Lemon Blueberry Hand Pies

Hand pies? Cutie pies? We used to call them turnovers. But whatever you call them, they are a sweet way to end a meal. They also make great snacks. A hand held pastry that smells, looks and tastes amazing is never a bad thing. A neat little bundle of joy. I developed this recipe to utilize some frozen blueberries that were in my freezer. I bought a giant bag and just wasn't making enough smoothies.

Lemon Blueberry Hand Pies
Crusts:
5 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
14 tablespoons cold butter
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 to 1 1/2 cups cold water
Place flour, sugar, salt, butter and zest in a food processor bowl. Pulse for 3 seconds about 15 times, then run for about 2 minutes, scrapping down sides as necessary until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Turn into a large mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and 3/4 cup water. Stir to combine. Add more water as necessary to make a dough that will hold together. Try not to overwork the dough. Pat into a 2 inch thick rectangle, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.

Filling:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
8 teaspoons cold butter
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, corn starch and salt. Add the blueberries, lemon zest and juice. Stir gently for several minutes until the sugar becomes purple throughout.

Assembly: Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and cut into 12 cubes. On a floured board, roll out one cube at a time into a 6 1/2 inch circle. Cut out a 6 inch circle and place about 2 tablespoons of filling on one half. Top with 1/2 teaspoon butter. Wet the edge of the pastry, fold in half and seal. Cut a small opening or long slit to allow steam to escape. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and keep chilled until baking. Repeat with remaining cubes and then use the excess dough trimmings to make 2 or 3 more hand pies. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wet the top of the pies with a little water and sprinkle with sugar just before baking. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Using a simple plastic mold like this one speeds up the process.

Hints: Keep the dough cold and it will be easier to work with. Substitute frozen cherries or raspberries or blackberries for the blueberries, all would be great with the lemon crust. You could make a regular pie with the lemon crust (halve the recipe) and the blueberry filling with this same recipe. It would need to bake 50 to 60 minutes.

Blueberry and lemon is one of my favorite flavor combinations. It tastes so lovely and smells so lovely and looks so lovely. All purply and citrusy and sweet. What's not to love?