The response to my Instagram post for these fried blueberry hand pies was so positive that I decided to post the recipe. One of the great things about this recipe is that if don't want to fry them, you can bake them.
How to Roast Blueberries
The blueberries for these pies are roasted. Roasting them brings out the natural sweetness and to amp up the flavor I roasted them with maple syrup. This filling is incredibly delicious and you can use any leftovers in your yogurt, your oatmeal or milkshake.
Roasting the fruit brings out the natural sweetness of the fruit. For this recipe, I used 2 cups of blueberries and 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. I roasted them at 375 degrees F for about 35 minutes until the juices started to thicken and bubble. These blueberries were sweet enough that 1/4 cup of sugar was all that was needed. If your blueberries are a little tart you may want to add a little sugar.
How to Make the Pie Dough
The pie dough is the basic pie dough that I use for other pies and galettes. I have another pie dough recipe that I use for my Strawberry Hand Pies where the ratio of flour to butter is almost 1 to 1, but because they are deep-fried I wanted to use a more traditional pie dough recipe that uses less butter.
For the best doughs make sure your butter is cold and your water is ice cold. I keep a jar of water in the refrigerator year-round specifically for making pie dough and to ensure I always have ice cold water. I leave the butter and the water in the refrigerator until I am ready to add it to the recipe.
Pie dough can be made by hand or with a food processor. If you're making the dough with the food processor make sure you don't over-process it or the dough will be hard to handle and tear easily when being rolled out.
Deep Frying the Blueberry Pies
When deep frying food you don't want your oil too cool or too cold. If the oil is not hot enough the food will absorb the oil and be sodden with oil, heavy and greasy tasting. If it is too hot your pies will be dark brown and possibly have a burnt taste.
Ideally, the oil should be between 350 and 360 degrees F. I use a regular 4- quart saucepan to heat the oil and a thermometer to track the temperature. But if you have an electric deep fryer even better. It will be easier to control the temperature.
Fry the pies about 90 seconds on each side. I use chopsticks or wooden skewers to turn the pies over and a spider strainer to remove them from the pot. Place them on a wire cooling rack over a rimmed sheet tray.
Lemon Glaze
The lemon glaze is made with powdered sugar, heavy cream,
If not eating the pies right away, store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Rewarm them in the oven and apply the lemon glaze.
I hope you enjoy these delicious pies.
Fried Blueberry Hand Pies
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 1/4 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 tablespoons (142 grams) cold unsalted butter cubed
- 1/4 cup ice-cold water
Roasted Blueberry Filling
- 2 cups (10 ounces/284 grams) fresh blueberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup optional
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon milk
Lemon Glaze
- 3/4 cup (180 grams) powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Cube the butter. In a large metal bowl combine 3/4 cup of the flour, the sugar, and salt and whisk. Add the cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to mix the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is pea-sized. Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour and use your hands to mix the flour into the mixture until it is coated with the flour.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the cold water to the mixture. Toss with a spatula until it is moistened. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of ice water and toss to combine. Press the dough with the spatula and press firmly together until the dough sticks together.
- Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap. Draw the edges of the plastic wrap over the dough and press firmly to form a compact frissure-free mass. Wrap the dough in plastic and flatten to form a 5-inch disk. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hours or up to 2 days. When you’re ready to roll out the dough let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften.
Roasted Blueberries
- You will need a rimmed 1/4 sheet baking tray for roasting the berries. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the blueberries in a medium bowl. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and stir the berries to incorporate. Place the sugar and salt in another bowl and whisk to combine. Add to the blueberries and gently fold in the sugar.
- Let the blueberries sit for ten (10) minutes. Add the maple syrup and stir. Taste the berries. If the berries are not sweet enough add another 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- Pour the berries onto the baking tray and roast for 15 minutes. Stir and taste the berries. If they are not sweet enough add another 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir and return to the oven. Roasted the berries for another 10 minutes, stir and repeat these two steps one more time. The berry juice should start to bubble.
- Remove the blueberries from the oven, scrape into a metal or glass pie plate and allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until ready to use.
- The blueberries should at least at room temperature (65-68 degrees F) before placing them in the pie dough. The right temperature will keep the dough from getting too soft as you fill and shape the pies.
Forming the Blueberries Pie
- Remove the pie from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Flour the surface on which you’ll roll out the dough. Roll it out to a 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Trim the edges so they are straight and even. Use a ruler to measure out 6 – 4 x 4-inch squares.
- Place 1-1/2 tablespoons of blueberry filling in the center of each square. Brush two of the edges with egg wash and fold one corner of the dough over to form a triangle. With your fingers gently press the edges of the dough together. Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges along all the edges. Repeat with the remaining dough squares.
- If the dough starts to get soft, refrigerate it for 10 minutes and resume the work.
- When all the pies are formed refrigerate them for at least 20 minutes.
Fried Blueberries Pies
- Fill a 4-quart saucepan with oil until it is about 3-inches high. Next to the stove place a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan. This rack and pan will used for your finished pies.
- Heat the oil to 350 degrees Use a thermometer to measure the temperature. If the oil gets too hot (above 375 degrees F) remove it from the heat source and allow it to cool. Cooling it to the right temperature will take a few minutes.
- Fry two pies at a time about 90 seconds each side. Use chopsticks or long wooden skewers to flip the pies. The pies should a medium golden brown. If the oil is too hot the dough will quickly turn a dark brown.
- Use a spider strainer to remove each pie from the hot oil and cool on the cooling rack placed near the stove. Cool the pies until they are just warm.
Baked Blueberries Pies
- If baking the pies instead of frying them, follow the following directions to bake the pies in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
- Remove the pies from the refrigerator. Place the pies on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Brush each pie with the remaining egg wash and use a small sharp knife to cut three small slits into the top of the pie. Bake the pies for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool until they are just warm. Eat with or without the lemon glaze.
Lemon Glaze
- Measure 3/4 cup powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of heavy cream to the powdered sugar and stir until well combined. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and stir until combined. If you want the glaze a little thinner add the remaining tablespoon of cream to the glaze.
- Drizzle the lemon glaze over the pies and enjoy.
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