that do not require pitting or pealing before use, saving you extra time.
Grab your kiddos, partner, and friends, and let’s make some hand pies!
Ingredients
Hand Pies
1 package refrigerated pie dough (14.1 oz box; contains dough for two pie crusts)
1 and 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 and 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Egg Wash
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
Vanilla Glaze
1 and 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Recipe yields 12 hand pies.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line one cookie sheet with parchment paper. Rinse and dry blueberries, removing any stems.
In a small bowl, prepare your egg wash by whisking the egg and milk together. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix blueberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Remove pie dough from refrigerator and microwave for 10 seconds (if you try to unroll the dough when it is too cold, it will break).
Lightly flour a cool work surface and unroll one piece of dough on top. Using a rolling pin, gently roll-out pie dough so it’s a little thinner (3-4 strokes in each direction is sufficient). Thinning the dough helps create a better pie crust-to-filling ratio.
Using a 3.5 inch cookie cutter or cup, cut dough circles. Repeat with second piece of dough, re-rolling scraps as needed to cut additional circles. Ensure you have an even number of dough circles.
Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of blueberry filling (ensure you get some of the brown sugar sitting at the bottom of the bowl) into the center of half of your dough circles. Apply a light layer of egg wash around the edges of the circle using a pastry brush or your finger.
The second half of your dough circles will serve as the top of the hand pies. Place a dough circle on top of the blueberry filling, using your fingers to gently press the edges of the two sides together. Seal edges further using a fork (see photo below). Repeat until all hand pies are sealed.
Place hand pies on baking sheet, then brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cut 2 small slits to allow steam to escape when baking.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until hand pies are golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Every oven is different, so keep an eye on your hand pies for the last few minutes.
While pies are baking, create your vanilla glaze by whisking together sugar, milk, and vanilla. If the glaze is too thin, add more confectioners sugar. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk.
Allow pies to cool for 10-15 minutes, then drizzle with vanilla glaze.
Step 7: Dough placed on top of filling and sealed with a fork.
Step 8: Finished hand-pies ready to be baked.
Recipe Notes
Hand pies are best enjoyed same day. Store covered at room temperature.
If using a cup or glass to cut your dough circles, ensure the mouth is 3.5 inches or wider (I use a whiskey glass). Any smaller and it will be difficult to get enough filling into your hand pie.
When cooking hand pies, check on them after approximately 8 minutes. If one side of your pan is browning faster than the other, rotate the pan so they cook evenly.
I add turbinado sugar on top for added texture, but regular granulated sugar works too. Both will caramelize during baking.
Baking is all about creating something that brings joy to others. Even if your pie crust is not from scratch, there is still plenty of love going into every single hand pie.
