I’ve decided nothing calms me down more than making a pie. There’s also nothing more rewarding than baking a pie and it coming out perfectly. Yeah, I’m not afraid to say that. These pies came out perfectly.

Or at least a couple of them did. I was feeling pretty cocky after I made the first 4 that I got a little out of control on the last few.

But really, there is nothing more relaxing than coming home after a long day at school or work and making a wonderful, beautiful pie. I know that may seem crazy to some of you, but I find mixing, rolling and folding pie crust so calming. I’m weird, it’s true.

First, I made the crust. I mixed together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

Then, I cut in margarine.

And finally, I added some yogurt and a little almond milk to bring it all together.

I separated the dough, rolled each half into a log, wrapped it in plastic wrap, and allowed it to chill.

In the mean time, I went to class, worked out for an hour and a half, made lunch, took a shower, and got ready for work. That was fun. I then made the filling. I mixed together a package of frozen blueberries, lemon juice, grated ginger, cornstarch, flour, vanilla, salt, and sugar.

Then, I rolled out one of the dough logs. The dough was very thin- less than 1/4 of an inch thick. I then took a pizza cutter and trimmed the edges of the dough to make a perfect rectangle.

I cut that large rectangle into 4 small rectangles, and began to assemble.

I would dip my fingers in water, wet the edges of each rectangle, then scoop a large spoonful of the blueberry mixture onto the right half of the dough rectangle.

I folded the dough over, sealed it with my fingers, then with a fork, I sealed the dough even further by making pretty fork impressions on the edges of the rectangle. After I’d assembled all the pies, I placed them on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper, and using a sharp knife, made a cross slit in the top of each pies. I baked the pies for 35 minutes.

While the pies were baking, I made a nice lemon glaze to really make these bad boys taste like summer. I whisked together lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and powdered sugar.

When the pies were done baking, I transferred them to a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath. I drizzled the glaze on top of the pies while they were still warm, using the whisk.

I ate one hot, but I recommend letting them cool.

We ate them for Julia’s birthday celebration (Happy Birthday to Julia!!).

BLUEBERRY-GINGER HAND PIES
Barely Adapted from Vegan Pie in the Sky
Makes approximately 8-10 pies

Ingredients

Crust

2-1/4 Cup Flour
3 Tablespoons Sugar
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 Tablespoons cold Margarine
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup cold Almond Milk

Filling

1 12-oz package frozen blueberries
1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1/3 cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Lemon Glaze

Juice from 1 lemon
Zest from 1/2 a lemon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

For the Crust

Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.

Using your hands, cut in the margarine, a Tablespoon at a time.

Add the yogurt to the mix, a Tablespoon at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition. The dough will be flaky and clumpy.

Mix in almond milk and knead the dough with your hands until it comes together.

Separate into halves, form into 6-inch logs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the pies (at least 30 minutes).

For the Filling

Combine all ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl.

Preheat oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet (or 2) with parchment paper. Set aside.

Roll out the dough to be about a foot long and 6 inches wide. Using a pizza cutter, cut off excess dough to form a perfect rectangle. Cut the large rectangle into 4 smaller ones.

Separate rectangles, and assemble. Dip your fingers into cold water and line the edges of the rectangles to get them moist. scoop a large spoonful of the filling onto one half of the pie.

Fold the dough over the filling, and seal immediately, using your hands.

Crimp the edges of the dough using a fork, place on baking sheet.

Repeat as needed until you have used all your dough (the more you work with the dough, the harder it is to form the pies, so work quickly and accurately).

Cut a cross in each of the hand pies to allow for steam to escape.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath.

For the Lemon Glaze

Whisk together all ingredients.

While the the pies are cooling (when they’re still just a little warm), using a whisk to glaze the pies.

THE REVIEW

Seriously. This. Pie. Is. Awesome. The crust is somewhat dense, but flaky. The filling is sweet, but tart. The Lemon glaze is sour, but sweet. The pies are tiny enough to serve as a sweet note to end a meal on, but they’re still filling. The pies are a walking contradiction, but boy, are they fabulous!

Julia really enjoyed her birthday treat, along with Maranda, Katie, and me! Happy Birthday to my favorite roommate!!

I think this is the beginning of The Weekly Pie. So you guys have something to look forward to now! I’ll keep you updated on what I decide!

Enjoy!