How to Make Blueberry Mini Pies from Scratch
Blueberry Mini Pies are the epitome of summer. Ripe, juicy blueberries fill delicious buttery dough for the perfect hand-held pie. Mini blueberry pies are perfect for lunch bags, afternoon treats, beach day picnics, and they are small enough for little hands. Mini blueberry pies or mini cherry pies are also great for all of the red, white and blue holidays.
One of my favorite things about these pies is that they are hand held. No need for utensils, plates or clean-up, which in my opinion is one of the best things about these hand pies.
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Blueberry Mini Pies
These simple hand held pies are one of our favorite spring and summer treats. They are not hard to make, but they do require just a bit of planning.
Blueberries are coming in now and it’s a great time to bake a batch of these mini pies. Because they tend to disappear so quickly, I often make a double batch to freeze some of them for later when I want a sweet treat but I don’t have time to make them.
Homemade pies are better than anything you’ll get in the store. They are bursting with fresh blueberry goodness and the crust is so buttery and delicious that store-bought could never come close to tasting this good.
How to make mini pies
These individual berry pies can be made in stages and I often do this because of time constraints.
The first step is making the dough and letting it rest in the fridge. This can be done a day ahead of time and is a great task to do the day before if you need to break it up. You can make the dough up to two days in advance if needed.
Next is making the filling. Cook the blueberries with sugar until the berries begin to burst. Add a bit of lemon zest and break up any remaining whole berries with a potato masher.
This is also something you could do ahead of time. The filling needs to be completely cooled before assembling pies. I often make the filling the night before and stick it in the fridge overnight.
Then, it’s assembly time. Roll out the dough, cut the dough out using square cutters, then add blueberry filling, top and seal, then bake.
I like to sprinkle mine with coarse sugar before baking to give them a bit of sparkle!
Mini blueberry pies are the perfect treat
Summertime is all about barbecues/cookouts, backyard parties, etc. These blueberry mini pies are perfect for picnics and outdoor parties. You can set a plate of them out for guests and enjoy your own party!
Disclaimer: I have yet to master this. I am one of those people that is in the kitchen for most of it; making sure guests are happy, everyone is eating, everyone has a drink, etc.
I usually end up missing the majority of it because I’m so preoccupied with making sure everyone else has a good time. If you are master of your own party: feel free to email me tips on how I too, can actually be a guest at my own party.
While blueberry happens to be my personal favorite, you can swap out any berry (strawberry, raspberry, blackberry) and these will be fantastic. If none of those are your jam (see what I did there), you could substitute your favorite fruit filling.
Mini blueberry pie recipe
Making pie crust is not my favorite thing. I live in a very warm and humid climate, neither of which mesh well with pastry. That being said, this pat in pie dough is so simple. It is much easier to work with than regular pie crust and more forgiving.
The filling comes together really quickly and easily as well. Because, here’s the thing – making a delicious treat shouldn’t be a chore and if it is, how often are you going to actually do it?
I can tell you from personal experience, if I feel like I’ve run a marathon (not that I know what that actually feels like) after making a dessert, it will be a one time experience.
These blueberry mini pies are also a great way to get kids in the kitchen. Easy, simple and so delicious, these mini blueberry pies are guaranteed to be a hit.
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More summer recipes we love
- Summer Grain Salad
- Fresh Cherry Crisp
- Cherry Coconut Rum Slushies
- Citrus Sunshine Cooler (kid-friendly)
- Grilled Lemon Herb Shrimp
Blueberry Mini Pies
Hand held mini blueberry pies are an easy and delicious summer treat.
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 4 cups blueberries
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp. water
- 3 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. lemon zest, freshly grated
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp. salt
For the crust
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 470 grams
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, fresh
- 12 ounces unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small pieces
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
For the Egg Wash
- 1 egg , beaten with 1 tablespoon water.
Instructions
Make the dough
- Whisk together flour, zest, sugar and salt in the bottom of a large bowl.
- Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until the biggest pieces of butter are the size of tiny peas.
- Gently stir in 3/4 cup buttermilk with a rubber spatula, mixing it until a bit of a mass forms, then knead it two or three times to form a ball.
- If it doesn’t come together, add remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does, then gently knead again. (I had to add all of the remaining 1/4 cup)
- Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Chill in fridge for at least an hour or up to two days.
Make the filling
- Taste a few blueberries: If they are sweet, use closer to 1/2 cup sugar. If they are not, you may need up to 3/4 cup of sugar.
- Combine the blueberries with the sugar in a medium saucepan. Simmer on low heat until sugar has melted and berries begin to burst. Stir occasionally. This will take about 5 - 7 minutes.
- Combine cornstarch and water in a (very) small bowl. Once blueberries have begun to burst and sugar is melted, smash any remaining berries to a pulp and add the cornstarch mixture to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it has thickened.
