Description
These spiced apple and blackberry hand pies are delightful individual pastries filled with a sweet and tangy fruit mixture seasoned with cinnamon and honey. Perfectly flaky shortcrust pastry encases a luscious filling of tender apples and juicy blackberries, making these hand pies a charming treat to enjoy warm with cream or custard.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruit Filling
- 2 medium cooking apples peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
- 50 g golden caster sugar
- 150 g blackberries fresh or frozen
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pastry
- 2 sheets 320 g shortcrust pastry
- 1 small egg beaten (for egg wash)
- 1 tbsp caster sugar (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Cook the Apples: Place the chopped apples into a small saucepan with the golden caster sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid and cook for 8 minutes until the apples have softened. Then transfer the cooked apples to a shallow dish and spread them out to cool slightly.
- Prepare the Filling: In a small bowl, mix the cornflour, honey, and ground cinnamon to form a smooth paste. Add the blackberries to the cooled apple chunks and drizzle with the cinnamon and honey mixture. Gently combine all the fruit pieces to evenly coat them with the paste.
- Cut the Pastry Circles: Unroll the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Using a 10 cm diameter pastry cutter (or a similar sized glass or ramekin), cut out 12 circles from the dough.
- Assemble the Pies: Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the fruit filling onto half of the pastry circles, leaving a 1 cm border around the edge. Brush the edges lightly with the beaten egg wash. Place a second plain pastry circle on top to encase the filling. Pinch the edges together and press with fork prongs to seal. Create a small dent at the top and bottom of each pie to give an apple-like shape.
- Add Decorations and Steam Holes: Brush each pie with more egg wash. Using any leftover pastry, cut out small leaf and stalk shapes to decorate the tops, attaching them with egg wash. Poke a small steam hole in the center of each pie with a skewer to allow steam to escape during baking.
- Chill the Pies: Place the assembled pies on a baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight to firm up. At this stage, they can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Bake the Pies: Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius (180 Celsius fan). Bake the chilled pies for 20 minutes or until golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the steam holes. If baking from frozen, add 10 extra minutes to the baking time.
- Serve: Once baked, sprinkle the hand pies with caster sugar and serve warm with your choice of cream or custard for a comforting dessert.
Notes
- Use cooking apples like Braeburn or Granny Smith for best texture and tartness.
- Fresh blackberries provide the best flavor, but frozen blackberries can be used without thawing.
- Ensure the pastry edges are well sealed to prevent filling leakage during baking.
- Chilling the pies before baking helps maintain their shape and creates a flakier crust.
- The pies can be frozen unbaked after assembly for convenient baking later.
- For a vegan version, substitute the egg wash with a plant-based milk or aquafaba.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 195 g
- Calories: 109 kcal
- Sugar: 21 g
- Sodium: 12 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 24 mg
