Saturday, August 6, 2011

Mini Cherry Pies



If pies are the new cupcake then these mini cherry pies can rival any cupcakes in the cuteness category and they're 100% home-made and so delicious!


Start with the Pate Brisee, I had leftover from the other day's apple marzipan galette, Pie dough is easily made ahead of time, frozen and left to thaw in the fridge overnight for convenient use.

Martha Stewart's recipe is one of my favourites, however I've altered it slightly below:

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt


2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes


1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed

1 tsp lemon juice (mixed into the ice water)


Directions


In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender or use tips of fingers to rub the butter and flour together, working quickly as not to warm up the ingredients .)

With machine running, add (lemony) ice water through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Shape into flattened disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

----


With the last of the season cherries I picked up the rest was easy, pitting was the most fun using the cool technique I learned recently and used on my cherry dumplings here.

I think this is probably one of the most useful and exciting tips I've ever learned because before this I would avoid cherries, using a parring knife to peel the flesh around the pit was not fun at all!

 I double the recipe of pie dough above and make 2 flattened disks to refrigerate then I make pie filling using 2 bags of cherries as directed below:

Doubling the pie dough pastry should make about 12 mini (covered) pies with some cherry filling leftover.
OR you can make about 24 open face  tart like pies (like here)
 with all the filling.


An alternate and easier design to do for covered pies is something like this 





Cherry pie filling:


-2 bags of cherries (about 80 cherries, or 2 lbs of cherries)

Remove stems, wash, and using a paring knife cut an X in the bottom of each one.

Doing this assembly style is best. Wash, then begin cutting them and moving them into another bowl.

Once finished all, use a chopstick to push through the top of the cherry (where the stem was) to remove the seed/pit. Once pitted add them to a heavy bottomed saucepan.

Add:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 tbsp water

Bring to a boil and cook on medium low for about 15 minutes.

Mix together in a small bowl the following ingredients:

- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp ice water

Bring the cherry filling to a boil again and quickly mix in the cornstarch mixture.

Stir the cornstach mixture into the cherries and you'll see it thicken immediately.  Remove from heat and place the filling in another bowl to cool. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the cherries to avoid a seal forming on the top.

Allow to cool completely then refrigerate until ready to use.

Ok so these little pies were made right in the cupcake pan.. no greasing or anything required. Just cut the dough and put it straight in.

The filling should be cool of course and you can begin your assembly creating any type of design you like. Here I made three different designs ...

Use some eggwash to create a nice sheen on the little pies before baking..

Bake between at 375 for 30 mins or so until the pastry is crispy and golden browned where it touches the pan.
















92 comments:

Anonymous said...

These look fantastic, and that photo of you holding the cherry over the pot is perfection!

Amatullah said...

Thank you! :) They were so adorable, not sure if it's because they're small but I Feel like I can eat more than the average slice worth of pie.

Anonymous said...

So cute! How did you get the patterns on the top?

Amatullah said...

Thank you! The woven lattice I cut strips and wove them (it's very simple, just like a big pie but a mini version)

The other two are covered pies and I just poked a hole in the middle with a skewer and also cut knife slits.

The last one is a pull apart lattice and that is done by using a tool on a regular pie but since this is a tiny version I used a knife on the small round piece of dough so I cut slits (alternately) and then when you pull it apart you get that design.

It was a little time consuming but I had fun since there wasn't much to do that afternoon anyway :)

Linda @ Lemon Drop said...

these are truly lovely! love the idea of individual pies. thx for sharing :)

Linda @ Lemon Drop

Cookin' Cowgirl said...

Beautiful photos!! Those look good enough to eat! (haha)
~Cookin' Cowgirl

Anonymous said...

حبيت طبخك كتير وتصويرك كمان ,, يابخت جوزك

Anna said...

Elegant dessert and snack treats! Your photos are excellent!

Anonymous said...

fantastic,do u have any recipe to change the filling with strawberry?

Amatullah said...

Sure! You can do strawberry.

Chop some fresh strawberries and add sugar, reduce it in a pot and maybe add a tbsp of strawberry jam to it too for more concentrated flavour.

Make sure the mixture is not too runny so add a bit of corn starch mixed with cold water into the strawberry mixture. It should look shiny and like cherry pie filling.

Best of luck!

Libby said...

Absolutely great post. Wish I would have seen this earlier when I had a bunch of fruit I didn't know what to do with. Great stuff!

