Berry Hand Pies

When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of Hostess fruit pies. I loved everything about them - the flaky crust, the gooey fruit filling, the sweet glaze; and how they all worked together to make a delicious treat.

This berry hand pie is an homage to the Hostess fruit pie of my youth. It has a flaky crust, gooey fruit filling and a sweet glaze. Eating them brings back lots of great memories. Will they do the same for you? 

What You Will Need:
Small Saucepan
Shallow Dish
Silicone Mat/Clean Counter
Rolling Pin
Circle Cookie Cutter (Approximately 3")
Cookie Sheets lined with Silicone Mats or Parchment Paper
Cooling Rack

Ingredients:
Pastry Dough (Posted on May 18, 2013)
Filling
2 cups Berries (I used blackberries, but strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries would also be great.)
1 Large Apple (Granny smith would be great, but I used what I had - I think it was a red delicious.); peeled, cored and chopped.
2/3 cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Tablespoon Tapioca Flour/Starch
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Milk (for sealing crust and brushing the tops)
2 Tablespoons Sugar (for sprinkling the tops)
Glaze
6 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Milk

Directions:
In a small saucepan, cook the filling ingredients over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens.

Pour the mixture into a shallow dish to cool.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Place racks in second to top and second to bottom slots.

On a lightly floured silicone mat or clean counter, roll out the pastry dough with a rolling pin to approximately 1/8"-1/4" thickness. Cut the dough with the circle cookie cutter.

Place a circle of dough on a lined cookie sheet, and place a heaping Tablespoon of filling in the center of the circle.

Take another circle of dough and press it between your thumb and fingers to flatten it slightly, so it is bigger than the bottom circle. 

Wet the edges of the bottom circle with milk.

Place the slightly stretched circle over the filling and line up the edges of the two circles. Press the edges with a fork to seal the edges together.

Cut a small x in the top of the hand pie.

Brush the top of the hand pie with milk.

Sprinkle with Sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes on top rack, then switch to bottom rack and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden. If baking two cookie sheets at once, place one sheet on each rack and swap at 15 minutes.

Transfer the hand pies to cooling racks to cool completely.

While hand pies are cooling, mix the glaze ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled hand pies.

Let the glaze set completely before serving or storing in an airtight container.

Yummy! These hand pies are perfect for a picnic or to stick in your lunch for a special treat. How about surprising your husband and/or kids by sneaking one in their lunch? Now that is a great idea.

"You are confined only by the walls you build yourself."

Don't let your walls confine you. Dream big, tear down your walls, and go after your dreams! 

~Sheryl

Caramel Apple Tart

It's time! I promised an amazing apple recipe, and here it is. Prepare to have your socks knocked off. This apple tart is just the right mix of sweet, tart, and crunchy in a buttery pastry crust; AND it is super simple to make. What more could you ask for, right?

As far as I'm concerned, you really can't ask for more. Not only is it delicious, but it is also a show stopper. Although it is quick and easy to make, it's rustic look is sure to impress any of your toughest critics.

What You Will Need:
Pastry Mat or Clean Surface for Rolling Dough
Rolling Pin
Baking Stone or Pizza Pan
Pastry Brush

Ingredients:
Pastry Dough (see post from May 18, 2013)
1/2 cup Kraft Caramel Bits
2 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Granny Smith Apples; cored, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 tablespoons Corn Starch
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
1/8 cup Apple Jelly

Directions:
On a well-floured (soy flour or any other gluten free flour) surface, roll out pastry dough until approximately 1/8 inch thick.

(As you can see, my crust was not a perfect circle.

That is fine, but I would try to make it a little

more even if you can. Because mine was such an

odd shape, most of the caramel was able to

ooze out while it was baking in the oven.

More on that later.)

Roll dough onto your rolling pin, and transfer it to your baking stone or pizza pan.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine caramel bits and heavy whipping cream. Melt in microwave for approximately 50 seconds, checking and stirring after 30. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a medium bowl, mix together apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and corn starch. Set aside.

Spread cooled caramel over center of dough. This will create the size of the bottom of the tart. Be mindful that you leave enough dough to come up over the apples to create a side. (If you don't have enough dough to create a solid side for the tart, all of your delicious caramel will ooze out during the baking process. As you can see, I was not very mindful of this, and my caramel oozed out. Very sad situation.)

Layer apples over caramel in a pretty flower pattern. (Of course the pretty flower pattern is optional, but it adds to the stability of the tart, and to the "wow" factor.)

Sprinkle with pecans.

Fold dough up and over the filling. The middle should be open. (If you have too much dough, you can tear some off to create an open center.)

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt apple jelly - approximately 30 seconds.

Brush melted jelly over the entire tart.

Bake for 20-30 minutes (until golden brown).

Doesn't that look scrum-ditilly-umptious!?! Believe me, I had a hard time not eating the whole thing. Just think, if it was that good after all of my caramel oozed out, how great is yours going to be? It's a good thing the pastry dough recipe makes two pie crusts. . .

Slice it like a pie, and serve it warm.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Believe in yourself. You can do amazing things when you do.

Sheryl