Since the infamous John Tyler pie disaster, I've mostly been eating pies made by other people. But in honor of the Foxfield Races tomorrow, I've taken the leap into the world of mini pies. Friends have been sending me links to mini pies for ages, and while I recognize that tiny food is very cute, I've been putting off making them because they seem like so much work. It turns out that they are so fun! I made one batch of Derby pies, and one batch of rhubarb custard, and if it wasn't 1 am, I would get to work on mixed berry....When baked in muffin tins, filling for a regular 9 inch pie makes about 16 - 18 mini pies. You will use about twice as much dough as for a reg
ular pie though, so fill your fridge with dough balls before you start. I was lazy and only made open-topped pies. I cut down a coffee filter to make a template until I got a handle for how much dough I needed for each pie. For one mini pie, I used a ball of dough about equal to a walnut in shell. I ended up rolling each crust out individually and then pressing them into the tins. Crusts this small are very easy to roll out, and if the edges are irregular, it still looks fine. Oh, and in retrospect, Derby pie was not the best choice for mini pies; you get a much higher crust to filling ratio with little pies, so the effect here is very much like a chocolate chip cookie wrapped in pie dough. But maybe you're into that kind of thing...
ular pie though, so fill your fridge with dough balls before you start. I was lazy and only made open-topped pies. I cut down a coffee filter to make a template until I got a handle for how much dough I needed for each pie. For one mini pie, I used a ball of dough about equal to a walnut in shell. I ended up rolling each crust out individually and then pressing them into the tins. Crusts this small are very easy to roll out, and if the edges are irregular, it still looks fine. Oh, and in retrospect, Derby pie was not the best choice for mini pies; you get a much higher crust to filling ratio with little pies, so the effect here is very much like a chocolate chip cookie wrapped in pie dough. But maybe you're into that kind of thing...The great thing about making mini pies is that you can be 
really flexible. I made up the first six pies just to see if they would work, and then did a whole pan using the rest of the filling. And unlike making one whole pie, you can sample these before serving. I'm also eyeing my freezer full of dribs and drabs of summer fruits and thinking about making a whole variety of pies at once. I've seen my future and it is full of tiny, tiny pies.
really flexible. I made up the first six pies just to see if they would work, and then did a whole pan using the rest of the filling. And unlike making one whole pie, you can sample these before serving. I'm also eyeing my freezer full of dribs and drabs of summer fruits and thinking about making a whole variety of pies at once. I've seen my future and it is full of tiny, tiny pies.
