Apricot hand pies are a cousin to a cupcake, meaning that it’s an individual handheld treat but in the form of a pie.  It’s perfect for a Potluck and packs up easily in Tupperware, a tissue lined basket or tins.  I love them dredged in sugar with a glass of lemonade for a sweet Summer time treat.   What is great about this recipe is that you can have them year round since the  fruit filling  is made with boiled dried fruit.   Another plus is that I used pre made puff pastry dough.   I like having layers and layers of light, flakey dough in each bite.   The fruit filling mixture tastes like fresh homemade jam but less sugary.  Bake the hand pies for 15 minutes to a golden brown and serve warm or at room temperature.    Experiment with different combinations of dried fruit for a personalized treat.

Once the dried fruit is boiled for 30 minutes, you can use a potato masher to mash them.   When boiling, check the softness of the apricots with a fork or knife just like you would if you were boiling potatoes.  The constancy of the mixture will be that of a thick, chunky jam.

Make sure to press your fork firmly to seal the edges of the dough.  Some of the fruit mixture will seep out but if it’s not sealed firmly, it will pop open while baking and the fruit filling will burn and leak out totally from the dough.

 Apricot Hand Pies 

This recipe seen here first at Buttercream Bakehouse

Apricot Hand Pies

2013-06-17 17:03:46

Serves 15

A warm, sweet Apricot filling covered in a flakey premade puff pastry dough. The perfect handheld treat that packs up easily for picnics, potlucks or bagged lunches.

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Prep Time

40 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

55 min

Prep Time

40 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

55 min

Ingredients

1 cup dried apricots

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

sugar for dredging

puff pastry dough ( I used pepperidge farm)

1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water for egg wash

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside. Place apricots in small saucepan and put enough water in just to cover. Boil on medium for 30 minutes or until apricots are soft and tender. Place in a bowl and mash with potato masher. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and lemon juice and mix. Cool in refrigerator 10 minutes.

While mixture is cooling, prepare your egg wash. Lightly whisk one egg and water until pale. Set aside. Roll out puff pastry and using a 3 inch cutter cut out as many circles as you can. Place circles of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Add a tablespoon or less of fruit filling. Seal the edges together with a fork. If filling is oozing out too much, remove some filling and press again. Use less filling if you are having this problem with each hand pie. Lightly brush with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Dredge each warm pie in a dish with granulated sugar and place on cooling rack until warm. May eat warm, cold or at room temp.

Notes

Make these larger by simply using a larger cookie cutter and adding more filling.

By Buttercream Bakehouse

Buttercream Bakehouse http://buttercream-bakehouse.com/

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Ever  since I was a little girl I have been a huge coffee lover.   In fact my favorite ice cream back then and to this day is  Jamoca Almond Fudge from Baskin Robbins .  Now as an adult I am still a huge coffee lover and I frequent Starbucks like a bad habit and truly need to stop.    So I have no good explanation about why I am just now discovering mocha cupcakes and creamy coffee buttercream.  Maybe I am looking for an excuse to eat a mocha cupcake with my cup of joe in the morning but I don’t endorse that.  Ahem!  Not me.  Either way, if you are a coffee lover like me then this recipe is for YOU.   When I was baking these my house had the aroma of a coffee shop. That sweet, warm coffee scent that awakens you and gives you the feeling of home and comfort.   For this recipe I took my favorite Hershey’s Chocolate Cake recipe and added two teaspoons of Coffee Extract.  You can buy some HERE.   I chose coffee extract as opposed to brewed coffee, as some recipes suggest, because I brew my coffee kind of weak and I wanted to control the amount of coffee flavor infused in my cupcake and buttercream.   They turned out fabulous and I wouldn’t change a thing the next time I make them.  Top them each with a spiral wafer cookie that’s coffee flavored (see what I used below) and you have an extra special treat that any coffee lover would dream of sinking their teeth into. 

A few lucky neighbors enjoyed these Mocha Cupcakes.  I had to start handing them out or I would start to form a Mocha Cupcake addiction. Coffee addiction is bad enough.

I used a generic brand (Dean Jacobs) cappuccino flavored spiral wafers that I found at HomeGoods  But you can  buy the same style cookies from Pepperidge Farm that are found in most Grocery stores.  Better yet, any coffee flavored or chocolate cookie will do just fine.  

 Mocha Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream

Mocha Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream

2013-06-08 16:01:26

Serves 24

a rich chocolate cupcake infused with coffee and topped with a luscious and creamy coffee buttercream

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

18 min

Total Time

45 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

18 min

Total Time

45 min

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coffee extract

1 cup boiling water

COFFEE BUTTERCREAM

4 sticks unsalted butter, room temp

4-6 c powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 c strong brewed coffee (or more to taste)

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°F. prepare cupcake pans with liners.

2 Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and coffee extract; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into cupcake pans lined with liners.

3 Bake 18 minutes or until cupcake springs back when touched in the center. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Coffee Buttercream

4 unsalted sticks of butter

5 cups ( all but one cup of a 2 pound bag) of confectioners sugar

a dash of salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons coffee extract

4-6 tablespoons whole milk (or desired amount for a thinner consistency)

beat butter with the whip attachment of a kitchenaid mixer for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy

add sugar a cup at a time and beat on low until incorporated then on high for one minute. Repeat until all the sugar is added.

Add extracts and milk and stir until combined.

Add a dash of salt and stir.

Notes

if you prefer, you can substitute fresh brewed cold coffee for the extract but double the amount in each the cake and the buttercream. Extract is best.

By Buttercream Bakehouse

Adapted from Hershey's Chocolate Cupcakes

Adapted from Hershey's Chocolate Cupcakes

Buttercream Bakehouse http://buttercream-bakehouse.com/

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