As promised, I’m going to give y’all the recipe for these adorable little pies. Anyone who knows me well knows that I love desserts. I could definitely skip a meal and go straight for the dessert if given the choice. That being said, pies have never really been my go-to so I thought I would expand my baking horizons this past family dinner.
I started by making the filling the night before I was planning to bake the pies. You can bake the pies the night before also, I’m just one of those people that if I’m going to eat pie, I prefer it the day it’s baked. With summer just around the corner a mix of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries seemed like the perfect combo for this filling. I feel recipes for things like filling are easily adjusted for personal tastes so please feel free to change the fruits to any you’d like.
On to the crust. I went to the store and bought the Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts which meant no rolling out dough! If you have your own favorite pie crust recipe, I say use it. I personally don’t make from scratch pie dough for anything else except Thanksgiving pies, I just don’t have the patience for it. Since we are making these little pies in a muffin tin, you’ll need something to cut out 4-inch circles. I went on a hunt for a biscuit cutter thinking it would be really easy to find. Boy was I wrong. I couldn’t find one anywhere! Not even Wal-Mart where I swear I can find even random items. We ended up using the top for the NutriBullet.
We did both full tops and lattice tops just to have a mix. It’s really important that you brush the tops with the egg so that you can get a nice golden pie crust.
Make sure you keep an eye on these when they are in the oven to get a nice light golden brown top and bubbly filling. If not, you’ll end up with what I did. Light golden brown top and filling spilling out of the pies with some tops lifting open. I had the timer on but I had checked them before I went upstairs and figured they would still need a little more time. Mom called up to me when the timer went off but I told they still needed a few more minutes. Oops! They were basically perfect when she called me and she had no problem telling me so after I took them out. I guess moms really do know best.
Once the pies cooled for about 15 minutes, I started to slowly lift them out of the tin. Luckily, I only had one kind of fall apart on me when I took it out. That just meant it couldn’t be served and had to be eaten right then and there. Oh well! Pair these with vanilla bean ice cream and you’re set for a yummy, easy dessert. Enjoy!
Mini Mixed Berry Pies
For Filling:
- 4 cups total blueberries, strawberries and raspberries
- 1 cup coconut sugar (or any sugar you choose)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- 1 vanilla bean
For Crust:
- 2 (2-ct.) pkgs. Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts
- 1 egg, whisked
- Whisk together coconut sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a large pot, whisk together water, orange juice and bourbon. Add sugar mix and whisk well to combine, removing any lumps. Bring to a boil.
- Add the berries and orange zest. Scrape seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the pot, along with the vanilla bean itself to better infuse the flavor. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until thickened. Let cool and remove vanilla bean before using.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups with cooking spray or butter.
- Roll out a single pie crust on a flat surface. Use a cookie cutter or any 4-inch circle to cut out pie crusts. Press each circle into the bottom of each muffin tin and allow for a tiny rim to remain sticking up over the top.
- Fill each cup with about 1/4 cup of filling, or until nearly filled.
- Use the remaining dough to cover the tops. For a standard crust, cut a circle large enough to cover the top of each pie. Use fingers to gently press the top to the bottom until they stick together. For a lattice, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut thin strips and lace together then add to the top of each pie.
- Use pastry brush to brush the tops of each pie with the whisked egg. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until light golden brown and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Carefully loosen edges and gently lift the pies out. Serve and enjoy.