tuesday treats: mini pies

today's treat:

homemade mini pies :)

a couple of years ago, ben and i were able to go to our friend jessie's surprise birthday party.
we arrived early enough to help with the treats, and i helped reagan make these yummy mini pies!
i loved them so much i've made them a few times since, and wanted to share the recipe and how-to for you!




MINI HAND PIES:

(original recipe from the October 2011 "Food & Wine" magazine for caramel pecan hand pies,
this is the modified version!)

This recipe makes 12-15 hand pies
It's very easy to half the recipe to make 6-7 hand pies.

PIE CRUST

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
4 sticks unsalted butter (1 pound), cut into 1/2 inch dice and chilled
3/4 cup ice water

FILLING

You can make your own filling, or you can use any canned filling.
Have used canned cherry, apple, and strawberry rhubarb and all were yummy! :)

TOPPING

1 egg, beaten
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

MAKE THE PASTRY

(It's easy to divide the recipe if you don't have a 12 cup)
1. In a large (preferably 12-cup) food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the butter and pulse in 1-second bursts until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle the ice water over the dough and pulse in 1-second bursts until it just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather up any crumbs and pat into 2 disks. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate until chilled. About 1 hour.

Tip: If you chill them for longer, just set them on the counter to thaw a little before working with them.

2. Once chilled, On a floured work surface, roll out 1 disk of the dough to a 16 inch square, a scant 1/4 inch thick. Using a small pot lid or plate as a template, cut out as many dough rounds as possible. Repeat with the second disk of dough. Transfer the pastry rounds to parchment paper-lined baking sheets and refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes.

PREPARE THE FILLING



3. Add a dash of vanilla to canned filling to cut the canned flavor.

Tip: If the apple pieces are too large, chop them smaller before using them in the pies.

MAKE THE PIES



4. Preheat oven to 375. Working with one baking sheet at a time, brush the pastry surfaces lightly with some of the beaten egg. Scoop a scant 1/4 cup of the filling onto each round and fold the pastry over to make a turnover. Press the edges to seal and crimp with the tines of the floured fork. Refrigerate the hand pies while you prepare the rest.



5. Brush the tops of the pies with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. (can also use sanding sugar) Using a sharp knife, make a small slit in the top of each pie. Bake the pies in the middle and lower thirds of the oven for 30-40 minutes -- until the pastry is golden brown. Let the pies cool on the baking sheets before serving.



Tip: If you use more than one flavor of filling, make the slits on top in different shapes so you know which is which! :)

The pies can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Rewarm before serving.

I want to experiment with different fillings, but so far the canned have all been delicious, especially when paired with the homemade flaky crust! :) ENJOY!