A good hand pie is one of my favorite treats. They are quick, easy to make and versatile. I prefer berry hand pies, but you can also make savory, meat, veggie, almost any kind you can imagine. Most of all they are delicious and if you make them small enough, you don’t have to share.

Oh sure, you can make this an all day project if you want to make your own puff pastry, I know, I have, I don’t. Now I use one of two different commercial puff pastry. For pastry that puffs up light and airy, I use Pillsbury. When I want less air  I like Trader Joe’s brand.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 sheet Trader Joe’s puff pastry, thawed but cool.
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or decorating sugar
• ½ cup white chocolate chips
• 6 ounces berries
• 3 tablespoons coarse white sugar or decorating sugar

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F.  Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.
2. Stir the cream cheese and granulated sugar in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth.  Stir in the white chocolate chips.
3. Cut large berries in half.
4. Sprinkle the flour on the work surface.  Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Using a round cutter, cut into 24 (2½ -inch) circles.
5. Brush the edges of 12 pastry circles with the egg mixture.  Place about ½ tablespoon cream cheese mixture in the center of each.  Top each with about one small or two halves of a large berry.  Place the remaining pastry circles over the filling.  Press the edges firmly to seal.  Crimp the edges with a fork. If you don’t seal them adequately the filling will leak out of the sides of the finished pastry.
6. Brush the pastries with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the coarse sugar.  Using a sharp knife cut small slits in the tops of the filled pastries.  Place the pastries onto a silicone or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.
8. Eat. They are small. Eat again.