BOMB AF Puff Pastry Berry Hand Pies

As far as simple summer recipes go… these hand pies might just take the cake for me. I’m speculating here, but frozen puff pastry might be the actual best thing to ever happen to the baking world.

Let me break this down real quick – Here’s what you need to make these happen…

Frozen puff pastry (store bought)
Fresh berries of choice (or any fruit you want, cherries, peaches, apples, rhubarb – get it!)
Sugar of choice (brown, granulated, honey, maple… you do you)
A couple swipes fresh lemon zest (or orange zest)
cornstarch (or all purpose flour)
Optional pinch cinnamon (or other spice – again, you do you)
Egg (for an optional egg wash)

And BOOM! You got yourself some BOMB AF Homemade Berry Hand Pies babes.

These are so flippin’ easy to make on a whim – they literally come together in minutes, and yet they taste Ah-maaazing.

But not only do they make for the perfect quick & easy summer night dessert, but they are also an amazing make ahead / dessert prep option. Simply prepare your hand pies, and instead of baking them off right away, pop them in the freezer and store them until you are ready to bake them off fresh whenever you are in desperate need of pie. #winning

I did a Raspberry Apple filling here, but you can honestly adapt this recipe to suit whatever flavours you like / whatever berries or tree fruits are in season.

One thing I will note is that when I am combining flavours in a pie, I like to think about pairing something that is naturally more tart with something naturally more sweet. Mixed berry would be amazing or peach raspberry or strawberry rhubarb, or peach blackberry, or blueberry, or cherry… I could go on and on.

Here is the recipe lovelies! I hope you enjoy 🙂

KP xoxo

Makes: 8 hand pies

Things you need…

1 box (2 sheets) pre-rolled puff pastry dough

Raspberry Apple Filling
1 heaping cup fresh raspberries (or berry of choice)
2 medium apples, thinly sliced (or rhubarb, or peach or just more berries)
pinch of salt
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup brown sugar, or more to taste
1 tbsp cornstarch
pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Egg Wash
1 egg
1 tsp cream
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp coarse sugar for sprinkling

Simple Vanilla Glaze
3/4 cup icing sugar
1-2 tbsp cream {+ more if needed}
A few drops of vanilla

How to make…
Preheat your oven to 375F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, cream and a pinch of sugar to make your egg wash. Set aside until ready to use.

In a bowl, gently mix together berries, brown sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, cornstarch, and cinnamon.

Lightly flour a cool work surface, and slice each sheet of pre-rolled puff pastry into 4 equal squares.

Use a pastry brush to lightly brush around the side and bottom edge of each of the puff pastry squares with the egg wash you prepared earlier (this will help to bind the edges together when you assemble your strudels.)

Spoon about 3 tbsp of your preferred fruit filling onto half of each of the puff pastry squares. Leaving about 1/2 inch border around each piece of puff pastry.

Note: I made triangle hand pies so I used my hands to arrange the berry filling into a triangular shape. You could also just make them into rectangles.

Working one at a time, fold the empty half of each puff pastry square over top of the filling. Gently press the edges together with your fingers, and then seal them further using a fork to ensure they are closed nice and tight.

Once all of your hand pies are assembled, place them on your prepared baking sheet and set in the freezer for 15 minutes or so just so the dough can rest a bit before they hit the oven. This step isn’t 100% necessary, but it just ensures a nice flakey puff pastry, and your hand pies will hold their shape a bit better too.

Once your hand pies are chilled, remove them from the freezer and brush the tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and place in the center rack of your oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until puffed and golden brown in colour.

Remove from the oven and set on a rack to cool while you make your glaze.

Simple Glaze

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together icing sugar, cream and vanilla until smooth. If your glaze is a bit too thick, add a few more drops of water, or if it is too thin, add a couple more tbsp of icing sugar.

Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over your warm strudels. Serve warm or completely cool.

Enjoy!