Kim @ Home Is Where The Heart Is said...

Adorable :)

mandy said...

I make these all the time! I make apple and pumpkin mini pies too. they are a big hit!

Laurel said...

How many mini pies does this recipe yield?

Amatullah said...

It makes about 8? ish.

Anonymous said...

They must be delicious... :)
Lucía
www.sevillaneando.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

Terrific idea. Thanks.

sue said...

How do I get the pies out of the pan w/o them falling apart?

Amatullah said...

Sue, make sure the crust is thick (the bottom one) and also cooked enough and golden at the bottom then you just take a small knife and pop it out without fussing with it too much to cause it to flake. Maybe bake yours a little longer if the dough is too soft and if it's thin then try just flipping the pan upside down on your counter and quickly flipping them all over.

Anonymous said...

Sue- try small strips of parchmapent paper under bottom crust before you bake them. You can pull the tabs and they pop out after baking. (hope that makes sense)

Jamie @ Domestically Vintage said...

These look amazing! Almost too pretty to eat, but it's pie so that's not really possible. :) Love your photography! ~ Jamie

Cindy Irene said...

Lovely idea! I shared your photos and recipe on my photography Facebook. www.facebook.com/cindyirenerogers. If you do not want me to share, please let me know, and I will take it off due to copyright photography laws. Thank you. ~Cindy Irene

Sarah said...

Can't wait to try these. Love cherry pie, and the idea of mini pies is very appealing. Your images are delicious!

Emily said...

These are adorable!

Sue said...

So adorable! Beautiful photos too!

Anonymous said...

Can the pies be frozen?

Amatullah said...

Yes they can be frozen! :)

Unknown said...

Love the recipes in your blog!
Can't find the link to the pate brisee is it still there?

Amatullah said...

trixi, for some reason the link keeps disappearing so I just posted the recipe.

Kelly said...

Mine didn't turn out nearly as pretty as yours, but they were delicious! I was unsure of how many fresh cherries to use, but a little less than 4 cups seemed to be just right!

Amatullah said...

Kelly, I'm glad to hear that you tried them and that they were delicious!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your tip about the cherry quantity that you used. Normally I buy my bags at the supermarket and they're sold like grapes, and once pitted and such it turns out less so I wasn't sure what amount to list, if you have a little sauce left or a little extra dough you could always just free it and the cherries go good on ice cream or any other dessert, it's a win-win situation!

Amanda said...

I made these last night, but instead of cherry did peach (cause it's what I had on hand). Delicious and a big hit with everyone! Thanks for the cute idea.

Anonymous said...

these are adorable! I just have a quick question I have tried over and over to make my own pie crust but it NEVER EVER turns out. Could i possibly use premade pie crust if you think so could you give me a few tips on how to make sure they turn out!! thanks

Amatullah said...

I'm sure you can use premade crust, why not?! :)

When you've attempted it in the past perhaps your kitchen was too warm or even your ingredients, it's vital for things to stay cold when making pie so that it is nice and flaky.

I would suggest maybe watching a youtube video for basic pie dough making instructions to see where thing may have gone wrong.

Good luck!

RecipeNewZ said...

They are just gorgeous! Pinned :-)

Anonymous said...

These look wonderful thank you and can't wait to make them. Sandra Witt

Patina said...

Ok, I've got to try these. We're going camping and what a fun little dessert to pull out for everyone.

Could you tell me, if I use canned pie cherries instead of fresh do I do anything different?

It sounds like my normal cherry pie recipe might not work as it looks like you heat the filling up, making it thick.

Thanks so much for sharing, I can't wait to try these.

Debbie

Amatullah said...

Debbie, cherry pie filling is already thickened so by all means you can use it :)

I hope you all enjoy these on your camping trip!

If you need any more clarifications let me know and I'll be happy to assist.

Patina said...

Thank you for you responce. I actually was talking about the pie cherries that do not have the thickner in it. They are in there own natural juices.
I would use these cherries to make a cherry pie, adding sugar, flour and almond flavoring to it. But this would all be put in the pie shell cold.

Maybe I need to just try a batch and see how they turn out.


Thank you, I can't wait to try this...next week!

Amatullah said...

If it's not hot then no you don't need to warm it up because it shouldn't be warm anyway when it goes in the shell or it'll melt the tender buttery cool pastry.

You may need to heat it to thicken it however with the flour or corn starch. You heat it and then you mix the cornstarch with some cold water in a tiny bowl, just a few tbsps of water to make a smooth consistency and then you whisk it into the hot cherries and it should thicken, cool it down and then fill your pies.

