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Rustic Berry Turnovers

posted by Liz Berg on May 30, 2017 (updated 10/20/22)

These Rustic Berry Turnovers will tickle your taste buds and are perfect to eat at any time of day! Fill the buttery pastry with your favorite berry and get prepared for rave reviews!

Hand Pies are just mini pies that can are small enough to fit in your hand. No silverware is required to eat these tasty gems. But break out the napkins!

Rustic Berry Turnovers on a white plate with 3 berries.

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Must Make

2 Expert Tips

3 Frequently Asked Questions

4 You May Also Like:

5 Rustic Berry Turnovers Recipe

Why You Must Make

I love adding the word “rustic’ to my dessert titles. Basically, it gives permission to show filling oozing, crusts cracking, but still utterly delicious treats. In this case, the juicy berry filling was encased in a tender butter pastry crust. After 30 minutes in the oven, the result was twelve fabulously delicious mini pies. Or at least that’s the comment I got after hubby ate his first rustic berry turnover in just three bites.

Turnovers are finger food! No plates or forks are needed but have plenty of napkins.
Hand pies are easier to make than a double-crust pie!
The options are endless and can be sweet or savory.
Depending on the size, they can be served as appetizers, a lunch entree, or dessert!

My crusts weren’t perfectly sealed, but that’s the beauty of a “rustic” turnover. The berry juices bubbling out are just part of their charm. My youngest was searching for a peach one in the pile but to no avail. That version will be on my baking list later this summer! Apple turnovers are one of my favorite autumn treats as well.

Expert Tips

Homemade pastry dough always tastes best, but storebought will work in a pinch.
Use a larger biscuit cutter to make perfect rounds from the rolled-out dough. I used a 4-inch cutter for these turnovers.
PRO-Tip: You can use a round or square cutter as turnovers can be semi-circles or triangles after being folded in half. There is less wasted dough if you cut squares.
Add about 1 tablespoon of whatever sweetened fruit filling you prefer. If you use a firmer fruit, like apples, you might want to soften it first by sauteing some diced apples in some butter and adding sugar and cinnamon to taste.
Place the spoonful of filling on one half of the round of pastry, brush a little milk around the perimeter, then fold the other half over the top. From the first one, you can gauge whether you need more or less filling.
Gently press together the edges to seal. I like using a fork to press a simple pattern around the perimeter, which also reinforces the seal.
Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with the reserved sugar. Feel free to use a coarser sugar for more sparkle! Bake as directed.

Rustic Berry Turnovers on a round white plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Turnovers?

Turnovers or Hand Pies are made from pastry dough and a sweet or savory filling. They are then folded in half to make semi-circles or triangles. To seal, the edges are pinched or crimped to prevent the filling from leaking. Then they are baked or deep-fried.

How Do You Make Hand Pies?

1. Make and roll out the dough.
2. Cut rounds or squares that are big enough to accommodate some filling.
3. Spoon a small amount of the filling on one half of each of the pastries.
4. Brush the edge with milk.
5. Fold the half without the filling over the filling.
6. Pinch the edges to seal, then crimp with a fork to reinforce.
7. Brush the pastry with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
8. Bake as directed.

How Do You Eat Hand Pies?

It’s perfectly acceptable to eat turnovers with your hands, but it’s also fine to use a knife and fork. If you’re at a luncheon and the entree is a large meat turnover, silverware would be prudent.