For a while I had been thinking about small food -- as in "Look at me, I am a GIANT!" small food. My plans included little poussin, Brussels sprouts, little dinner rolls, and itty bitty pies. I have a small muffin pan with shallow, curved shapes (maybe for dinner rolls?) that I thought would be good for the shape (the standard 5" small pie tin was considered but voted too large). I also tried some mini pies in regular muffin tins.
I used the standard refrigerated Pillsbury pie crusts, and cut out round shapes using a biscuit cutter and some cups from around the kitchen. I winged some apple and blueberry pie filling based on some basic recipes -- I didn't measure anything just threw in a little bit of sugar, a tiny bit of lemon zest, and a dash of cinnamon (when I decide to wing it things rarely work out, but this time they did!). I cut the apple into mini slices. I couldn't find any sour cherries at the store (I don't really know why I was so fixated on finding sour cherries) so I used a canned pie filling.
I even tried a few miniature lattice tops using the technique described at the bottom of this page and sort of illustrated and described here.
The pies were baked in a 375 degree oven for ten minutes and then checked. If the tops were getting very brown I covered them lightly with foil (like a crust shield but for the whole pie) and baked for 3 to 5 minutes more until bubbly. I was worried that the apple wouldn't be cooked enough but it came out fine on both of my tests.
I suspect some sparkly sanding sugar thrown on top, or perhaps this water and sugar techinique would be great for these.
The tiny pies were surprisingly yummy, very easy, and provided a good crust-to-filling ratio. If you have a few people over everybody can choose their favorite types of pie. Also, if you leave out the ice cream they are a food you can eat while walking. I wonder if they would freeze well? I think they would be really great at a bake sale.
I am, of course, not the first person to make tiny pies. Digs Magazine has a recipe for Mini Pumpkin Pies, and you can find lots of mini pecan pies and mince pies if you google around a bit.
More tiny pies! Go see pictures of a tiny food hors d'oevures spread by Callahan Catering in the Summer 2003 Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, everything is enchanting. There are recipes for all of these hors d'oevures including the 2" strawberry rhubarb lattice pies on the Martha Stewart web site here.
Sur La Table has 2" straight sided tartlet forms that looks like really tiny pie tins.
The book Sweet Miniatures looks like it contains so many good ideas for tiny desserts.
There is a recipe for mini 2" or 3" jam tarts on the MS web site as well.
Another book - 125 Lucious Little Bites.
And the very cute gingerbread house poppers.
55 responses so far ↓
1 Ris // Dec 9, 2006 at 2:16 pm
I absolutely love your mini-baking, it's so cute!!!
2 Deborah // Jan 8, 2007 at 7:06 pm
What A VERY COOL idea! Thank you SO much for sharing this. Wow. My boyfriend and I love sweets by dont want to overeat and this is a very cool way to eat pie and not have to throw half of it away. Thanks again!
3 danisha // Jan 15, 2007 at 12:59 am
lovely and yummy!
4 Tessa // Feb 25, 2007 at 10:35 am
I absolutely FREAKED when I saw these. I went BALLISTIC!!!!!
5 Emily // Mar 6, 2007 at 6:02 pm
There's a book for stuff like this that isn't actual baking, its called Tiny Trets, and its published by American Girl
6 Anastasia // May 25, 2007 at 5:44 am
I think you could do more free form pies without the shallow, gentle-sloping muffin tine. Cut larger circles of dough, either with a circle or free-form, and fold the edges over to make mini "rustic tarts." You can bake these on a cookie sheet then!
7 mary // Jun 12, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Thanks for the mini pie idea. We made mini LEMON MERINGUE PIES and they were a big hit.
8 nik // Aug 23, 2007 at 12:10 am
I don't think I have the patience (what I really meant there was "talent") to master the mini-pies with the top crust, althought the cherry lattice crust is the cutest thing I've seen in a while. I think I'll try doing mini pumpkin pies this fall, though!
Thank you for sharing your awesome ideas!
9 Suzie // Sep 17, 2007 at 11:57 pm
Fantastic site! I will make several for the upcomming holidays. Thank you.
10 Sue // Oct 17, 2007 at 9:36 pm
This is too cute...you are so creative! I also love your adorable spooky spiders. Great site!
11 Joline // Nov 25, 2007 at 7:54 pm
these look so cute!!! I make quiche in those little muffin tins, but pies!!!
Yup--gonna make these for sure!!!
Could you bake in an EasyBake Oven???
(jus kidding!!LOL) Latice(squeel) So cute!!!!!! Lemon meringue? Oh, Mary, you are sooooo bad. mmmmmmm
Thanks for the idea!!!
PS Love the marble magnets, too!!!
12 Diane at Carbon Tiptoes // Nov 30, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Again you've inspired me! I so want to make some mini pies! They look so cute and remind me of the lovely jam lattice tart that my gran used to make. I will be making some of these - they'll be great for school lunches too.