Hope it turns out :)

Sarah said...

I realize I'm a little late to the cute cherry pie party but had a quick question about the yogurt lid you used for cutting the crust... Was that from an individual container or a large one?

Thanks!

Amatullah said...

Sarah, it's like a typical sour cream container lid.

Kelly said...

I don't even like cherry pie, but I want to eat one of these, they're so cute! Not only are the pies gorgeous, but your pics of them make them even more so. Nice work!

Chanel said...

Aww these are so cute and so great to carry to a little picnic :3

Mariam said...

I made these today for Eid. I took them to my family's house and they loved it. Thanks for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

How much cherries did you use? love the pics by the way!

Amatullah said...

5-7 cherries per pie.

cgaydosh said...

How would you adjust the filling using apples?

Amatullah said...

Peel, core and chop apples finely, add sugar and cinnamon and use in the filling. If you want to cook the filling a bit on the stove in a pot you can to soften the apples a bit since these pies cook very quickly due to small size.

Add a bit of corn starch and cold water at the end to thicken the apple filling.

Leonie said...

Oh look at these small pies, so cute! Want to have one right now!

Unknown said...

Can I pin this on Pinterest?

Amatullah said...

Yes you can! Sure you can pin it :)

Alexa said...

Can you use frozen cherries? This time of year it's hard to find the fresh cherries!

Amatullah said...

Alexa, sure, why not!

Unknown said...

Love these mini pies and your pictures are beautiful.
Thank you !!!
http://angel-shelterfromthestorm.blogspot.com/

Basmah said...

What about apple. Do u think i can use apples. I am not a cherry person. SO i love the idea but wanted to know if i can use apples.

Amatullah said...

Basmah, for sure, any pie filling will work. Cube the apple small and cook the apple filling until it's translucent because the pies are so tiny and cook quickly which is not enough time for raw apple filling to cook.

Good luck!

Cup&Cake said...

Hello!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I'll try it with every fruit on the planet, because sounds really delicious!!!
About the oven temperature, is in celsius? I'm asking, because I'm portuguese, and here we use celsius, and I'm thinking 350 degrees too high.. I'm I wrong?
Thank you again, for your share!
Regards!
Ana

Amatullah said...

Ana, I'm baking in fahrenheit :)

InviteandDelight said...

I made these for a President's Day party favor...tasty and cute! Thank you so much for your post. Would love to invite you check out my post on this party (I did credit/link to you blog on it).

www.inviteanddelight.blogspot.com

rocky said...

I made these the other day for a school fundraiser, but made my own blueberry filling and they tasted delicious! The only problem was each batch that went into the oven came out with the filling oozing over the mini pie! I was so discouraged when I saw your beautiful pictures and my sorry excuse for a mini pie :(

I went over the recipe a million times and tried a few things to hopefully fix the problem, as I was sure I followed it correctly. Like filling the pie with less filling, etc. and doing that ironically made the filling spill out even more!

Luckily, the taste was still amazing and everyone ate them all, regardless of presentation! But I just wanted some help on figuring out what could have possibly gone wrong. Thanks!

Amatullah said...

"Filling Overflows: Oven too hot, lack of holes in top crust; edges not sealed, or too much filling."

http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/pub__5034452.html

That's a few things that came to mind and what came up in the search.

Maybe the blueberry filling was too watery? Did you thicken your sauce with corn starch like I did with the cherries?

rocky said...

Great! Thank you! I'll definitely try to look for these mistakes the next time I make them.

And yes, though it did not seem as thick as I would have liked...the juice from the blueberries made it more watery and I had to add more cornstarch than the recipe called for.

Amatullah said...

Yes blueberries can be more watery but they also have a lot of pectin as well which lets them naturally thicken up.
Maybe next time cool the filling in the fridge overnight too.

Let me know how it goes :)

Unknown said...

Can they be made gluten free??

Amatullah said...

Vicky, I don't know about gluten free baking but you can try to find a gluten free pie pastry and use that.. Hope it turns out!

Stephanie C said...

Bella, perhaps i didn't read it right, but what was Your tip for pitting cherries?
these look absolutely wonderful! would like to try them with Cherries, blueberries and apples too!

Amatullah said...

http://simplypiee.blogspot.ca/2011/06/how-to-pit-cherries-with-chopstick-and.html

For Stephanie, good luck! :)

ashC. said...

