Blackberry Hand Pies

In searching for a fun family activity which could include the puppy we decided to go blackberry picking.  We are at the tail end of the season and it took a lot of searching to even get one quart.  Not only that, but I don't think the berries are particularly good this year because of our crazy weather.

So we came home with a quart of okay-tasting blackberries and because they weren't so good just to eat, I knew we had to do something a bit more exciting.  Saturday evening I made blackberry old fashioned -- a delicious twist on Big J's favorite cocktail.

Tonight I made Blackberry Handpies -- a perfect combination of pie and fruit when you don't have quite enough fruit for a whole pie.  They were delicious! And so easy.

That Girl's Blackberry Hand Pies

2 cups blackberries
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste depending on the sweetness of your berries)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

one recipe pie crust (enough for a double crust pie -- use your favorite)

egg
sugar

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mix berries, cornstarch, sugar and almond extract into a bowl until the sugar and cornstarch is no longer visible.

Roll out pastry to 1/4 inch and then cut into 5 inch circles, gathering and re-rolling dough as needed.   place roughly 1/4 cup of berry mixture into the center of each circle, fold over and seal by pressing the edges with fork tines.

Place pies on baking sheet lined with parchment.  Make two small slits in each pie.  Make a egg wash and brush pie with wash then sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes and remove from oven and place baking sheet on cooling rack.  Serve warm.