I like pie. A lot. I remembered just how much (not that one really forgets these things) when I saw a recipe for hand pies in a summer edition of Bon Appetit and while I’m sure blueberries are great, as they had in their version, it was blackberries that I dreamed of.
I knew of some bushes laden with berries ready for the picking and since I had come to grips with my inner urban forager last summer, I grabbed the husband, a ladder and off we went.
Even with the handfuls of berries eaten while picking them, we still had quite the haul. Almost justifies the arms covered in scratches – the price to be paid for these little black beauties.
You’d think maybe I would have had my fill of blackberries for one day but I walked right into the house and starting making the dough for the hand pies. By that evening we were sitting on the patio with friends, good vanilla ice cream, and wine celebrating the harvest.
- Buttery Pie Crust (recipe below)
- All-purpose flour (for dusting)
- 2 cups blackberries (about 10 oz)
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 large egg, whisked with 1 tsp water
- 1 Tbsp raw sugar
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on a floured surface to a 15×12˝ rectangle. Cut into 6 rectangles.
- Toss blackberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Brush edges of rectangles with water; mound some berries in center of each. Fold dough over, and press edges to seal. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with raw sugar. Cut slits in tops.
- Bake hand pies, rotating sheet halfway through, until juices are bubbling and pastry is golden brown, 35–40 minutes (juices will run onto parchment). Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I love the idea of hand pies because I get to indulge in one of my favorite things (pie!) without having a whole one around to tempt me morning (mmmm…pie for breakfast), noon and night. And they are fun! And portable! Yep… these little blackberry pies definitely came in handy (and hit the spot) on this summer day!
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tspsugar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.
- Add butter; pulse until the texture of very coarse meal.
- Add ¼ cup ice water; pulse, adding more water if dry, until dough comes together in clumps.
- Form into a square, wrap in plastic, and chill until firm, about 2 hours.