I don't think it's any secret I love pie. Just about any kind of pie will do. I even on occasion make hand pies. They are a little time-consuming, but so cute! These blueberry hand pies are a seasonal favorite of mine.
I love these hand pies with blueberries served for breakfast, but they are great any time of day or night!
Those flaky layers might not mean much to you, but they are everything to me!! I just love that flaky pie dough!! It is so tender and yummy!
If these homemade fruit hand pies aren't what you are craving, check out these other pie options!! Trust me, I have plenty of options!
If you love blueberries, you might also love these blueberry crumb muffins, a blueberry cherry galette, or try sipping on a blueberry mojito!
Blueberry Hand Pie Recipe Ingredients
- Berries: This can be done with any berry, so change it up if you want! I used fresh berries as they are in season. If you want, use frozen!
- Sugar: You can use honey in place of the sugar, but I prefer the sugar for the texture.
- Pie dough: Use homemade or storebought.
- Flour: I used flour for dusting my workspace and to thicken the hand pie filling. If you prefer a thicker filling you can use cornstarch instead of flour for that portion of the recipe.
- Egg and milk: This mixture is used to seal the hand pies and to give them a nice shiny top. A little milk is also added to the icing to achieve the right consistency.
- Cream cheese: Used to make icing drizzle after the hand pies are cooked. Adds great flavor that works well with the simple hand pies.
- Powdered sugar and vanilla: Adds sweetness and flavor to the icing.
What is the Best Dough for Hand Pies?
You can make blueberry hand pies with a traditional pate brisee, an unsweetened pie dough, or a pate sucree, a sweetened pie dough.
When making homemade dough, I love this partial wheat pastry dough. It uses white and wheat flour to create a perfectly flaky crust.
If you are short on time or don't feel like making the dough, there are plenty of great store-bought options. I've had some experience using Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust. It was easy to use and produced good results for making blueberry hand pies.
Whatever you choose to use, just make sure it is chilled ahead of time.
How to Make Mini Blueberry Pies
If the instructions in this recipe seem a bit daunting or this is your first time working pastry, here are step-by-step instructions with photos to help! Complete instructions are in the recipe card further down the page.
Step 1: Making the Blueberry Filling
The first step in making blueberry hand pies is mixing together the filling which is only three simple ingredients.
- Start by measuring out the blueberries. Remember you can use fresh or frozen. I am using fresh to make this batch.
- Next up, add the sweetener and flour for the thickener.
PIE FILLING TIP: If you prefer a thicker filling, you can use cornstarch instead of flour or leave it out completely for a thinner pie filling!
Step 2: Preparing the Pie Dough
When you're ready to begin working with the dough, first make sure the work area is clean and lightly floured.
- Roll your dough out onto a lightly floured surface. I like to roll mine to about ⅛" inch thick. You can do it thicker or even thinner, this is a personal preference.
- I used my 3" biscuit cutter for these. If you prefer a square or rectangular shape, cut accordingly. The process is still the same.
Step 3: Filling the Blueberry Hand Pies
- Now you're ready to scoop in the filling. I add the most filing I can and still close them. This means sometimes they aren't the prettiest, but I love the ratio of blueberries to crust.
- Make sure and brush the edges with egg wash. These little pies really want to burst, and it's pretty when they do, but you will also want to have it sealed so it doesn't all leak out!
- Fit the top over the filled bottom layer. You may have to stretch it just a touch to fit over the blueberry pie filling.
- Crimp the edges with a fork to seal the filling inside even more.
TOP TIP: Also, I made this batch of blueberry hand pies on the countertop, but if you are new to making hand pies, it's a good idea to construct them directly on the sheet pan. That way, you won't have the stress of transferring.
- Brush everything with the egg wash for a beautiful golden finish.
- Snip the top for a vent hole. Once the berries start baking and releasing steam, it is better for them to have somewhere to go.
Step 4: Baking and Serving
- Once they are baked and golden brown, remove the tray from the oven. You can allow them to cool for just a little bit, then drizzle with glaze.