I'd not have thought of making a whole tray of different pies with fillings and pie crust designs to mix and match.
13 Diane at Carbon Tiptoes // Dec 1, 2007 at 3:12 pm
I want to make some mince pies now - having been out and seen advertised a "custard and mincemeat" pie.
(That's sweat mincemeat not made of meat at all but dried fruits)
I know I can do apple and mincemeat, custard and mincemeat, but what else can I add with it?
14 Beatrice Lewis // Dec 1, 2007 at 6:09 pm
This is a great idea. The last time I bakded pecan pies I finally threw 2 almost whole pies out because my family did not eat them and I should have remembered to freeze them. But they sat in the refrigerator and dried out.
Thanks for such a wonderful suggestion. Now I can bake what I want without waste.
BL
15 Deeba/passionate Baker // Jan 15, 2008 at 5:21 am
I love the mini pies & the walk through. Have just started baking little petits fours & enjoy it a lot. have tried jam tartlets & chocolate tartlets. I adore the complete look of these little bites!
16 Kristin // Feb 7, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Have you ever seen Gale Gand's "Just a Bite"? It's another great book full of miniature desserts. I'd recommend it!
17 Lava // Feb 13, 2008 at 5:08 am
I love the look of the tiny pies, but I'll always prefer a large pie. A large pie just seems so large and comfy. I know that sounds silly, but it does.
18 Fuchsia // Feb 29, 2008 at 8:19 am
A couple of years ago I started joking with my friend about making a 'pea pie' - a pie with one pea in it - but never got round to doing it. I may give it a go now, using filo pastry and tiny metallic confectionery dishes (like your little cake ones) just so I can present my friend with one, on a full-size plate!
19 Jennie // Apr 3, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Hi! They are so cute!! Do you by chance know where you got the slanted pan from?
20 Cindy // Apr 4, 2008 at 5:12 am
Yes, I'd love to know where you got the slanted mini muffin pans also.
21 Anonymous // Apr 14, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Not Martha - How to make tiny pies...
Step by step instructions along with pictures on how to make miniature pies in a muffin tin. They're so cute, and look like they're straight out of the pie shop in "Pushing Daisies"....
22 [We] Might Be Giants « The Reckless Chef // Apr 22, 2008 at 9:55 am
[...] I’m not the only person who’s been intrigued by the concept of feeling like a giant - Not Martha (one of my favorite people on the whole internet) went through a Tiny Food phase and made tiny pies, tiny cupcakes, and tiny donuts. Callahan Catering features an entire hors d’oeuvre menu of fancy ittybitty treats. Craftster chick hercuteness inspired my micro-sized cheeseburger with her World’s Smallest Burger. Seen any other wee treats? Made your own? Let’s see ‘em! [...]
23 laurie // Apr 24, 2008 at 3:40 pm
so much work! so little time!
24 Dianne from Northern Michigan // Jul 9, 2008 at 9:00 pm
I have just discovered your site and am throughly enthralled with it! These tiny pies are too cute! Keep up the good work!
25 To-do list « Kiwipie // Jul 20, 2008 at 6:43 pm
[...] CUP PIES! - Okay, she calls them Tiny Pies, but this is a project I have wanted to do for a long time. They are cup pies, an idea I saw on Pushing Daisies (pretty much the best TV show ever). (Cup pie = cupcake size/shape + pie ingredients/texture/filling/etc) [...]
26 laura diane reid // Jul 29, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Hi, My husband and I just opened a bakery. He has done this before and for me this is a first. He does the breads and i do the rest. I have been toying with the idea of selling tiny pies and have been struggling to get tins. What an excellent idea to use that pan. I also like the way your pies look, like mine, rustic. My husband wants me to crimp all the edges, egg wash for shine ect. I just keep telling him "I'm NOT Martha" Really great site, can't wait to show him I'm not the only one. Laura Reid
27 isabella // Aug 3, 2008 at 2:44 pm
i tried this today! awesome.
28 Jessica // Aug 19, 2008 at 10:38 am
These are so sweet! I just made some last night using apples from our backyard apple tree.
29 Jessica // Aug 19, 2008 at 10:40 am
My link messed up - but I posted mine on my blog.
30 KnitPurlGurl // Aug 28, 2008 at 5:29 am
I absolutel love your mini pies - both in the muffin tines and in the canning jars! My kiddos saw the pics and are so excited to create our own! I can't wait either! Thanks.
31 Mary // Oct 4, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I love your little pies. My future son-in-law wanted pie at there wedding. I think full size ones would be too messy. These will be perfect. Now if I could just manage to make more than 24 an hour. Thanks so much for sharing!
32 Kat // Oct 20, 2008 at 7:46 am
I adore these little pies and I decided to try them on my own. Mine weren't quite as small as yours, but maybe next time I will master the mini tins. Thank you for your posts!!!
33 carol // Oct 21, 2008 at 3:12 pm
These will be perfect for my girlfriends autumn party!
