Deep Blue sponsored this post

Two of my favorite ways to spend time with my kids have always been reading and cooking. So when the folks behind the novel Deep Blue asked if I’d like to team up to develop a recipe inspired by the book and then prepare it with one of my girls, I was all in. Written by New York Times’ best selling author Jennifer Donnelly, Deep Blue is the story of a brave mermaid who sets out on an adventure after her life is turned upside down. It’s the first in a series set in the depths of the ocean, where six mermaids seek to save their hidden world.

Blueberry Hands Pies

With the backdrop of the “Deep Blue” ocean, I was inspired to develop these Blueberry Hand Pies. They are tasty, flaky little pies made with whole-grain flour and studded with juicy blueberries… just the sort of wholesome treat to pack along for an expedition of your own, seafaring or otherwise.

A Fun Baking Project

I grabbed my middle daughter Rosie, who at 13 is just the right age for the Deep Blue series (and a champion baker to boot). We set out on adventure in the kitchen, playing with pastry with delicious results.

How to Make Blueberry Hand Pies

There are a few steps involved in making these Blueberry Hand Pies. Here’s a few things to know:

Start by making pastry dough using whole-grain flour. I find the food processor makes quick work of pie dough. Alternatively, you can pick up pre-made pie crust in the freezer section of the market.
Roll the pastry out into a big rectangle, then cut into five long rectangular pieces.
Make a simple blueberry filling and spoon onto half of the pastry. Fold the pastry over the blueberries and seal

After that, it’s just a matter of waiting for those tasty pastries to bake into golden deliciousness.

If you like Blueberry Hand Pies, you might like:

Wild Blueberry Tart with Buttery Buckwheat Crust

Wild Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies

Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie

Peanut Butter Raspberry Toaster Tarts

5 from 1 vote

Blueberry Hand Pies

If you are short on time or don't want to bother making your own pastry, you can use store-bought pie dough. The amount for 1 pie shell will be just about right.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 5 hand pies.

Calories 304 kcal

Author Katie Morford

Ingredients

Pastry

3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons ice water

Blueberry Filling

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cup blueberries or defrosted wild blueberries
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup sugar

Egg wash

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
Put the whole-wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse once or twice to blend. Add the cubes of butter and pulse several times until the butter is the size of little peas and blended into the flour. Add the ice water and pulse just a few times more to form a moist, crumbly dough. If you don't have a food processor, you can make this dough by hand in a large bowl using a pastry cutter.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board and press together into a disc. If it seems too dry to hold together, dribble on a little more cold water, a teaspoon at a time, until it forms a dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
While the dough is chilling, make the filling. In a small saucepan, stir the cornstarch into the lemon juice until it dissolves. Add the blueberries, sugar, and lemon zest. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring regularly, until the sugar dissolves and the blueberries begin to release their juices and color the pan (2 to 3 minutes). Remove from heat.
After 30 minutes of chilling, use a rolling pin to roll the dough onto a floured board until it is about 9 x 15 inches. Cut it crosswise into 5 rectangles of dough (each will be 3 by 9 inches). Spoon the blueberries onto one end of each rectangle of dough, being sure the blueberries don't get too close to the edges (leave at least a half inch of room). Fold the non-blueberry end of the dough up and over the blueberries until the edges meet. Use the tines of a fork to gently press the sides of dough together to form a tight seal. Don't worry if a little of the blueberry juice travels out.
Once all 5 pies are formed, use a spatula to transfer them onto the baking sheet and refrigerate another 30 minutes.
Just before baking, gently brush the top of each pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with a pinch or 2 of sugar. Poke a fork into the top of the dough to allow any steam to release.
Bake until the pies are golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Eat while still warm or at room temperature. Will keep for up to 3 days.

Recipe Notes

The photos of me and the kids in this post were shot by my friend Kim Koch. She is a photographer, among other things, specializing in children and families. You can find out more about her work here. She also writes the blog In Write Field.

Comments

05.12.2014 at8:47 AM #

Gaby

ok hold the phone.
1: I’m obsessed with hand pies.
2: I’m even more obsessed with Mermaids! i mean, I basically wanted to be Ariel as a child!

done and done! I’m making/reading everything you talked about!

05.12.2014 at10:00 AM #

Katie Morford

Funny lady.

05.12.2014 at11:03 AM #

erin {yummy supper}

Katie, I love the shots of you in the kitchen with the kiddos. And those hand pies look awesome. I’m with you… reading and cooking are two of my favorite things to do with my kids. And I’d add traveling to the list.
I hope you had a great Mother’s Day. xoxox
E

Wonder how these would do with your Flaky GF Pastry Dough??

05.12.2014 at8:54 PM #

Heather Christo

I love the shots of these beautiful blueberry hand pies and seeing you cooking with the kids!

Thanks Heather! They are fun to make and as delicious as they look.

05.13.2014 at6:57 AM #

yunah

i love reading w/ the boys but i haven’t made the transition to cooking w/ them.
these are tempting though- especially the color. bet they smell amazing too.

Yunah…they do make the kitchen smell amazing and they’re yummy. We liked them for breakfast!

05.13.2014 at8:47 AM #

Sally Kuzemchak

Those hand pies look amazing–and the photos of you and your girls baking together are gorgeous! Great post.

Thanks Sally. We had fun and my friend Kim, who is a professional photographer, took all the snaps of us baking.

05.13.2014 at8:57 AM #

Cynthia Jones

Wow! Photos are fabulous and those pies look amazing. I realize this is something you would NEVER do but…I like that ready-made pie dough that is called something like “French Pastry” and can be found in freezer section of some of the markets (comes all rolled out into a lovely pie-ready circle). I have used it many times for full size pies but am wondering if you think that a ready-made pie dough is sturdy enough for hand pies – your thoughts?
Cynthia

Funny you should ask…I just added a head note to the recipe saying you can use ready made pie dough. I made this a few times and tried it once with store-bought dough. It worked well. Dough for 1 full pie will make six of these little ones.

05.13.2014 at10:30 AM #

Laura

I made these last night and they are delicious! It’s hard to find recipes that are for small batches (I mean who wants to have two dozen cookies sitting around their house?!) so this was the perfect amount for us. Desert last night and we finished them off for breakfast this morning. I will definitely be making these again!

Music to my ears! I agree with the small batch sentiment.

05.15.2014 at10:56 AM #

Kate @ ¡Hola! Jalapeño

Katie, these looks so flaky and perfect! I’ve been craving pie lately, so will give these a try. Love the photos of you and your girls too!

Thanks Kate 🙂

05.13.2015 at6:04 AM #

Cali @ Cali's Cuisine

These hand pies look lovely, and what quality time you spend with your children! Definately make the crust from scratch, well worth the extra effort!

Thanks Cali. Yes, this is a pretty sweet way to spend time with the kiddos.

Blueberry Hand Pies

Blueberry Hands Pies

A Fun Baking Project

How to Make Blueberry Hand Pies

If you like Blueberry Hand Pies, you might like:

Blueberry Hand Pies

Ingredients

Pastry

Blueberry Filling

Egg wash

Instructions

Recipe Notes

Comments

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