Raspberry Rhubarb Hand Pies (gluten free pie recipe)

By Amanda Paa – Updated April 23, 2021
Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

The first rhubarb dessert of the season definitely signals the start of spring for a Minnesota girl. Jams, crisps, buckles and bars — so many recipes I’d love to try, so little time.

I’ve also vowed to use this vegetable that’s usually referred to as a fruit in more savory dishes this year, but not before I made these gluten-free Raspberry Rhubarb Hand Pies.

Save This Recipe Form

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get more great recipes and tips from us each week!

A gluten free pie recipe isn’t usually my first choice when I’m making something sweet, mostly because I want something I can indulge in without a long wait. But today was different. I was in one of those, “I’ve got plenty of time to dilly dally with a fun project” moods.

raspberry rhubarb hand pies {gluten free pie recipe} | heartbeet kitchenAnd to tell you the truth, once the pastry is chilled and rolled out, it really doesn’t take that long for these hot pockets to meet your mouth.

I added just a smidge of polenta (cornmeal) to a pretty standard pie crust recipe because I love the slight crunch and sweetness it gives to baked goods (just as I did with this Upside-Down Strawberry Rhubarb Cake).

Plus it adds a beautiful golden hue once finished, and with a glossing from a farm-fresh egg, these little hand pies shine and glisten.

Gluten-Free Raspberry Rhubarb Handpies ~ the perfect sweet treat.I was so so happy with how buttery, flaky and delicate the gluten-free crust turned out to be. I’ve learned the key is to not overwork the dough. You want to see lumps of butter when you roll it out, really!

The filling is basically a roasted jam of glorious fruit – diced young rhubarb picked from our tiny backyard and a few raspberries for color. You’ll find that the amount of sugar needed varies depending on how tart your rhubarb is.

A short blast from the oven helps soften the fruit and concentrate the natural sugars, so I found I only needed about 1/4 cup of added sweetener for this batch.

Gluten-Free Raspberry Rhubarb Hand Pies ~ recipeI also realized that this is a perfect dessert for taking to parties because no forks or knives are needed, there’s no glass pie plate to drop as you’re walking in, and zero clean-up.

I mean, what’s better than a portable packet of spring’s natural beauty queen?

If you make this gluten free pie recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram with hashtag #heartbeetkitchen or @heartbeetkitchen!

 

raspberry rhubarb hand pies {gluten-free} | heartbeet kitchen

Raspberry Rhubarb Gluten-Free Hand Pies

Flaky gluten-free hand pies filled with a fresh raspberry rhubarb jam.
No ratings yet
Prep Time :20 minutes
Cook Time :50 minutes
Total Time :1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 8 small pies
Author: Amanda Paa

SCALE:

Ingredients

  • Crust:
  • 130 grams Cup4Cup gluten-free flour or your favorite gluten-free flour mix
  • 20 grams cornmeal
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 7 tablespoons cold butter diced
  • 1 tablespoon greek yogurt
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons ice cold water
  • Filling:
  • 6 ounces of rhubarb about 3 large stalks, diced
  • 1/3 cup raspberries mostly used for the color
  • 1/4 cup sugar or more to taste, depending on how tart your rhubarb is
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • zest of one lemon
  • 1 egg beaten (for washing & sealing)

Instructions 

  • To make the pastry, put the flour, polenta, salt and
    sugar in a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Add the butter and pulse
    about 10 times to start breaking up the butter, then process for about 15 seconds,
    until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and there are pea-sized lumps of butter.
  • Add the water and greek yogurt, pulsing
    until the mixture just starts to clump together, adding an additional
    tablespoon of water at a time if needed. As long as it sticks together when you
    use your hands to squeeze it into a ball, you’re set. You don’t want to overprocess, there should still be flecks of butter showing.
  • Flatten the dough and wrap in cling
    film. Chill in the fridge for about an hour until just firm.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. While
    the dough is chilling, make the filling by putting the rhubarb, sugar, lemon zest and cornstarch in a roasting dish and mixing. Bake for about for about 15 minutes until the rhubarb has softened and shrunk a bit. Remove and mash the
    raspberries so that the color fully distributes. Taste and stir in a little more sugar if needed. Set aside.
  • When the dough has chilled, roll it out
    on a well-floured surface or parchment paper until it’s about 3mm thick. Chill
    the flattened dough for another half an hour or so.
  • Remove the dough from the fridge and
    using pizza cutter, cut out squares about 2 ½ inches wide by 4 inches long.
  • Place a spoonful of the filling on one square, brush the edges with beaten egg
    and place another square over top, pinching the dough around the jam and sides
    to seal. Cut a vent in each pie and freeze for about 40 minutes, until firm.
  • Return oven to 350 degrees. Remove pies
    from freezer and brush each with the beaten egg, then bake on a sheet pan lined
    with parchment paper for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Did you make this?

