Lemon & Blueberry Heart Pies
Hello, sweet friends! How are you? Today, I wanted to take the time to highlight a post that I feel has gotten lost in the blog archives: Lemon & Blueberry Heart Pies. I’ll admit, when I recently inspected the post – probably for the first time since publishing it back in February 2014 – I cringed. The recipe itself was over complicated, the blog post was a bore, and the photos were entirely unappetizing. It was badly in need of a new look, or, for lack of a better description: a gutting. So, here we are: Lemon & Blueberry Heart Pies 2.0!
how are these lemon & blueberry heart pies different from before?
Basically, there are three main differences between the original recipe and this new update:
One. The old recipe was made using pie dough, now it’s made with puff pastry. Because yum, duh. I made my own puff pastry, but store-bought would work just fine.
Two. The old filling was so convoluted, it simply had to go. There was cream cheese and all manner of spices etc. I’ve paired this back to a much simpler rendition: blueberries, lemon zest + juice, and sugar.
Three. The finished pies are doused with a generous sprinkle of demerara sugar for extra crunch and sweetness.
All changes are for the better, I can assure you.
how to make lemon & blueberry heart pies
Can I talk you through the process? It’s unbelievably easy.
It all starts with a rough square of puff pastry. You can use either homemade or store bought puff, but homemade will make these cuties that much more delicious. The next step is the same for both options: use a heart shaped cookie cutter to stamp out twenty four hearts. Space out twelve of the hearts on a tray lined with baking parchment.
Extra Valentines Day points if your tray is an adorable shade of pink.
These little hearts get topped with a simple fruity mixture, and this is where things can get a little messy. It’s best to err on the side of under-filling, otherwise you’ll have a hard time sealing the hearts. I kept a 1/4-inch boarder the whole way around my blueberry filling for glue in the form of egg-wash.
The remaining twelve hearts are marked with little imperfect crosses to help steam escape.
Cross-marked hearts meet blueberry-laden hearts, and the edges get glued together with a fork crimp. This is both decorative and practical.
A little egg-wash, a sprinkling of demerara sugar, and our Lemon & Blueberry Heart Pies are off to the oven for a short bake. When they emerge from the oven they’re deep golden brown, crunchy from the sugar, and puffed high as can be.
One of my little hearts went rogue in the oven and I think he’s the cutest one of them all. He’s butter drunk.
They’re flaky, they’re fruity, and they’re addictive.
Happy baking, friends!
lemon & blueberry heart pies
Simple yet delicious hand pies in the shape of love-hearts! Flaky puff pastry and juicy blueberries make for the perfect treat.
P R E P15 minutes
C O O K20 minutes
T O T A L55 minutes
Yield: 12 hand pies
Author: Vicki
INGREDIENTS
1 sheet puff pastry, store bought or homemade
2 cups fresh blueberries, or defrosted if frozen
1/4 cup caster sugar
zest of one lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg lightly whisked, to glue and egg-wash
demerara sugar, for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 200°C, and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, gently combine the blueberries, lemon zest + juice, and sugar. Leave to macerate while you ready the pastry.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry sheet out to a large square/rectangle about 4mm thick. If using homemade puff pastry, chill in the fridge for 15-minutes before cutting.
Using a 3.5-inch heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out 24 little hearts; discard any scraps. Place the hearts on the prepared tray.
Draining as much liquid out as possible, spoon small mounds of blueberries into the centre of 12 of the hearts, leaving a 1/4-inch boarder around the edges. Brush this boarder with the egg-wash.
Gently score the top of the 12 hearts without blueberries, and place these on top of the other six. Gently press down onto the egg-washed boarder. Use a fork to crimp around the edges and seal the pies. Chill in the fridge for 10-minutes.
Lightly brush the chilled hearts with egg-wash and sprinkle generously with demerara sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-minutes or until puffed and golden brown all over.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment & a rating below, or tag me on Instagram @imvcki. Thank you so much for supporting Passionate Baker!
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*POST UPDATED JANUARY 2021