Easy Mini Pies

For this Easter weekend, I made one of my favorite little desserts…mini pies! You could also call them little tarts, but I like to call them mini pies. They are just so cute and every time I see them, I want to call them mini MOUSE pies, because they look like the perfect size for a mouse. Not only are these so easy, there are so many different flavor combinations you could make. Plus, they are easy to eat because they are a pop-in-your-mouth size.

I first made these last summer for my mom’s birthday. That time I made them the same way as this recipe, but used a swirl of raspberry preserves on the bottom, chocolate ganache as the primary filling, and a fresh raspberry on top. For this recipe though, I used lemon pudding and topped it with fresh blueberries and raspberries, which was a really bright, simple, and spring-y flavor combination!

Pan: Mini Muffin Tin

Oven prep: Bake at 375˚

What You’ll Need:

• Rolled pie crust (usually comes in a two pack, but if you are ambitious, you can also make your own dough!

• Small round pastry cutter

• Box of pudding mix (or some type of filling like curd, ganache, jam, etc.)

• Fruit (or other topping like chocolate chips, crushed cookies, etc.)

Directions:

1. Begin by spraying your mini muffin tin with cooking spray and preheating the oven for 375˚.

2. Unroll your dough and use the pastry cutter to cut small circles out of the dough.

3. Place the cut dough into the muffin tin and gently press it down and around the edges to secure it in place. Repeat for the entire pan. For this recipe I filled two pans and made 24 mini pies. I used both rolls of pie crust, but had a bit more dough left over.

4. Once all your pieces of dough are cut and placed into the tins, use a fork to create a few holes on the bottom so that the dough does not puff up too much as it bakes.

5. Bake your crusts in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until a nice golden brown.

6. Once removed from the oven, cool the crusts before removing them from the pan.

7. With the crusts finished, it is now time to fill them! For this recipe I simply mixed together lemon pudding and let it cool. I also washed and dried blueberries and raspberries. If you were to make ganache, like I previously did, I would pour the mixture into my pie crusts right away while it is hot.

8. With everything ready to assemble, I simply spooned a small scoop of the pudding into each crust and topped with one blueberry and one raspberry. So simple! The pies should be kept in the fridge and last for about two days before the crust softens too much.

Here are some photos of the final product:

Served with Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes. You can find the recipe here!