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Blueberry lemon bites finished baking and ready to eat!
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Blueberry Lemon Bites

Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Keyword: hand pies

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe double all-butter crust Follow directions on recipe of choice or use my All Butter Handpie Dough (link above)

Filling

  • 2-1/2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries (approx. 360g)
  • 1 large granny smith apple (peeled and grated) 
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar 
  • Zest of 1 lemon (save lemon for juice) 
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom (freshly ground cardamom is worth it) 
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 egg (for egg wash at the end)

Lemon drizzle

  • 1/2 - 1 cup powdered sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon (Add juice until the right consistency) 

Instructions

Cutting the Circles

  • Roll pie dough as you would for a regular pie, about ¼ inch thick. Because you are going to cut circles out of it, you do not need to worry about the shape of the dough when rolling it. 
  • Using a 2.5 inch round cutter or glass, cut as many circles as possible out of each round of dough. You might have to gather scraps and re-roll a couple of times. Each round should be able to get 15-18 circles. For some reason, I always get 17. 
    Cut 2.5" dough circles
  • Place the cut circles on a plate or baking sheet, cover well and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use (or put in a freezer bag if waiting a few days or freezing). 

Filling

  • Place blueberries in a bowl (no need to thaw if frozen).
  • Peel and grate granny smith apple on a large box grater. Using paper towel, squeeze out liquid and add to the blueberries. 
    Grate a granny smith apple
  • Place ¼ cup sugar in a small bowl and add the zest of one lemon. Using your fingers, rub lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant. Add to the blueberry and apple mixture. 
    Combine lemon zest, sugar, grated apple and blueberries
  • In a small bowl or ramekin, combine cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of sugar and cardamom. Set aside.
  • Place filling into a deep nonstick skillet, dutch oven or medium pan and cook over medium-low heat. Stir gently with a rubber spatula.
    Start cooking blueberry filling mixture
  • Once some juice has accumulated, pour some juice into the cornstarch mixture and stir it to make a smooth slurry. This can be an annoying step because I inevitably make a mess, so you can also just add a little water to make the slurry.  I like to use the juice but don’t stress over it.
    Make a slurry of corn starch, cardamom, and partially cooked filling juices
  • Once the mixture has cooked through, turn heat up to medium-high and add the cornstarch slurry.  The higher heat will help the cornstarch thicken.  Stir until the mixture is thick and you can leave streaks at the bottom with the spatula. 
    Filling is ready when thickened and you can draw streaks on the bottom of the saucepan
  • Remove from heat and add the juice of one lemon. 
  • Place in a bowl and let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate.

Assembly

    Maybe it’s been three days, maybe it’s been three hours, maybe you regret attempting to make these but stay strong … now you are ready to assemble and bake! 
  • Place a scant tablespoon of filling in the center of a dough circle. You can experiment with how much filling if you are willing for a few to be messy! 
    Place a scant tablespoon on each circle, then cover
  • Cover gently with another dough circle, pressing the edges together. Using a fork, seal the edges.
    • Tip: Picture a tent. When you place the top crust on, keep the middle raised over the filling and attach at opposite edges.  This helps the filling not get smooshed out to the sides. 
  • Using a small knife, pierce the middle to let steam out when they cook.
  • Place completed pies on a baking sheet, cover lightly and return to the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes or until ready to bake. If you are freezing them, freeze them covered with plastic wrap on a baking sheet in the freezer first, then transfer them into a freezer bag. I like to line the freezer bag with parchment or wax paper to give them an extra layer of protection.

Baking

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Place pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • Prepare egg wash and lightly brush pies with the mixture.
  • Very lightly sprinkle tops with sugar (you will put icing in these later … just gives them a nice crunch.).
  • Place on middle rack of oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 25-30 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
    Baked pies cooling on a wire rack

Lemon Drizzle

  • When pies are completely cool, prepare lemon drizzle.
  • Start with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a bowl.
  • Add fresh lemon juice until consistency is smooth and has some body. You want to avoid it being too thin. I just keep adding powdered sugar and lemon until it looks right.
  • Drizzle pies with a spoon or cut the corner of a small plastic bag (tiny cut). Let the lemon drizzle dry before stacking or storing.
    Drizzle pies with icing when completely cooled

Notes

Keep pies at room temperature. Best eaten the day they are baked, but will be good for 2-3 days. The longer they sit, the softer the crust gets because of the drizzle but they are still tasty!