Hi!

I was just wondering if I could use puff pastry in place of the homemade pastry?

Also, you think I could make a mince pie version out of this? And if so, what's in it? We don't really have mince pies here in Australia so I'm not too sure what the ingredients are.

Thanks in advance!

Amatullah said...

AshC,

Yes you can fill the muffin rounds with small squares or rounds of puff pastry, but dont' overwork the puff pastry dough or it will be touch. You can prebake them too poking some holes in them and then fill with your fruit and bake a little more at the end so that your crust is not soggy because puff pastry will not rise well with fruit on top of it and crammed in a small cup.

As for the mince pie, do you mean the fruit type mince? If so just google a recipe for mince pie and use the filling ingredients to stuff these mini pies with. Very easy.

Anonymous said...

These look amazing. I want to make them for my wedding. How far in advance can i make them and how would i make them look fresh baked for the day of? Thanks

Amatullah said...

You could totally freeze them and then reheat the day of your wedding! Freeze them on a tray then pop into a zip lock bag.

Or if you want them fresh you could just freeze the pies unbaked and then bake them all the day of your wedding in batches.

Anonymous said...

Do you boil the cherries in water? Or just juices from the cherries? Thanks. :)

Amatullah said...

They're stewed, so adding sugar to the cherries and a bit of lemon juice brings out the juices from the fruit. Usually you don't need to add any water. Then if it's too watery you thicken it later with the cornstarch mixed with a bit of cold water and whisked into the cherry mixture on the stove.

Chris and Stephanie said...

How many cups of cherries did you use and how many mini pies did that yield?

Amatullah said...

http://www.adventuressheart.com/2011/08/mini-cherry-pies-ii.html

Also, I probably used a bag of cherries.

This post really came about as an inspiration and tutorial on making a "tiny" pie back when there wasn't that much out there on mini pies.

Anyway, feel free to use the crust and filling of your choice.

Sherry G said...

What type of cherries do you use from the produce department? I typically only see Bing cherries. Is there another type I should be looking for to make fresh cherry pies? I noticed the comments asking about using canned or frozen as a substitute but would like to try fresh cherries if possible.

Amatullah said...

I prefer to use local cherries, if not then I think they come from the USA, and really not sure what kind of cherries, any type will do really.

Anonymous said...

Going to make and take an assortment of flavors to family reunion instead if big pies. Thanks!!!

Maria said...

Can I use the can pie filling and what about frozen pie crust. I want to do lots of deferent kind and lemon all so thank you

Amatullah said...

I always make my own pies from scratch but can't see why not, use the pie crust that isn't already rolled out and in a pan (obviously)

WillaMay said...

what Great Fun this will Be To do With My grandkids!

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to try these --- I make my own home-made apple pie filling...that will be my weekend project!!! Thanks for sharing! :))

Amatullah said...

It's nice to hear that you make everything from scratch too! Best of luck and come back to let us know how it went!:) I can't wait to try apple for the fall too.

Anonymous said...

How much sugar should I use? i guessed last time and they were a bit too sweet.

K_Frei said...

I made these yesterday using canned cherry pie filling and pre-made dough found in the refrigerator section of my local grocery store... I did the lattice tops on all of them and they were absolutely adorable!! My family loved them, and my mother saw them on my facebook page and asked me to bring her some too, so I did! :) Much easier than making everything! I'm headed to the store here in a little while to get some more dough and this time blueberry and apple fillings!!! Yum-MMY!

Lauren said...

I adapted these to my own cherry pie recipe and was super happy with the results. Thank you for the tutorial! I have included a link to your post in mine. Here is a link to my post: http://whatsinlaurenstummy.blogspot.com/2013/08/fresh-cherry-cup-pies.html

Chloe Pollacco said...

These were so much fun to make and came out so cute and yummy! I served them with vanilla icecream and they were so good! thanks for sharing the recipe :)

Anonymous said...

Could you possibly just used already made filling? And if you can how many cans?

janriav said...

I make cherry pies all the time and I never have done this before. I like the idea and they are very cute. I bet it takes alot of time to make them.

KatC said...

I know its 2016 a long time since you posted the original recipe but I am so glad its still here. I am trying to not pull my hair out over what to bake for my older sisters birthday and found this! She is jumping up and down with joy and wanting to know if they are done yet. Thank you!!! hugs, Kathryn

Jennifer said...

These pies look amazing!