Mason jar pies made in the lid of a mason jar. Mini peach pies with a spiced peach filling. Recipe makes 2 small hand pies, but can be scaled up.
I know you love mini pies, but I also know that you might not own mini pie pans. But, everyone has mason jar lids laying around from craft projects these days, right? Or maybe you’re hosting a bridal shower and you have an entire closet full of them?
These handheld pies are so dang adorable, even a guy with a burly beard will say ‘oh how cute!’ when he sees them. True story.
If you’ve never made one of my pies, be prepared for the most delicious pie crust you’ve ever tasted. I make an all-butter pie crust (because I was raised right!), and the mixing method to my dough creates lots of flaky layers. This pie crust shatters when your fork touches it. It’s heavenly.
Mason jar pies:
I make two mini pies when I make small batch pies, because well, dessert for TWO, but there is plenty of dough here for a third pie. I used the leftover dough to make pie dough scrap cookies. You can also double or triple this recipe to get more peach hand pies.
If you’re curious, these are the exact wide-mouth mason jar lids I use; regular-size pint jar lids.
If you’ve got lurkers in your kitchen (like I always do), can I offer this tip? Make pie dough scraps to keep your friends and family away from a pie while it cools. We all know a cold pie is a more photogenic pie, but short of hiring a body guard for my desserts, there’s no way a pie ever makes it to room temperature in my house. Enter cinnamon and sugar dusted pie dough scrap cookies.
These pie dough scrap cookies keep fingers away from your peach pies while they cool. You’re welcome.
The spiced peach filling is heavy on the ginger, and it’s just the way I like it. If you’re not a ginger lover, replace it with lemon zest.
Gather up all your mason jar lids, and get to work making the most adorable hand-held pies!
If you make these, I would love to know about it! Leave me a comment below!
Yield: 2 pies
Mason Jar Pies
Makes 2 pies.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Additional Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour35 minutes
Ingredients
You will need 2 wide-mouth mason jar lids.
For the crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3-4 tablespoons ice-cold water
For the spiced peach filling:
1 large peach, peeled and pitted
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg, beaten
optional: sparkling sugar for topping the pies
Instructions
Take the wide-mouth mason jar lids and turn them so that the rubber ring is down. You want to cook the pies on the metal side.
Next, make the crust: in a small bowl, stir together the flour and salt with a fork. Cube the butter into 16 chunks. Add half of the chunks of butter to the flour mixture and stir gently, and then add the remaining butter chunks.
This is the most important step: use your finger tips to cream the butter into the flour. Pinch and smear the butter between your finger tips repeatedly, like you're snapping or making the 'pay up' sign in a gangster movie.
Work the butter into the flour for quite a while, making sure it's evenly incorporated and the dough almost comes together in clumps when you squeeze it in your hands. The warmth of your hands is bringing the dough together, so if it's still flour-y, keep working it.
Finally, add the vinegar and 3 tablespoons of the ice-cold water. Stir with a fork and the dough will easily come together into a mass. If you live in an arid climate, add the extra tablespoon of water. Scoop the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape it into a disk and store it wrapped in the fridge for 30 minutes. (If you store the dough longer than 30 minutes, let it warm up before rolling or it will be a cracked mess).
Preheat the oven to 350 and line a small sheet pan with parchment. Place the mason jar lids with the rubber side down in the ring on the parchment paper.
Thinly slice the peach and combine it with the ground ginger, cinnamon, lemon juice, flour and sugar in a small bowl. Stir very well. Set aside while you roll out the dough.
Flour the counter and bring the dough out of the fridge. Place the dough in the center of your flour, and flour the top of the dough. Begin gently roll the dough out away from you, making a quarter-turn clockwise after every 2 rolls. This method keeps the dough from sticking to the counter and also creates a perfect circle.
When you have a circle large enough for 4 mason jar lids, you're ready. Place 1 mason jar lid on the pastry and use a knife to cut 1/4" around the lid. Repeat one time. Use just the lid top (not the ring) to cut out 2 pie tops. You will have excess dough--you can make 3 pies, or make pie crust cookies in the oven while the pie bakes.
Gently move the bottom pie crusts to the mason jar lids with rings and press it into place. Scoop half of the peach mixture onto each. Top the peach mixture with the pie tops. Brush beaten egg very generously on each mini pie. Sprinkle with sparking sugar, if desired.
Bake for 35-37 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is brown.
Let cool 5 minutes. To serve, run a knife along the edge of the mason jar ring to release the pie.
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Christina Lane is the author of 3 cookbooks all about cooking and baking for two. She has scaled down hundreds of recipes into smaller servings so you can enjoy your favorite dishes without the leftovers! Valentine's Day is her favorite holiday.
