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4th of July Hand Pies
A sweet, fruit filled pie that fits right in your hand and helps you celebrate the 4th.
After having so much fun making mini apple pies with a cinnamon roll crust, I wanted to make mini hand pies for the fourth, this time with red, blue, and star spangles. The end result? They went over with a BANG!
Simple to make, these pies were also a delight to make since I made each one just a little different. It was fun to just let creative juices flow and play a little. To make these even simpler for a fun family project, you could use store bough pie crusts and fillings so you can just focus on decorating your pies!
Each pie crust gives you enough for 2 pies, plus excess for mini stars and stripes. Make sure to save all the scraps and re-use them to get the most our of the crust dough. I also used a combination of cookie cutters to form the designs, including mini pie cutters, biscuit cutters, and varying sized star cutters. You can also use concentric circle cookie cutters in varying sizes.
4th of July Hand Pies
Servings
Prep Time
Cook Time
Ingredients
Total Time
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Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 small bowl
- Saucepan
- baking sheet (or muffin tin)
- parchment paper
- pastry cutter
- biscuit cutter (or mason jar!)
- star cookie cutter
- rolling pin
- measuring cups
Ingredients
For the crust (makes 2 crusts for ~ four 5 in. hand pies. Double/triple for parties or reduce the circumference of the pies by using a smaller biscuit cutter for the top and base of the pies.)
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup Crisco shortening
- ~10 Tablespoons cold water
- Sanding sugar (optional for spinkling top of pies)
Note: For ease, you can use store bought crusts .
For the blueberry pie filling (for 4-5 pies)
- 3 cups blueberries
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup Elderberry cordial
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Note: For ease, you can use store bought pie filling and/or mix the blueberry and cherry together .
Instructions
- Start by making your crust
- Mix together the flour and salt.
- Remove 1 cup of this mixture and set aside.
- Cut shortening into the first mixture.
- Mix cold water with the reserved mixture that was set aside. Stir to combine.
- Add the reserved mixture to the Crisco mixture and combine.
- Once a ball of dough forms, divide evenly into two balls of dough, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate while you make your filing.
- Note: you will use the refrigerated dough for the decorative pie crust top.
- To make your blueberry pie filling, in a large saucepan, combine the blueberries, lemon juice, and sugar and let simmer 2-3minutes on medium heat,
- Add the vanilla and cordial. to the saucepan and Continue simmering for ~3 minutes.
- In a separate small bowl, make a starch slurry by combining the starch and water. Add the slurry to the blueberry mixture and reduce mixture until jam is desired consistency (~8-12 minutes). stirring constantly.
- Once your filling is ready, remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll each ball of dough to desired thickness (~ 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick) on a floured surface, rolling from the center of the crust to the edge.
- Using your circle and star cookie cutters, cut and decorate your crusts. I mixed and matched the style of the tops.
- Note: As these are hand pies rather than true mini pies, I cut the top and bottom crusts the same size.
- Place the pie filling on each bottom crust leaving ~1/4 inch border around the edge free from filing.
- Lightly wet this edge either with water or butter, then lay the top crust on top and seal by pressing all around the edge with a fork.
- Lightly brush the top of each pie with melted butter and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
- Bake at 425 degrees F for ~18-22 minutes or until lightly golden.
A taste of Americana in each bite, these pies add a touch of charm and festive flair to any table. And since they easily fit in one hand, they’re a perfect finger food for picnics and BBQs. Better yet, layer ice cream between two mini pies, and you have a star spangled ice cream sammie!
Wishing you fond memories and fireworks this season!
Enjoy!
XOXO,