- Add the lemon zest, butter and salt, cook for another 30 - 45 seconds. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Assembly Line
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Generously flour the counter top, then unwrap one of your disks of dough. Gently begin rolling it out, starting from the center and pushing outward. The dough will be pretty firm when you begin, so be patient. (it will warm quickly, so not too patient!)
- Keep rolling from the center out, turning the dough as you go, until it is about 1/8 inch thick. If the butter in the dough begins to get too warm and it starts to stick to the pin or gets goopy, slide it onto a baking sheet and put it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up again.
- Once dough is rolled out, cut out with a 2 1/2 - 3 inch cutter (whatever shape you have) or use a knife and cut into squares.
- Prepare egg wash, get out the pastry brush & set aside.
- Lightly brush half of your circles or squares with the egg wash, taking care to get the edges, cut vents in the center of the other half of your circles/squares.
- Place 1 rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of the egg washed halves and top with the vented pieces. (don't overfill!) Seal with your fingertips or press with a fork along the edges.
- Brush with the egg wash on top and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Chill in refrigerator before baking if dough begins to get mushy. Repeat with remaining disk of dough, filling, etc.
- Place on baking sheet 1 - 2 inches apart and bake for 15 - 18 minutes until golden and puffed.
- Cool on wire rack.
Notes
Cook time includes 2 - 3 hours resting time for dough. Active time is approximately 45 - 60 minutes
If you want to sprinkle the top with sugar, you will also need sanding sugar or any coarse sugar like demerara.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Saturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 170mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g
Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂
Originally published: 7/2/14
Most recent update: 4/21/20
What the heck is corn hole?
Anyway… these are gorgeous! And fabulous! And I love the fresh blueberry compote filling. I’ve always wanted to make hand pies… never have. Maybe in Florida…
LOL… Jamie, cornhole is a game. Perhaps after reading Jenni’s post I should rethink it 😉
Blueberry pie is my husband’s favorite, and he’ll love this version that I can tuck into his lunch box!
That’s awesome, Jolene! That makes me happy 🙂
I’ve never been the master of my own party either… and my kitchen always looks like it was hit with a hurricane. These are adorable.
I’m definitely grabbing some blueberries on my next trip to the market after seeing this recipe!
Mini bites of yum! My husband and son love blueberry pie and I’d love a forgiving dough. These will be made soon.
Those look great, and sound delicious as well!
You are speaking my language here. I absolutely LOVE blueberries! I’m loving your photos too!
I cannot wait to make these for a BBQ this summer! I love having individual sized desserts. They are so fun to serve!
The recipe sounds delicious but I’m in love with these photos – so gorgeous!
I love that these are bite-sized. And they look perfect! So I will be ruminating all day long over making these and also roses on cherry pies. My pies are a disaster, no thanks to Florida. I’d be running the air down there when I baked, but I wasn’t paying the electric bill either. 😉
Thanks Sue! Yes, pie making in Florida can be a challenge… ugh.
Blueberries will be in season soon and I will be making these little bites of goodness when they are.
YAY! I can’t wait to hear how they turn out!
These pies were so easy to make! I put some into the freezer instead of baking them all at once. When I am ready to bake the frozen ones, how long should I bake them for?
Hi Flora! I’m so glad you found them easy to make 🙂
When baking them from frozen, just add another 5 – 10 minutes to the bake time. Keep an eye on them, as everyone’s oven is different. If you have a convection feature, use it. The fan helps to circulate the air around them for better browning.
I’ve also thawed them for an hour or so in the fridge, then baked them. This also works well. Let me know how it goes!
Being the master is all about timing. Foods that can be cooked ahead and served at room temp or cold are great. Add in foods that are cooked in the oven where you can slip into the kitchen to check a couple of times then rejoin the party are my favorite tho. My last dinner party started with a charcuterie board and fruits then for the dinner roasted chicken with roasted veggies and baked beans. Add in a fruit or veggie tray or salad and you’ve got a meal that comes together ahead of time. Roasted veggies can be anything, just pick ones that you don’t have to hover over. Set a timer that you can carry with you and stick it in your pocket to remind you to check it. For dessert, serve something that was prepared ahead of time which can be absolutely anything. Pick foods that can be prepped the day before and stored in fridge until ready to serve or cook. All of the items I served were prepared 1-2 days ahead.
Absolutely 🙂
If you baked and freeze these will the pastry still be flaky or is it best to freeze unbaked
Hi Lorna, I have always frozen them unbaked. If you prefer to bake and freeze, I’m sure they would be fine.
Hello!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. They look so yummy. My question is how long are these good for at room temp if I have leftovers?
Hi Christina! I would treat these like a regular pie – maybe a couple of days at room temp, no more than that. Because I live in a warm & humid climate, I wouldn’t leave them out for more than a day or two (things tend to mold quickly in that environment).