Pies and Mini Pies (4 page)

Mini Muffin Pan: 1-3/4” mini pies

Pie Crust:
Make your favorite pie crust recipe. Roll the dough into 24 balls about 1" in diameter. Press the balls into the bottom and up sides of muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees F 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Refrigerated Pie Crust:
Cut 3" circles using a round cutter and shape into each mini muffin cup or roll the dough into 24 balls about 1" in diameter. Press the balls into the bottom and up sides of mini muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees F 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Quick Fried Pies

1 can flaky buttermilk biscuits

1 lb. dried fruit (your choice)

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

3 teaspoons of cinnamon

2 heaping tablespoons Crisco®

Roll each biscuit until it is the size of a small plate. Cook the dried fruit with a little sugar until tender. Let cool. Then spoon a full teaspoon of the cooked fruit into the center of each flattened biscuit. Fold over (making a half-moon). Tuck the edges in and mash them with the tines of a fork. Repeat with next biscuit. Lay each pie on a flat sheet until all the biscuits have been used.

Then in a skillet with the Crisco brought to medium heat (not too hot), fry the pies on both sides. Warning: The pies are easily burned; so watch them every moment.

Make a glaze, using a mixture of powdered sugar, cinnamon and water and brush over the pies before they cool.

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Pie Crust:

2 cups flour

2/3 cup shortening

3 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon salt

Blend flour, salt and shortening with pastry blender, then reserve 1/4 cup of mixture and set aside for later.

Filling:

6 apples – pare, core and slice

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Roll out bottom crust and put in pie pan. Put in apples and cover with sugar, salt and cinnamon. Dot with butter. Roll out top crust and cover pie. Take reserved mixture and add 2 teaspoons sugar. Mix and sprinkle over pie before baking at 350 degrees F for one hour.

Old Fashioned Apple Mini Pies

** Use 2 9" crusts for 12 muffin cups or 24 mini muffin cups.

** Cut the apples into smaller bite-size pieces for mini pies.

Spray muffin pans with Pam. Add a strip of parchment paper to the muffin cup to use as handles for removing the pie easily, if desired. Fill with pie crust as directed below, depending on your mini pie size.

Make the Old Fashioned Apple Pie filling according to this recipe. Only fill muffin cups 3/4 full with pie filling. TOPS - Add lattice pastry strips, use tiny cookie cutters in pastry, top with pie crust (slit top for venting) or just leave the top open. Pinch the crusts together if topping with pie crust.

Mini pies bake a little faster than regular pies. Cook the apple pies for about 15 to 20 minutes at 350 or 375 degrees F. If additional cooking time is needed, check the pies frequently until the crust is golden. Cool in pan.

Muffin/Cupcake Pan: 2-3/4” mini pies

Pie crust:
Cut 3-1/2” or 4" circles with a biscuit cutter or use a bowl to cut the circle. Shape the pie crust into each muffin cup.

Mini Muffin Pan: 1-3/4” mini pies

Pie Crust:
Make the pie crust recipe for Old Fashioned Apple Pie. Roll the dough into 24 balls about 1" in diameter. Press the balls into the bottom and up sides of muffin cups.

Refrigerated Pie Crust:
Cut 3" circles with a cookie cutter and shape into each muffin cup.

Ginger Fruit Pie

Pie Crust:

1 cup fine graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons butter or margarine melted

Stir together crumbs and melted butter. Press over bottom and sides of 9 inch pie plate. Chill until set.

Filling:

2 cups tiny marshmallows or 20 large marshmallows

3 tablespoons milk

1 package 3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dash of salt

1 1 lb. can fruit cocktail drained

Melt marshmallows with milk in double boiler, stirring occasionally; cool 10 minutes. Combine cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in marshmallow mixture and fruit cocktail. Turn into crust. Chill until firm, about 5 hours. Garnish with additional fruit cocktail, if desired.

Magic Blackberry Pie

Pie Crust:

1 cup vanilla wafers, rolled very fine

4 tablespoons melted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon all spice

To make crust, combine vanilla wafers rolled very fine, butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and all spice. Press into an 8” pie pan.

Filling:

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 cups blackberries

1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare 8-inch pie plate with vanilla wafer crumb crust. Combine condensed milk with lemon juice; add blackberries and turn mixture into prepared pie shell. Top with whipped cream that has the powdered sugar and vanilla added.

Perfect Cherry Pie

1 unbaked pie shell

4 cups frozen cherries or 2 16 ounces cans pitted tart cherries, drained

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Mix all ingredients together, put in a prepared pie shell. Heat oven to 425 degrees F and bake 35 to 45 minutes. Cover with foil until last 15 minutes.

Perfect Cherry Mini Pies

** Use 2 9" crusts for 12 muffin cups or 24 mini muffin cups.

** Cut the cherries into smaller bite-size pieces for mini pies.

Spray muffin pans with Pam. Add a strip of parchment paper to the muffin cup to use as handles for removing the pie easily, if desired. Fill with pie crust as directed below, depending on your mini pie size.

Make the Cherry Pie filling according to this recipe. Only fill muffin cups 3/4 full with pie filling. TOPS - Add lattice pastry strips, use tiny cookie cutters in pastry, top with pie crust (slit top for venting) or just leave the top open. Pinch the crusts together if topping with pie crust.

Mini pies bake a little faster than regular pies. Cook the cherry pies for about 15 to 20 minutes at 350 or 375 degrees F, then if additional cooking time is needed, check the pies frequently until the crust is golden. Cool in pan.

Muffin/Cupcake Pan: 2-3/4” mini pies

Pie crust:
Cut 3-1/2” or 4" circles with a biscuit cutter or use a bowl to cut the circle. Shape the pie crust into each muffin cup.

Mini Muffin Pan: 1-3/4” mini pies

Pie Crust:
Make your favorite pie crust recipe. Roll the dough into 24 balls about 1" in diameter. Press the balls into the bottom and up sides of muffin cups.

Refrigerated Pie Crust:
Cut 3" circles with a cookie cutter and shape into each muffin cup.

Cranberry Apple Pie

1 unbaked pie shell

4 cups sliced apples

2 cups cranberries

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon