Sweetheart berry and custard hand pies

A berry-nice treat made for sharing

Hand pies are one of those treats that feel both nostalgic and special – easy to share, easy to love.With layers of flaky pastry, smooth vanilla custard and vibrant berry filling, these hand pies are a beautifully balanced bake, brought together with Yallamundi eggs.

Perfect for Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s gatherings or packing into lunchboxes as a sweet treat, they’re a thoughtful indulgence that’s perfect for sharing.

Makes: 9 – 10

Ingredients

Puff pastry

2 sheets store-bought puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator

Pastry custard

250ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
3 Yallamundi Large Organic Egg yolks
15g plain flour
10g cornflour
65g caster sugar
25g salted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes

Berry filling

300g mixed frozen berries of your choice
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
30g caster sugar
10g cornflour
Pinch of salt

To assemble

1 Yallamundi Large Organic Free Range Egg, for egg wash
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Method

For the pastry custard, pour 220ml of the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Once boiling, remove from the heat.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 30ml milk, vanilla paste, egg yolks, plain flour, cornflour and caster sugar until smooth. While whisking continuously, gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture until fully combined.
Return the mixture to the saucepan and place back over medium heat. Whisk constantly, paying particular attention to the corners of the pan. After one to two minutes, the custard will thicken and begin to bubble.
Remove from the heat and continue whisking until completely smooth. Add the butter cubes and whisk until fully incorporated. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle and refrigerate until chilled.
To make the berry filling, place the frozen berries and lemon juice into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for around five minutes, until the berries have softened and released their juices.
In a small bowl, mix together the caster sugar, cornflour and salt. Sprinkle this mixture into the hot berries and cook for a further minute, stirring constantly, until thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
Start on assembling the hand pies by preheating the oven to 200°C fan-forced and lining two baking trays with baking paper.
Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator. Using a large heart-shaped cutter, cut out as many hearts as possible from the pastry sheets. From half of the hearts, cut a small cross in the centre to allow steam to escape during baking.
Arrange the pastry hearts without crosses onto the prepared trays, leaving space between each one. Pipe custard onto each pastry heart in a heart shape, leaving a 1cm border around the edges and an empty space in the centre for the berry filling.
Spoon two teaspoons of berry filling into the centre of each custard heart, taking care not to overfill.
Whisk together one Yallamundi egg with one tablespoon of water to make the egg wash. Brush the exposed pastry edges lightly with egg wash, then place the pastry lids on top, aligning the edges carefully. Use a fork to crimp and seal.
Brush the tops lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the pies are puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving, as the filling will be very hot.

Best enjoyed on the day of baking with your loved ones.

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