Raspberry Hand Pies

Dyl has a certain favorite mini raspberry pie at a local coffee shop. It's no secret between me and Dyl that I get a little jealous whenever he eats another baker's creations. Ever since his obsession with mini raspberry pies developed I've been meaning to make an even better mini raspberry pie, but I never got around to it. Last night, I did! Except that I don't have mini pie pans, so I made hand pies instead. They were just as good, if not better, than actual raspberry mini pies. I love their portability. And they are DEFINITELY better than that local coffee shop's.

Tip: If you have extra dough and filling at the end, form more hand pies! For fancy moon-shaped hand pies, roll dough into a circle, fill and fold in half. This is my favorite part of the process because I can make different sizes.

Raspberry Hand Pies:

For the crust:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
16 tablespoons (1 cup) cold nondairy butter, cut into 16 pieces
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water

For the raspberry filling:

8-10 oz. frozen raspberries
1/4 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon red wine or balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Prepare the dough: In the workbowl of a standing mixer fit with a paddle (or by hand), combine flour, salt and sugar. Add cold butter and mix on medium speed for 3-5 minutes or so, watching carefully until the butter is worked into the butter and the mixture appears pebbly. If you are working by hand, use a pastry cutter or two knives to work the butter into the flour (you could also use your fingertips). Add ice water and mix just until you can form dough into a ball. If mixture becomes too wet, add a bit more flour. Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Store in the freezer until ready to form hand pies.

Preheat oven to 400 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly oil.

Once the dough is chilled, generously flour a clean work surface. Divide dough in half. Roll into a rectangle roughly 14 x 7 inches. Trim edges with a paring knife to form an even rectangle. Slice rectangle in half to form two squares. Slice each square in half to form four rectangles.

Form the handpies: Remove filling from the freezer. Have a cup of water nearby. Using your fingertips or a pastry brush, wet the edges of one of the rectangles. Scoop a scant 1/4 cup of filling onto one half of the rectangle. Fold the other half over the filling and quickly pinch the edges with your fingers to seal. Press the edges with a fork to create a pattern and help seal the edges. Transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with other rectangles and other log.

When all hand pies are filled, brush tops with water and sprinkle extra sugar on top. Use a paring knife to cut three slits in the dough on the top of the pies. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until edges lightly brown. Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheets. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely, and try not to eat them all at once!

Yield: 8 hand pies