Triple Berry Pie Pockets (#RecipeRedux)

Pie seems to be one of the quintessential Summer desserts. It's odd, really, since there is usually a fair bit of indoor prep work, oven time and occasionally stovetop use involved - not to mention the fact that for almost all pastry recipes the ingredients need to stay cold! Then there's the whole irony that we're serving up (admittedly divine) fat- and sugar-laden pastry in the height of swimsuit season... but who am I to mess with tradition, especially when it comes to finding one more way of enjoying the all-too-short fruit season?

The #RecipeRedux team agrees, and this month we're celebrating all things pie, with a healthier twist! My contribution is a variation on both pie and pop tart - individual pocket-pies made with an oil-based, half-spelt pastry dough and packed with a combination of blueberries, goji berries and No-Cook Berry Chia Jam. To keep the filling from running out after that first bite, I used a touch of graham cracker crumbs which not only thickened the mixture but added great texture and flavour too.   

Triple Berry Pie Pockets

Makes 15

Crust:
1 cup flour
1 cup spelt flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup unsweetened soy or rice milk

Filling:
2 cups blueberries
¼ cup goji berries
¼ cup No-Cook Berry Chia Jam (or your favourite 100% fruit berry jam)
3 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch, whisked with 2 tbsp blueberry-pomegranate juice (you can use apple juice or orange juice)
3 tbsp graham cracker crumbs (Keebler is vegan!)

 

For crust:

1. Combine flours, baking powder and salt in a bowl, whisking well.
2. Add oil and milk, stirring to form a dough.
3. Roll out between sheets of waxed paper and set aside.

For Filling:

1. Combine all the ingredients (except graham crumbs) in a bowl and microwave 3 minutes, stirring every 30-40 seconds.
2. Gently mash blueberries and stir in the graham cracker crumbs.
3. Let cool to room temperature.

Assembly:

1. Heat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Cut the dough sheet into rectangles and place ½ tbsp or so of filling onto the centre of one half of each.
3. Fold the unfilled dough overtop and crimp the edges to seal.
4. Dock the tops with a fork to allow steam to escape and place on the sheet. (At this point, you can freeze the sheet of hand pies and place them into a zip-top bag for later)
5. Bake for 20 minutes (if baking from frozen, bake 25 minutes).
6. Cool on the sheet for at least 1 hour.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 162.6
Total Fat: 8.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 22.6 mg
Total Carbs: 20.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.2 g
Protein: 3.1 g