- Serve them up and watch them disappear!
Variations
- Skip the icing. Sprinkle with sugar the top of the hand pies with sugar just before baking. This step will add a bit more sweetness if plan not to add any icing.
- Change up the berries. Try it out with blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, or even a mixture of your favorites. With larger-sized berries, they may need to be cut into small pieces.
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Assemble hand pies on the baking sheet so you need to transfer them.
- Cut a hole into the top to vent the steam.
- Hand pies need to cool a bit before eating. The filling on the inside can be quite hot.
- Seal the edges well. Using the egg wash as glue and crimping the edges ensures all the filling stays inside.
If you happen to have leftovers store baked hand pies on the counter or cabinet in an airtight container. If they are iced I recommend storing them in a single layer or with a piece of parchment in between. If it is rather hot in the kitchen, you might want to store them in the pantry or a cabinet where it's a bit cooler. If they lose a bit of crispness you can heat them back up in the oven or air fryer.
No, it isn't necessary to thaw out frozen blueberries. Simply mix them in and continue making the recipe. The blueberries will thaw out when cooked in the oven.
There are two steps to seal hand pies. First, make sure you use a liquid and apply it to the edges. An egg wash works best but water or milk works too though I feel like it's not as strong. Tightly pinch the edges together and then crimp the edges with a fork for maximum sealing.
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Blueberry Hand Pies
Equipment
- baking sheet, rolling pin, biscuit cutter, pastry brush, sharp scissors
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pie dough See notes
- 2 cups blueberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar You can always use less if you prefer. I was using a sweetened cream cheese icing, so I didn't need it too sweet. I also don't like overly sweet desserts too.
- 2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch I used flour in this recipe. You can always use cornstarch if you want a thicker filling.
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- flour this is for dusting your surface, so that will depend on how much you want to use. I used about 2 tablespoons
Cream Cheese Drizzle
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar If you like it sweeter, go ahead and add more sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- milk add this to achieve the consistency you are looking for in your glaze
Instructions
- About 15- 30 minutes before baking, pull your dough from the fridge and set it on the counter to soften just a touch. If you are using a store bought crust, disregard this step.
- Preheat oven to 385 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Mix egg and milk in a small bowl and set aside. This is your egg wash.
- Roll pie dough to ⅛ inch thick on a lightly floured surface. You don't want to have this too heavily floured as the dough will absorb too much flour and become tough. So, use what you need, but not too much.
- Cut your circles as close as you are able to avoid waste. I used a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut mine. I like to dip in the flour, then cut. It keeps the circles from sticking. Place half the circles on the baking sheet. They don't spread much, so you won't need more than an inch between them.
- Fill the circles on the baking sheet with the blueberry filling. You want to make sure the filling stays in the middle of the circle. I used about 1 ½ tablespoon in mine.
- Brush egg wash around the edges of the circles on the parchment. Place another circle on top of the filled circles. You may need to stretch it just a touch to get the circle to cover the bottom. Press closed with your fingers first. Next, crimp with a fork. With the flaky dough I use, the fork crimps won't hold their shape in baking, but it will help to keep the filling in.
- Brush the top with the egg wash. I used a pair of sharp scissors and snipped the top for vent. Those berries will release a lot of steam when they start baking.
- Now, place in oven on the middle shelf.Bake until they are a deep golden brown and the blueberries have started to leak from the pies.
- If you are using the cream cheese glaze, you can drizzle right away or wait until they are cooled slightly. We have done it both ways and like it both ways. This will be a personal preference. Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!
Cream Cheese Drizzle
- Combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk. Mix on high speed until smooth. Add more milk to achieve the desired consistency.
Notes
- Assemble hand pies on the baking sheet so you need to transfer them.
- Cut a hole into the top to vent the steam.
- Hand pies need to cool a bit before eating. The filling on the inside can be quite hot.
- Seal the edges well. Using the egg wash as glue and crimping the edges ensures all the filling stays inside.