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Martha Stewart Blackberry-Raspberry Hand Pies turn fresh berries and a tangy sour cream crust into flaky, golden pastry pockets in 3 hours 10 minutes. This make-ahead easy dessert fits summer picnics, potluck tables and Fourth of July cookouts, and the freezer step makes it simple to plan.
Freeze the filled pies until very firm for at least 45 minutes before they go in the oven. Skip it and the butter melts too fast, so the juicy filling leaks out and the crust bakes up tough instead of flaky.
Martha stirs sour cream and lemon juice into the dough, which keeps the crust tender while the thin rolling keeps it crisp. The berries are tossed with cornstarch, so the filling thickens in the oven and stays inside the pastry instead of soaking through it.
What you need for this recipe
KitchenAid 5-speed hand mixer
It cuts the cold butter into the flour quickly without warming the dough.
Buy on AmazonJ.K. Adams French rolling pin
It rolls the dough into thin, even rectangles so the crust bakes up crisp.
Buy on AmazonReynolds unbleached parchment paper
Rolling and baking on parchment keeps the sticky pies from sticking to the pan.
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Martha Stewart Blackberry-Raspberry Hand Pies
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium8
servings50
minutes40
minutes290
kcalThin, buttery pastry wraps a jammy mix of blackberries and raspberries, then bakes crisp and sparkly with a coarse sugar top. Freezing the pies before baking keeps the layers flaky and the filling where it belongs.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if necessary
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
Coarse salt
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fresh blackberries
3/4 cup fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
- Make the dough: Whisk the sour cream, lemon juice and ice water in a bowl, then mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the cold butter with a mixer on medium-low until the mixture looks like coarse meal with some blueberry-size clumps left.
- Add the liquid: Gradually beat in the sour cream mixture until just combined but still crumbly. Squeeze a little dough to check that it holds together, and add more water 1 teaspoon at a time if it doesn't.
- Chill the dough: Divide the dough in half, gather each piece into a flat rectangle and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until just firm, about 45 minutes.
- Roll it thin: Roll each rectangle into a 7-by-14-inch rectangle on floured parchment with a floured rolling pin. The dough will be very thin, so move the parchment onto 2 baking sheets and refrigerate for 15 minutes until firm.
- Mix the berries: While the dough chills, stir together the blackberries, raspberries, remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Then slide 1 dough rectangle, still on its parchment, onto a work surface.
- Cut the strips: With a long side facing you, cut the dough crosswise into four 3 1/2-by-7-inch strips. Do the same with the second rectangle once the first batch is filled.
- Fill and seal: Mound 2 tablespoons of the berry mixture in the center of the bottom half of each strip and brush the edges with the beaten egg. Fold the top half over the fruit, press firmly to seal and trim the bottom edge, leaving the folded top edge uncut.
- Vent and freeze: Cut vents in each pie and set them about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with fresh parchment. Freeze until very firm, at least 45 minutes, then repeat with the remaining dough and berries.
- Bake the pies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with racks in the upper and lower thirds, then brush the pies lightly with egg and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the sheets and switching racks halfway through, until golden brown.
- Cool and serve: Transfer the pies to a wire rack to cool. Serve them warm or at room temperature.
Tools for this recipe
- KitchenAid 5-speed hand mixer, J.K. Adams French rolling pin, Reynolds unbleached parchment paper. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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FAQs
Can I use store-bought dough for these hand pies?
Yes, Martha says store-bought dough works in a pinch. Roll it thin and cut it into the same 3 1/2-by-7-inch strips, then freeze the filled pies as usual so they hold their shape.
Can I use frozen berries instead of fresh?
Frozen berries work if you thaw them and drain off the extra juice first. Keep the cornstarch in the filling, because it soaks up the remaining liquid and keeps the crust from turning soggy.
How should I store leftover hand pies?
Keep cooled pies in an airtight container at room temperature for a day, or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm them in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes to bring the crust back to crisp.
Can I make these ahead and bake them later?
Yes, the pies are meant to be frozen before baking, so you can leave them in the freezer until you need them. Bake straight from frozen and add a few extra minutes if the centers are still pale.
Why did my filling leak out while baking?
The most common causes are overfilling and skipping the freezer step. Stick to 2 tablespoons of berries per pie, press the edges firmly and make sure the pies are very firm before they hit the oven.
This week on Amazon
Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals run through December 1. The picks from this recipe we would check first: KitchenAid 5-speed hand mixer, J.K. Adams French rolling pin, Reynolds unbleached parchment paper.
See the dealsMartha's 100 favorite recipes, all in one book: Martha: The Cookbook.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
