MINI PIES

Learn how to make mini pies baked in mini pie tins or mini bowls.
Mini pies are just as delicious – and much cuter – than regular-sized pies.

And they’re not difficult to make. If you can make normal pie, you can make mini pies. The process is the same:

Make pie crust
Roll a small amount of crust to fill the mini pie tins or bowls
Add filling
Add top crust
Bake

Mini pies make great food gifts. And they’re perfect for Valentine’s Day.

FOOLPROOF PIE CRUST

A few years ago, I got into pie-making. Now, I always have ingredients on hand to make homemade pies to give away to friends and family – or to eat myself.
I use the same pie crust recipe every time: This recipe, from Inspired Taste.
This all-butter pie crust is made in the food processor.
Inspired Taste uses the Cooks Illustrated method of making pie crust, which involves combining part of the flour with the butter in a food processor, then adding the rest of the flour. This minimizes gluten formation, allowing for those super flaky pie crust layers.
Follow the recipe instructions, below, for foolproof all-butter pie crust.

HOW TO MAKE PIE CRUST DESIGNS FOR MINI PIES

Making pretty top crust designs is easier than you think. I find pie crust dough to be very easy to work with – and very forgiving.
Basically, the way it looks when you put it on top of the pie is how it will look when it’s done baking. (Other than the crust browning, that is.)
You can really do any crust design for mini pies – just like you’d do for a regular-size pie:

Make a lattice crust
Braid three thin strands of pie dough
Use cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes
Simply cover the entire top with a crust – just remember to cut a few slits in the crust or it could bubble up and cook unevenly

PIE FILLING

Mini pies can be filled with any type of pie filling, just like regular-sized pies can.
For this batch of mini pies, I used canned apple pie filling and homemade cherry pie filling.
Any baked pie filling will work for these mini pies:

Apple pie
Cherry pie
Berry pie
Pumpkin pie

If you make an unbaked pie filling (like French silk or banana cream) you will have to blind bake the pie crust. This involves baking the crust alone before adding the filling.

WHERE TO BUY MINI PIE TINS

I purchased mini pie tins at a kitchen supply store.
But it isn’t necessary to purchase mini pie tins. Here are some other options for making mini pies:

Miniature ovenproof bowls (yes, you can make pie in a bowl!)
Ovenproof ramekins
Muffin tins (regular-sized or mini muffin tins)

The process is the same, no matter what vessel you choose to bake your mini pie in.

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INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 cup (230 grams) cold butter, cut into cubes
4 to 8 tablespoons ice water

INSTRUCTIONS

To make pie crust dough: Place 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Pulse 5 times until ingredients are combined.
Add butter cubes to food processor. Pulse about 15 times, until a dough starts to ocome together.
Add remaining 1 cup of flour to the food processor. Pulse about 5 more times, until crumbly. Remove dough from the food processor and place in a large mixing bowl.
Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of ice water over dough. Using a dough blender or fork, start pressing down on the dough to incorporate water and make the dough uniform. If the dough is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time (up to 4 tablespoons) until it holds together.
Place dough on a clean counter and press into a ball and flatten. Place in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour, overnight, or up to 2 days. (Dough can be made ahead of time and frozen.)
To roll out dough: When ready to use, place the dough ball on the counter at room temperature for a few minutes. Lightly flour clean countertop.
The amount of dough needed will vary depending on the size of your pie tin or bowl. For a standard mini pie tin, take approximately 1/4 cup of dough (golf ball size) and roll into a flat circle with a rolling pin. The dough should extend about 1/2-inch beyond the pie tin. Carefully lift the pie crust and place into the tin. Trim dough using a kitchen scissors so it extends 1/2-inch beyond the edge.
Repeat the process for the top crust, if using. You can either roll out an entire top or make a lattice or other design. If using a whole top crust, make a couple of cuts in the top to vent.

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