If you are brave enough to turn on your oven in this sweltering heat, these hand pies are the perfect summer dessert or in-between-meal snack!
The crust is wondrously flakey and the filling is balanced by sweet and subtly sour flavor. Eating in season is the name of the game, so if you like it this way, try it with other fruits depending on what’s available to you.
When it is time to assemble the pies, call in the troops because it’s the perfect opportunity to delegate tasks. Set yourself up with one set of hands on filling the pies, one folding the dough over to close the pies, another on crimping the edges, one on painting the egg wash, and last but not least, one to prick the tops.
*If you don’t have a food processor or don’t want to use it, the dough can also be made by hand. We did this with an extra rowdy group of girls that needed a hands-on project. Just be sure to move quickly so that the butter does not get too soft. Cold butter is the key to a flakey crust!
Peach Blueberry Hand Pies
Makes 7 hand pies
For the Filling
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large peach, peeled and diced
¼ cup fresh blueberries
3 tbsp. sugar
1⁄4 tsp. lemon juice
1 pinch kosher salt
For Crust
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 stick butter, 1/2-inch cubes, chilled
¼ cup of ice water (plus more if needed)
2 eggs
Preparation:
Make the dough: In a food processor*, combine both flours and salt. Pulse to combine. Add cold cubed butter, and pulse 8-10 times, until the butter is mixed throughout and the mixture has the texture of sand.
With the machine running, slowly pour in the cold water until the dough begins to clump together. Once it does, remove the dough onto a clean surface, and gently pat it together with your hands into a disk shape. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, or until you need it.
Make the filling: Melt butter in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium. Cook peaches and blueberries until soft and jamlike, 6–8 minutes. Stir in sugar, lemon juice, and salt; cook 3 minutes more. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and chill at least 30 minutes before using. Chill in an ice bath to speed up cooling time.
Assemble and bake the pies: Heat oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1⁄4″ thick. Trim edges to make a 10″ x 12″ rectangle. Cut dough into six 4″ x 5″ rectangles; gather dough scraps, re-roll, and cut one more rectangle. Place 2 tbsp. filling in center of each rectangle. Whisk eggs in a bowl and brush edges of rectangles; fold one short side of dough over the other, encasing the filling. Crimp edges using a fork. Transfer pies to parchment paper-lined baking sheets and chill 20 minutes. Using a fork, prick tops of pies; brush tops with the remaining beaten egg. Bake pies until golden, about 20 minutes; let cool slightly before serving.