tag @heartbeetkitchen on instagram and hashtag it #heartbeetkitchen

May 21, 2014

COMMENT & RATE

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

11 comments

  1. Katie

    Hi there, do you think it’s ok to use normal flour in this recipe too? Would there be any changes to make? Thanks and can’t wait to try these with the fresh rhubarb we just bought.

    • Amanda Paa

      Hi Katie! I did not test it with all-purpose flour, so can’t say for sure, but it should work fine (as I’ve done this with other recipes), as long as you measure the flour to the weight called for, so 130 grams (which is about one cup). The only thing I’m not sure about is if the flour would be less absorbent that gluten-free, so you may have to play with how much water you add. Just be sure to follow this part of the recipe, “Add the water and greek yogurt, pulsing until the mixture just starts to clump together, adding an additional tablespoon of water at a time if needed. As long as it sticks together when you use your hands to squeeze it into a ball, you’re set.”

      Hope it works for you! Let me know your results.

  2. emily (a nutritionist eats)

    Just gorgeous! Cornmeal to the crust is such a great idea. I’ve been tempted to attempt my own pastry dough (never done it!), I think I’ll have to use your recipe!

    • Amanda Paa

      Hi! There’s just something about conrmeal in sweets that I love. Pastry crust has always intimidated me too, and I can say this I was so happy with how this gluten-free version turned out. Rolling it out between parchment paper seemed to make things easy!

  3. Kathryn

    Love the addition of polenta to the crust – so clever! It’s one of my favourite ingredients to play with at the moment and I bet it works so well in these little nuggets of goodness. I’m so glad you liked them (and, in my opinion, made them even better!)

    • Amanda Paa

      Yes, that’s right – you just made those delicious looking rhubarb muffins with polenta too! I doubt these would be better than yours, thanks for the inspiration :)

  4. renee (will frolic for food)

    wow these look fantastic! you did so well with mimicking normal-dough texture with these. I can’t wait to try your pastry dough recipe. I never thought to add cornmeal to a gf pastry recipe. does that help keep it from being sticky or…? also, i’ve heard cup4cup is the best. idk where to get it in my area, but i think bob’s red mill all purpose gf flour might work similarly? i guess we’ll see!

    • Amanda Paa

      thanks renee! i was almost surprised myself how well the crust turned out. the cornmeal does help a little with the stickiness, but i also like it because it adds a little sweetness and bite to the texture. you can get cup4cup at williams sonomoa or online, which is what i normally do and although it is a little more expensive, it is seriously the best. i have to say i wouldn’t recommend bob’s red mill all-purpose gf flour (but I love their plain gf flours) because it contains bean flour which have a somewhat offputting taste in baked goods. it also reacts differently when chilled and used in this type of application. if you can find King Arthur’s gf all-purpose or Pamela’s I would recommend those. have a great weekend!

      • renee (will frolic for food)

        thanks for the recommendations! i’m a big fan of pamela’s — i’ve been getting more into baking and finding a good go-to mix is essential. i usually just make my own blend, but i’m so short on time recently. idk if there’s even a williams sonoma in charlottesville, but i’m gonna find out! if not i’ll probably order it via amazon or the like.

        • Amanda Paa

          ah, i had no idea you lived in Charlotte! we have another place in Raleigh, but don’t get back their often enough. and we were just in Charlotte for a layover when we went to aruba.

          • renee (will frolic for food)

            i’m actually in charlottesville, virginia. charlotte and charlottesville get mixed up a lot, haha!