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Did you know that today is National Blueberry Pie Day?
Celebrated each year on the 28th of April, this foodie “holiday” ushers in the blueberry season, and all of the pie-making and pastry-baking that will soon follow.
After a long, cold winter filled with root vegetables and dark leafy greens, it’s always so nice to see things like blueberries and rhubarb make their return to the farmers’ market! Frozen or imported grocery store berries are perfectly fine for some recipes. But, nothing compares to baking with locally-picked blueberries.
Hand Pies for the Win!
If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you probably know that I’m a big fan of hand pies. These are individually-sized pies that (quite literally) fit in the palm of your hand, and can be eaten without the need for utensils. Believe it or not, the McDonald’s baked apple pie is actually a pretty good example of a classic hand pie.
Hand pies can be sweet (like my mixed berry breakfast pastries) or savoury (like these bleu cheese, leek, and walnut hand pies) and can be made from puff pastry or with a more traditional shortcrust pastry. They’re highly versatile and can be enjoyed for breakfast, dessert, or as an afternoon snack, much like their cousin, the fruit turnover.
To welcome blueberry season while celebrating my love of hand pies, I’ve created this recipe for blueberry hand pies with vanilla bean glaze. They feature a pâte brisée (shortcrust) pastry crust, blueberry-lemon filling, a sweet vanilla bean icing, and plenty of rainbow sprinkles!
Many recipes for homemade “pop tarts” or breakfast pastries use a pre-made pie dough and store-bought jam. In this recipe, you’ll prepare all of the components from scratch. While a bit more time-consuming, both the pastry and the jam are fairly simple and straightforward to make. Plus, most of the ingredients are things you probably already have in your kitchen!
Hand Pie Tips & Tricks
This recipe will make 6-8 hand pies, depending on the size you choose. (I cut my dough into 6 x 9-centimeter / 2.5 x 3.5-inch rectangles, and made a total of six pies). Don’t forget that you’ll need two rectangles—a top and bottom piece—for each pie.
When placing the tops on your pies, I like to use my hands to gently stretch the rectangles so they’re just a bit larger than the bottom pieces. This will allow some extra room to accommodate the jam, and will make it easier to seal the pastry without leakage. But, don’t worry if your jam does leak a little; a “rustic” look is totally appropriate for this recipe!
If you don’t care for blueberries, you can make the jam with another berry of your choosing. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a mix of several types of berries will all work nicely in this recipe.
I love drizzling these with vanilla bean glaze and decorating with sprinkles, but they’re equally delicious plain (or egg washed then sprinkled with just a bit of Demerara sugar) if you prefer a slightly less sweet snack. If suggest skipping the glaze if you plan to freeze your hand pies.
Checking for Thread Stage
When preparing your homemade jam, you want to make sure that “thread stage” has been reached. You can do this by using a candy thermometer, or with a simple manual test.
To test manually, spoon a small amount of the mixture onto a plate and allow it to cool slightly. Place the mixture between your thumb and forefinger and pull your fingers apart. If the sugar syrup creates a strand, or “thread,” it is ready to use. If not, continue cooking it a little bit longer.
Shortcuts and Make-Ahead Suggestions
As I’ve mentioned above, this recipe includes homemade jam and shortcrust pastry. Making these components from scratch is what truly elevates this recipe to the next level. But if you don’t have the time to make everything, you can use a store-bought blueberry jam to fill your pastries, or skip the homemade pastry and start with a boxed pie crust instead. Trader Joe’s actually makes a surprisingly good one!
Other hand pie recipes you might enjoy:
Mixed Berry Hand Pies
Peach and Ginger Hand Pies
Cherry Hand Pies
And if you make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
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Blueberry Hand Pies for Blueberry Pie Day!
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 pastries 1x
Description
These blueberry hand pies with vanilla bean glaze are perfect for breakfast or as an after school snack. Don’t forget the rainbow sprinkles!
Ingredients
Pastry:
200 grams all purpose flour (1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
105 grams cold unsalted butter, cubed (7 tablespoons)
1 egg
1 tablespoon ice water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Blueberry Jam:
230 grams fresh or frozen blueberries (2 cups)
165 grams granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
Juice and zest of one lemon
Vanilla Bean Glaze:
90 grams confectioner’s sugar (2/3 cup)
1 tablespoon whole milk or whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Purple gel food coloring (optional)
Decoration:
1 egg, lightly beaten
Rainbow sprinkles or colored sanding sugar, for decoration
Instructions
Pastry:
In a large bowl, sieve the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and use your hands to crumble it into the dry ingredients. (The mixture should resemble coarse sand, or breadcrumbs).
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water, and vanilla bean paste. Add to the flour mixture, and use a bench scraper to mix until just combined, then use your hands to knead gently until a soft dough forms.
Flatten dough into a disc, wrap in clingfilm/plastic wrap, and transfer to the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the blueberry jam.
Blueberry Jam:
In a small saucepan, combine blueberries and sugar. Simmer over medium heat until berries have broken down, mixture has thickened, and temperature reaches 106° C / 225° F on a candy thermometer. Alternately, you can do a manual test to see if jam stage has been reached (see notes above). Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and zest, then transfer jam to the fridge to cool while rolling your pastry.
Assembly:
Preheat oven to 190° C / 375° F. Line a baking tray with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
Remove your disc of chilled pastry from the refrigerator. On a rolling mat or lightly floured countertop, use a rolling pin to roll pastry to approximately 3 millimeters / 1/8 inch thickness.
Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into 6 x 9 centimeter / 2.5 x 3.5 inch rectangles. (If preferred, you can also use a large biscuit cutter to cut your pastry into squares or circles instead.) Re-roll the scraps and cut into additional rectangles.**
Transfer half of the rectangles to prepared baking tray. Spoon a small amount of blueberry jam into the middle of each rectangle, allowing a wide border of pastry on all sides. (It will be tempting to add extra jam, but try to stick with just a teaspoonful—overfilled pastries will be difficult to seal and will leak in the oven!)
With a pastry brush, lightly egg wash the borders, then top each pastry with a second rectangle.*** Use your fingers to gently press down around all edges, sealing the jam inside the pastry.
Egg wash the tops of the pastries. Dip a fork in the egg wash, and use it to crimp the edges.
Use a sharp knife to cut a small vent in the top of each pastry, or prick the tops with a fork.
Transfer tray of pastries to the freezer and freeze for 10 minutes prior to baking.
Bake pastries in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until pastry is flaky and golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Bean Glaze:
While pastries cool, prepare the vanilla bean glaze by whisking all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. If desired, add a bit more milk or cream to adjust the consistency—less liquid will produce a thicker, more icing-like result; more liquid will create a semi-transparent glaze.
When pastries are completely cool, place wire rack over a rimmed tray or a sheet of parchment. Use a teaspoon to drizzle the glaze over each pastry, then top with sprinkles or sanding sugar.
Blueberry hand pies are best enjoyed within two days. Unglazed pies will also freeze well.
Notes
**You’ll need two rectangles per pastry. Recipe makes 6-8 hand pies, depending on the size you choose.
***I like to use my hands to gently stretch the top rectangles so they’re just a bit larger than the bottom pieces. This will allow some extra room to accommodate for the jam, and will make it easier to seal the pastry without leakage.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chilling Time: 30 minutes (pastry) + 10 minutes (prior to baking)
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: Turnovers and Hand Pies
- Method: Oven + Stovetop
- Cuisine: Sweets