34 patty // Dec 26, 2008 at 8:43 pm
I made these kind of pies this past holiday season. I started with mini pumpkin, then apple, cherry and blueberry. I just recently made french silk mini pies. None of the pies I made had tops on them. Just crust on the bottom, the filling and then once cooled whip topping then into the fridge to stay fresh.
They were great and a big hit!!!!
35 Rachel // Mar 4, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Can you tell me where you got your tiny cookie cutters! I love these and would really like to use them for pie crusts!
Thanks :)
36 megan // Mar 4, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Hi Rachel - I bought these at a Sur La Table. They are "aspic cutters" but are sometimes just labeled as small cutters. They came in a tin with about ten shapes - stars, card symbols, teardrop, etc.
37 Erin // Mar 10, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Adorable! Thanks for the inspiration- these would be great for my son's 1st birthday party because we like pies better than cake in our house. I love the mini lattice!
38 Heather // Mar 14, 2009 at 11:32 am
I just made these for a baby shower, baby pies for a baby shower. There were so cute. Thanks for the great idea!
39 Aliya // Apr 11, 2009 at 6:31 am
Another awesome idea by who? YOU!
Glad I found your site (thank God for stumble) ;o)
40 Elizabeth // May 3, 2009 at 6:15 pm
I loved this idea. Made chocolate and banana cream , I left the tops off also
will have to make the lemon. Thanks !
41 helga // Jun 24, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I agree with comment #25....Pushing Daisies is fantastic (I'm just know Netflixing it). Will be baking cup-pies soon, I'm thinking pear ginger in a honey cardamom crust.....and maybe triple berry in a cornmeal crust (if anyone needs a recipe for a wonderful cornmeal pastry, check out the Galette Dough recipe from "Baking with Julia" (or ask me for it and I'll post it on here, if that's allowed).
42 Mysticwolverine // Jul 19, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Thank you SOOOO much! i needed to make pies for a fair and wanted to keep costs down. i was going mental until i found this
43 shirley // Aug 20, 2009 at 6:10 am
Our auxilary will be having a bake sale & I would like to make some for this. Since a number of people only want small portions.
Last night I made a batch & some of them wouldn't come out of the muffin tin (ok for Dh's consumption). How do you get them out looking nice? Thanks
44 Cook Up That Canvas » Upside-down Goodness :) // Sep 17, 2009 at 10:00 pm
[...] I actually made some French Silk Chocolate mini pies – all inspired by the not martha blog ! Which after having a personal request on blueberry recipes, I looked up various websites and [...]
45 Mini-Pies: Pumpkin, Peach Crisp, and Sour Cream Apple « Willow Bird Baking // Sep 19, 2009 at 2:17 pm
[...] Magazine (pumpkin pie filling) -Not Martha (fruit pie inspiration) -Epicurious (apple pie filling, adapted) -Willow Bird Baking (peach crisp [...]
46 Julie // Sep 21, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Sweet sweet sweet little tiny pies! Thank you for the inspiration. I made my own itty bitty pies and enjoyed them thoroughly :) They're posted here: http://willowbirdbaking.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/mini-pies-pumpkin-peach-crisp-and-sour-cream-apple/
47 Jayne // Oct 20, 2009 at 8:28 am
Ohhh, I want to make these so bad! I have been looking for the mini pan you used and am not having any luck. Can I ask where you got it?
48 megan // Oct 20, 2009 at 9:18 am
Jayne - The mini pan I used was rare, I cannot find another one either. Mini or regular muffin tins work just fine!
49 Jayne // Oct 20, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Thanks for answering my question....I'll use the mini muffin one for sure....but I'm on a quest now LOL....
Oh, I made the pies in the jars and they turned out GREAT! Everyone was so impressed!
50 Dances With Corgis » Blog Archive » TR: Pumpkin Carving, Artichoke Mac & Cheese Dinner Party // Oct 29, 2009 at 10:56 am
[...] starch, some lavender and a tad of lemon zest. At this point I left the pie crust TOPS off the mini pies so that we could each carve out our own individual designs for our separate pies. What did I tell [...]
51 Charon // Nov 27, 2009 at 10:37 pm
I made these for Thanksgiving. They turned out PERFECT! I made them with cherry, pumpkin, and sugar-free apple filling. I also made lemon meringue versions that my family went nuts over. Thank you!!!!!!
52 jesekah // Nov 29, 2009 at 11:41 am
this brings me joy.
53 alisha // Dec 13, 2009 at 3:46 pm
my mother and i made these tonight.. next up, pies in jars!
54 debbie // Dec 16, 2009 at 10:44 am
I love mini desserts!!
55 Lily // Dec 29, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Okay, I've been making mini pecan pies for years. Why didn't I think of making mini other kind of pies? I love it!!! Um, but if I eat them all, they still add up to eating an entire big pie, right? Any way around that?
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