As the person in your life who loves to miniaturize your favorite desserts, I should have made these mini pies in muffin cups for y’all sooner. I apologize for that.
This is my new favorite way to eat pie because it cooks in half the time of a regular pie. There’s plenty of room to play with this recipe: make 2 pies in Texas-sized muffin cups or 4 pies in a standard muffin pan. Switch up the fruit, mix up the spices, etc. I used apple pie spice in these peach pies (will I be arrested for this?).
I recently wrote an article for a food magazine in which I brazenly declared lard to be the supreme fat for pie crust. Are y’all scared of lard? I find most people are, so I’ve only shared my all-butter pie crust recipe here on Dessert For Two. But today, for the adventurous ones out there, I give you my go-to pie crust recipe with lard. I cut my full-sized recipe directly in half to make these mini pies. So yes, if you double it, you will have a single pie crust for a large 9” pie.
The key to cooking with lard is to use FRESH lard. Fresh lard has not been hydrogenated with trans fats, and is only found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store (not in shelf-stable packages). If you’re having trouble locating it, try a Latin grocer.
Have fun with these pies. Mix up the flavors and fillings, and maybe take the time to make a pretty edge before placing them in the oven? Lord knows I’m way too impatient to do that myself. Send me pictures of your mini pie variations on my facebook page. I'd love to see!
Mini Peach Pies
These mini peach pies are all kinds of delicious!
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lard (or solid vegetable shortening)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons flour, plus extra for rolling
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons cold water
For the filling:
- 1 medium ripe peach
- ¼ teaspoon apple pie spice
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- milk for brushing on top
- coarse sugar for dusting on top (optional)
Instructions
- First, make the crust: place the butter and fresh lard onto a plate, dice it into small pieces, then place it in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together all remaining pie crust ingredients (except the water). Once 10 minutes has elapsed, add the slightly frozen butter and lard to the flour mixture and cut it in until it is the size of grains of rice. Use a pastry cutter or two butter knives. Next, add 2 tablespoons of the water and press it into the dough with a spatula, turning and smashing it in to the dough. Add extra water if it's not coming together or appears too crumbly. Dump the mixture on a piece of plastic wrap, shape it into a disc, then store it in the fridge for 20 minutes to let it rest.
- While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 375° and peel and dice the peach. In a small bowl, stir together the peach with the apple pie spice, sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.
- After the dough has rested, flour a clean counter and roll it out to ¼" thickness.
- If you're using a standard muffin pan: use a 3" round biscuit cutter to cut out 4 circles of dough, placing each one in the bottom of 4 muffin cups. Divide the peach mixture between all 4 cups. Then, use a 2" round biscuit cutter to cut out 4 more circles of dough and place them on top of the peaches. Pinch together the bottom and top pieces of dough, then cut a slit in the top of each pie before brushing with milk and sprinkling with coarse sugar.
- If you're using Texas-sized muffin cups: use a 4" round biscuit cutter for the bottom crusts and a 3" cutter for the top crusts.
- Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until the peach filling is bubbling and the bottom crust is golden brown (use the tip of a knife to peak). Let cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 183Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 166mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 3g
Kimby says
Aren't these the cutest little things? And no, you will not be arrested for spicing up your peach pie. (A pinch of cinnamon enhances the flavor of fresh peach pie, in my opinion.) :)
Madison @ Espresso and Cream says
These are just adorable! I love the idea, and am finding even more use for your site now that I have a roommate who seems to want dessert every day! :)
Andrea @ From the Bookshelf says
These look fantastic! What a great way to have pie!
Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) says
Peach pie is probably my absolute favourite kind of pie. My mom used to make it for me as a kid and pack a slice in my Princess Power lunchbox :-) The nostalgia surrounding peach pie is incredible. I have never made it myself, but I think that will have to change.
Melanie Flinn says
I love your blog and I want to make everything you post. I am trying to slow down this pregnancy weight gain so should probably hold off another week or two. ;) But love the idea of baking down to scale because my husband has all the restraint in the world, whereas I can't keep a tray of delicious desserts in the fridge.
d.liff @ yelleBELLYboo says
These are so adorable!
Lindsey @ Gingerbread Bagels says
These pies are so cute! Not to mention they look sooo good. I LOVE peach pie. YUM! :)
merry jennifer says
Even though I'm firmly entrenched in the deep south, I've never used lard to cook with. I've used shortening before, but I hate using that weird white goop. Lard, though, I might could go for. Where do you get yours from?
Ann from Montana says
I went searching for fresh lard and leaf lard specifically. There must be a butcher locally but I took the easy way out and found an online supplier: Prairie Pride Pork in MN: http://www.prairiepridepork.com/index.php
***I had no idea that the stuff in the tubs on the shelf was different and that fresh non-hydrogenated lard is not a horrible (health-wise) fat!
Ann from Montana says
Just found out that Prairie Pride is not shipping from now until 9/1.
A local Pork farm sells the fat that you can render yourself so I went looking to see what that involved and turns out it is simple so I will make my own!
http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/make-your-own-lard/ has a step by step and the post refers to a detailed discussion about both methods and nutrition of fresh lard in the forum.
Christina says
Thanks for doing all the research, Ann! :)
If you make your own, let me know. I'm a little scared to try because of grease fires, but I've heard you can do it in a low oven too, except I have an open-flame propane oven so that might be just as dangerous.
Ann from Montana says
Hopefully, I'll give it a try this weekend, but I'm more worried about how it might smell vs a fire. It is a low and slow process and that link shows making it in a crock pot. I plan on plugging mine in outside as I have several outside outlets. And I live rurally on 8 acres so don't think I'll bother any neighbors :)! At any rate, I will report back on the experience.
Ann from Montana says
I am just eating my first fresh tortillas made with fresh lard, rendered yesterday from pork fat. A whole different thing - they are wonderfully tender and taste like I remember fresh tortillas from NM and TX tasting. I can't wait to try a pie crust.
The rendering process was not scary. Everything I read said low heat for a long time so I set my crock pot on low (200 I think). It was outside but still, did not seem hot, was not bubbling or "spitting" or smoking and it did not smell bad. It is an 8-12 hour thing so you need to start it going early in the morning and plan on being home all day...although you don't do anything, I wouldn't feel comfortable going away. I have a small crock pot so only put in 2 pounds of fat which rendered just less than a pint of lard. I put the lard in the freezer for about 40 minutes and then in the frig. It is white, smooth and creamy. I did not keep going and make cracklins and savory lard this round, but will next time.
Ann says
That looks delicious! I don't cook regularly with lard - but I agree, it makes a superior pie crust...
Hannah says
Such cute little personal pies! Honestly, I think you're being too hard on yourself about your photos... They're really great, and I can tell that you've already improved greatly since your first couple of posts. It's the progress that counts here; it's only fair to compare yourself to yourself. :)