Spiced apple & blackberry hand pies
Bring autumn into your kitchen with these delicious apple and blackberry pies. Sprinkle with sugar and serve with custard for the ultimate comfort food
2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces
50g golden caster sugar
150g blackberries
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
2 x 320g shortcrust pastry sheets
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp white caster sugar
Custard to serve (optional)
1 Put the apples and golden caster sugar in a saucepan with 2 tbsp water and cook, covered, for 6 mins or until the apples are soft, stirring once or twice. Tip the mixture into a shallow dish and spread out to cool slightly, then tip in the blackberries and stir. In a separate bowl, mix the cornflour with the honey and cinnamon, then stir it into the fruit mixture.
2 Unroll the pastry sheets and, using a 10cm round cutter, cut out 12 circles. Spoon the fruit filling onto half of the pastry circles, leaving a border of about 1cm around the edge. Brush the beaten egg around the edges and place a plain pastry disc on top to encase the filling, then make a little dent in the top and bottom to form an apple shape. Seal the edges all the way around using the prongs of a fork, then brush with egg. Use the pastry off-cuts to cut out little leaf shapes and stalks, then stick them on with beaten egg. Poke a steam hole in the top with a skewer. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. Arrange the pies on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and chill for at least 30 mins, or up to 24 hrs. Can be frozen unbaked for up to 2 months.
3 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake the pies for 20 mins, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling through the hole. If cooking from frozen, bake for an extra 5 mins. Sprinkle with the sugar, then leave to cool for at least 20 mins before serving with custard.
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TOMORROW’S RECIPE: MINI DARK CHOCOLATE, BLACKBERRY & BAY PAVLOVAS