Mini Blueberry Pies

I had a free afternoon and picked up The Assistant earlier than usual. “Let’s make blueberry pies!” he shouted in a tone that implied that he had been thinking about this for some time. It’s not exactly blueberry season, but we always have an extensive supply of frozen blueberries on hand for our oatmeal, so whipping up a batch of filling isn’t impossible.

The hard part, of course, is the crust. Ours was being uncooperative in large sheets, so we cut out circles with a cookie cutter and made hand-held mini-pies. “Kind of like empanadas, but with PIE!” I like the way he thinks.

After assembling the pies, brush the tops with an egg wash made from one beaten egg and a tablespoon of water. I also like to sprinkle the top with a dusting of raw sugar crystals.

Pie Crust

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Serves	8
Prep time	20 minutes
Allergy	Wheat
Meal type	Dessert
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable

My favorite pie crust recipe. I have a terrible time getting an unbroken, pie-sized sheet, so The Assistant's idea of mini pies works perfectly.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• .75 cup lard or shortening
• 5 tablespoons cold water

Directions

Step 1

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the lard or shortening until all flour is just blended, forming pea-sized chunks.

Step 2

Sprinkle lightly with water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms a ball.

Step 3

Divide dough into two parts. Press between hands to form two 5-6 inch "pancakes."

Step 4

Flour the rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll dough into a circle, approximately .25 inch thick.

Blueberry Pie Filling

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Serves	8
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	10 minutes
Total time	20 minutes
Meal type	Dessert
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable

An incredibly tasty blueberry pie filling that's quick and easy to make.

Ingredients

• 1lb frozen blueberries
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• .25 cup granulated sugar
• .25 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Step 1

Add blueberries, sugar and lemon zest in a pot. Bring to a simmer.

Step 2

In a separate bowl, mix lemon juice and cornstarch.

Step 3

Gradually add cornstarch mixture to the blueberries. Bring to a boil for 4-5 minutes. Allow to thicken.

Step 4

Stir in butter. Allow to cool before using in the pies.

Results

“Mini pies are THE BEST! I love how I can pick them up. But I wish I could cram extra filling into them,” said The Assistant.

The Husband was stunned to discover that we had made pies on a random weeknight. “This is a nice surprise. I think I like it when you take the afternoon off.”

Tags: bake, blueberry, dessert, kid-friendly, oven, pie, Recipe

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