Blueberry Hand Pies with a Cinnamon Sugar Crust and Maine!!

By Lizzie on October 29, 2018

Hey my friends!!! I know it’s been a few weeks, but my life has been crazier than usual and I was also under the weather for quite a while.  I just couldn’t wait to get home from our unbelievable trip to Maine so I could share my experience and photos with you!!  I could have driven you crazy with way more shots then I already have, but I decided to pull out the ones that really made me smile, and had a feeling you would love them too.

My darling husband decided to semi surprise me with a trip to Maine for my birthday a few weeks ago.  Living in Florida, I miss the change of seasons terribly, and my husband and I are both pretty tired of the constant heat and humidity that seems to hang around most of the year here.  While looking at airfares, Michael realized that we could fly up north for a ticket that costs much less than flying to North Carolina, so when he told me about it, I opted for going as far up north as we could get!! Maine was the perfect place for us to see the leaves change, visit Acadia National Park, and feel the chill in the air once again.

I have to say…for a person that has been fortunate enough to have traveled the world, I know when I visit a place that gives me a feeling that few places do.  It’s almost hard to put into words the feeling of peace and serenity that came over me while I was standing looking at the cliffs in the park.  As you all know, this year has been one of the most physically challenging of my life with my surgery recovery. Even though I am still dealing with the issues that make it harder for me to walk without pain, I didn’t think of it for one minute while I was surrounded by such beauty. Being in the cool, crisp air felt so good on my skin and in my bones.  There is a lot to be said for the toll stress plays on your body, and dealing with chronic pain is extremely difficult, but when these moments come to me, I feel such a sense of gratitude and peace… I really do try every day to say a prayer of thanks for all of the amazing people and experiences in my life.  I am indeed blessed…

Let me know if you have ever been to Maine..live in Maine or want to visit Maine 🙂  And eat your weight in my blueberry pies because you deserve to 🙂

We stepped off the plane and it was 40 degrees with very gusty winds so it felt like it was 30 degrees outside. It was 85 when we left Florida 🙂

Our lunch as soon as we arrived in Bar Harbor!! And YES, this lobster roll tasted as good as it looked!! Those fries were ridiculously good too!!We stayed right on the bay at the Bar Harbor Inn.  The views were spectacular!

Bar Harbor is such a cute town.  Lots of tourists, but it is still really beautiful and charming.

My husband and I went specifically to see the leaves change, and WOW, were they ever gorgeous.  This shot was from Acadia National Park!!

I was in absolute heaven with the weather, the scenery and how great it felt just getting away!!

Everything in Acadia National Park looked like something out of a National Geographic Magazine.  My husband also happens to be a great photographer 🙂

This photo is almost surreal 🙂 Shot at Jordan Pond in Acadia National Park!

The Bar Harbor Inn had a great restaurant and bar overlooking the water! It felt amazing to feel the cool air…if only for a few days 🙂

I ate my weight in blueberry pie, and this one inspired me to make my hand pies!! I had pie every day while we were away and I wasn’t one bit sorry about it 🙂 There was a stop in the park called, Thunder Hole…the waves crashing against the rocks made a huge sound like thunder and could go as high as 40 feet!!

We had the best time taking photos all over the place.  The park was so picturesque that we couldn’t help ourselves 🙂

I truly felt completely at peace here. I know you can understand why 🙂

My husband shot this photo at sunrise the day we left. What a perfect way to capture our last day! 🙂

So, let’s get on with these incredibly delectable Blueberry Hand Pies with a Cinnamon Sugar Crust…

You are going to need a food processor to make the dough. It took me a few times to get it right, but a food processor is really an essential tool for these pies.

What makes the crust so special? It’s made with only real butter and cinnamon sugar in it!!
I used 3 and 1/2 inch round cookie cutters to cut the dough and it ended up being the perfect size.

I decided to use frozen blueberries because the fresh ones were so hard to find and so expensive. They came out just as perfectly using the frozen ones.

I added lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and flour to the blueberries to make the filling.

I used a 3 and 1/2 inch round cookie cutter to cut the dough. DO NOT chill this dough. It will break if you do.  It’s a tender dough, so you need to handle it gently 🙂

Add a couple of tablespoons of blueberry mixture to the top of each round of dough.  You’ll cover that with another round and press the edges down to seal, then crimp with a fork.

This is how they will look when they are ready for the oven.

Straight from the oven, bubbling away on the pan…these pies will knock your pie loving socks off 🙂

How good do they look cut open and ready to eat? 🙂

Add some of your favorite flavor ice cream, some whipped cream, and give yourself the dessert you deserve 🙂

I do think life would be better if we would all bake the world a better place 🙂

Yes, I ate this whole plate 🙂