Blueberry & Strawberry Star Hand Pies

Now I live in a much cleaner, less polluted city but I still crave those blueberries the minute the warm weather hits. I stock up when they are cheap and freeze them for when the price soars to $5/pint

Quick Tip — How to Freeze Blueberries

1. Wash blueberries thoroughly in a colander with a tablespoon of white vinegar and cold water
2. Lay clean berries flat on a cookie sheet to dry
3. Flash freeze on the cookie sheet before transferring them into freezer-safe bags

Blueberry & Strawberry Star Hand Pies

These Easy Blueberry & Strawberry-filled handpies are the perfect way to use fresh or frozen blueberries or strawberries and they make a wonderful patriotic dessert for the summer.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons lard or shortening
• 3-4 Tablespoons ice water

For the strawberry filling:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered lengthwise (thaw first if frozen)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

For the blueberry filling:

• 2 cups fresh blueberries (thaw first, if frozen)
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

For the drizzle:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Milk, just enough to thin out the drizzle

Tip: For a dairy-free drizzle, omit Greek yogurt and substitute your choice non-dairy milk like almond or cashew.

Kitchen tools you might find helpful:

• Star cookie cutters
• Non-slip mixing bowls

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F°F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar. Incorporate butter and shortening, using a fork or pastry cutter (avoid using bare hands, as this will melt the butter). Add enough ice water to make the dough form a ball.

Flour a large surface and roll out the dough. Use large and small star-shaped cookie cutters to cut even numbers of small and large stars for the hand pies. (This set of six star cookie cutters gives you lots of options!)

Meanwhile, place the 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries in a pot, along with the sugar, butter and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir continuously, for 8 minutes.

In a separate pot, combine the blueberries, sugar, butter and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir continuously, for 8 minutes.

Remove both pots from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.