Red Wine Blackberry Handpies

Yes. You heard that right. Wine. and Pie.

Two GLORIOUS culinary words that definitely belong in the same sentence. What is a handpie you ask? Well, have you ever heard of a pop tart? Its non-trademarked cousin is a handpie.

So if you’ve ever wanted to make homemade pop tarts with an adult twist, this is the recipe for you!

Sidenote: Apparently it was #nationalpieday on Saturday, January 23rd. Who knew? So, in honor of this “holiday” I bring you these lovely, scrumptious pint-sized handheld pies.

Not only that— it was also National Peanut Butter Day on Sunday, January 24th! (I just can’t keep up…)

And no, I did not choose the hearts because the trend is to jump ahead to Valentine’s Day like every retailer did immediately after Christmas…No, the heart is for my LOVE of pie. And I shall leave it at that!

I’ll keep this short and sweet so you get down to making this delectable piece of culinary genius. Shall we call it breakfast? Shall we call it dessert? YOU DECIDE!

Whatever time of day you indulge in this tasty treat, can we all agree that we can call it art?

Time’s a wastin’! Let’s get crackin’ with these booze-laden slices of breakfast joy!

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter- cold and cut into pats
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 cup ice cold vodka
2-4 tablespoons ice cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:

2 1/2-3 cups Fresh Blackberries and or other berries of your choice (I added about 1/2 c of sliced strawberries)
1 cup red wine of your choice (I used a blend)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp mace *optional
1/2 Tbs ground ginger

Egg Wash:

1 egg
pinch of salt
1 Tbs water

Raw Turbinado Sugar and nutmeg or cinnamon for topping

Directions for Crust: (Part 1)

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl and whisk together. Pour into food processor.

Place pats of butter into food processor a few at a time and pulse a few times.

Pour vodka in and pulse until just combined. Add vanilla and pulse a bit more.

Turn out dough onto floured surface and add remaining water if needed. If dough is too dry, add water. If it comes together by grabbing it in your fists, disregard water.

Depending on how cold your butter was, there may be some pats that didn’t quite get cut in properly. Roll the dough into two equally sized balls and if complete pats of butter are found, cut them into the dough using a fork. Return dough to large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Preferably overnight so it’s nice and solid.

Directions for Filling:

Combine the sugar with red wine in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add lemon zest and cinnamon. Allow the mixture to simmer on medium/ low heat until the syrup begins to thicken, about 8-10 minutes. Keep watch on the pot because the heat can cause it to overflow quickly! Reduce or remove from heat if it creeps up to the edge.

Add blackberries and additional spices. Bring the mixture back to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.

Directions for Crust: (Part 2)

Remove dough from fridge and roll each ball out into 1/8″ thick discs. Take a cookie cutter (any kind!), and cut out an equal number of shapes from each ball. I used a medium sized heart-shaped cookie cutter and was able to make 12 complete handpies.

You may have more or less depending on the size of your shapes, however, just make sure you make an even amount so you don’t have an odd man out. Using a spatula, transfer the shapes onto a parchmented baking sheet.

Return to fridge to chill for another 15 minutes. In the time it took to cut out shapes, the butter may have begun to melt, and assembling the pies is best done when the dough is nice and cold. So lots of in and out of the fridge will be happening for this endeavor!

While the dough shapes are chilling, drain the syrup from the berries mixture and save it in a closable jar or container.

I plan to use my blackberry syrup for future pancake feasts!

Remove baking sheet from the fridge once more. Make sure the shapes are spaced about an inch or more apart. Spoon about 1-2 tablespoons of filling onto the bottom shape. Lightly brush a small amount of cold water around the edges of the of the filled shape.

Carefully lay the top shape over the bottom shape and gently press and seal the edges together with a fork. This will take patience! Complete sealing all shapes and high five yourself!

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Use a sharp knife to cut small vents in the top of each pie. You could also poke holes in the tops with the fork. Return the hand pies on their respective baking sheets to the refrigerator to chill for another 30 minutes.

Directions for Topping:

Whisk the egg, salt, and water together in a small bowl.

Remove baking sheets from fridge for the last time!

Use a pastry brush to sweep the egg wash over the tops of the pies.

Sprinkle the raw sugar and either cinnamon or nutmeg over the tops for a nice finishing touch.

Bake until the hand pies are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.