How To Make Mini Blueberry Pies | Simple & Easy

If you love those pops of sweet, plump blueberries and crisp, flaky pie crust soaked in melted vanilla ice cream, this mini blueberry pie recipe is for you. Not only is this an extremely elegant dessert but if you have some pastry already on hand, (store bought is fine), you can have these pies on the table with only 10 minutes of prep time.

Why make mini blueberry pies?

We perfected our mini blueberry pie recipe through trial and error drawing on Ina Garten's Apple Tart and Bon Appetit's Mixed Berry Cobbler recipe for instruction and inspiration.

• It's just absolutely delicious - nothing beats warm, freshly baked mini blueberry pies served with a scoop of delicious vanilla ice cream. The final recipe yields a pie which is perfectly crispy on both top and bottom and the blueberries are perfect - sweet, plump, and juicy with just a hint of lemon!
• Ideal for busy hosts who want an easy elegant dessert - a proven crowd pleaser, these impressive individual pies are perfect when you need an impressive dessert with minimal fuss. Freeze these pies ahead of time and pop into the oven when your guests arrive - everyone loves the smell of a freshly baked bubbling pie!
• Easy, make ahead dessert - freeze the pies in advance and bake whenever you are ready.
• Perfect for picnics - These delicious mini pies travel extremely well and are meant to be stored at room temperature. In fact, our mini blueberry pie recipe was featured in Reader's Digest's article "10 Essential Winter Picnic Recipes."

Ingredients

Mini blueberry pies are made with very simple ingredients which can be easily obtained from a local grocery store.

• Blueberries - Both fresh and frozen blueberries work in this recipe. The best time to make this dish is in the summer when very sweet, juicy blueberries are in season. Make sure you taste the blueberries before making the pie as you might need more sugar if your blueberries are not very sweet.
• Granulated White Sugar. I like to use granulated white sugar because I have it on hand and it has a neutral flavor. You can also use brown sugar if you wish - it will add a light caramel flavor.
• Lemon Juice. The acid and fresh flavors of lemon juice intensify the blueberry flavor.
• Lemon Zest. This is optional - I like using it because it adds additional brightness to the blueberry flavor.
• Cornstarch. This is used as a thickening agent to counteract the juicy blueberry filling so that you don't get a runny pie. It also gives the filling a silky finish.
• Chilled Unsalted Butter. Dotting the filling with unsalted butter gives the filling a smooth texture and buttery flavor. Unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt in the recipe. If using salted butter, omit adding additional salt.
• Salt. I always find that adding a little salt helps to brighten all the flavors.
• Cinnamon. I like to add cinnamon because it makes the entire house smell wonderful. You can also use your favorite powdered warm spices such as allspice, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Pie Crust. To save time, I use two 10x10 inch store-bought puff pastry sheets for this recipe. I use Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry sheets because it gives the mini pie crust a flakier, more airy texture than pie crust dough. You can use store-bought pie crust for this mini pie recipe if you prefer a less flaky texture or make your own homemade pie crust.
• Egg. I use egg wash to give the top of each pie crust a lovely, golden-brown color.
• Powdered Sugar and Vanilla Ice Cream. While both of these are optional - we recommend because the powdered sugar gives the mini pies a high-end, french bakery-like finish and the vanilla ice cream is just the perfect complement to hot, freshly baked blueberry pie.

How to make mini blueberry Pies

Step One: Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place the oven rack in the middle.

Step Two: Mix the filling. Put the sugar, corn starch, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the frozen or fresh blueberries and mix. Set it aside.

Step Three. Assemble the pies

1. Butter four, 4-inch tart or pie tins. You can also use muffin tins, or a muffin pan if you do not have a tart pan.
2. Cut one 10x10 inch pie crust into four equal pieces. Press each square into the pie tin including the bottom and sides. Cut or press off any excess on the rims. Put them into the refrigerator to chill.
3. Take out the second pie crust. Slice 8-10 half inch strips for the lattice top. Put them into the refrigerator to chill.
4. Take out the pie shells from the refrigerator and place them on a baking sheet. Spoon the blueberry mixture into the pie shell. Dot the mini pies with the cold butter.
5. Take the pastry strips out of the refrigerator. Make a lattice over each pie by placing two strips across each pie. Take another two pieces and place them at 90°. Weave the strips in and out creating a lattice. Cut the excess from the sides and press the ends to the edges. Omit this step if you decide to make tarts.
6. Using a pastry brush, brush the lattice top with egg wash. Sprinkle with regular or coarse sugar. At this point, the mini pies can be placed in the freezer until ready to bake.

Step Four: Bake the pies. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Place the blueberry mini pies in the pan. Bake the pies in the middle rack of the oven for about 40 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the flaky pie crust is golden brown. Allow to rest in the oven with the door closed for about five minutes before cooling on a rack. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Tips & tricks for first-time success

• Keep the pastry chilled - the pie crust needs to be kept in the fridge whenever it is not being used because the hard lumps of butter is the secret to a flaky pie crust. Once in the oven, the butter melts in the dough creating air pockets that result in those delicious crispy layers. Keep the assembled pie in the freezer until ready to bake.
• Add extra sugar if the blueberries are too tart - the sweetness of fresh fruit can vary based on multiple factors such as season, weather, and degree of ripeness. If the blueberries are too tart, add up to one teaspoon or so of sugar to balance it out. Too much sugar will create clumpy sugar "crusts" in the pie.
• Add the blueberries after mixing the other ingredients - in one of my test cases, I had tiny crusts of cornflower in my pie. Blueberries don't release as much liquid as other fruits, like apples. As a result, you cannot assume that everything will melt together in the oven.
• The top crust needs to have a large opening to let steam escape - I prefer a lattice design on the top of these pies because it's easy, bakes very well and solves the steam issue.
• Let the pie cool for a few minutes in the oven to ensure an even top and bottom crust bake - After about 20 minutes in the oven, the top crust should be golden brown indicating that the pie is done. I have found that turning off the oven and keeping the door closed for about 5 minutes helps ensure that the bottom crust has that perfect crisp.
• It's easier to remove the pies from the tart tin soon after the bake - Remove the tart tins while the pies are still hot as the excess sweet blueberry syrup will harden after cooling and make it difficult to remove the tin.
• Soak the tins and baking sheet in hot water for easy clean up - To remove any blueberry stains or stuck on crust, simply soak the tins in a little hot water.
• You can use the whole egg or just the egg yolk for the egg wash - I tend to use the whole egg because I like the pies to have a light, golden brown color. If you want a more opaque, dark gold color use only the egg yolk for the egg wash.
• Use aluminum foil if the lattice browns too fast. If it looks like the edges of the pie or the top of the pie is browning too fast, cover the mini pies with a piece of aluminum foil.
• Switch the position of the pies if one sides browns faster than the other. Also, if your oven heats unevenly, you might need to reverse the position of the pies in the oven to allow for even cooking.

Nutrition:

A single serving of these Mini Blueberry Pies has about 249 calories, 11.9 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of protein and 34g of carbohydrates.

This recipe yields approximately four servings. The nutrition guidance is intended for informational purposes only. Please use it as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool.

How should you serve mini blueberry pies?

While mini blueberry pies are delicious on their own, our favorite way to serve it is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

How should you store mini blueberry pies?

Once the pies are fully cooled, mini blueberry pies can be stored in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for about two days. After this, the baked pies should be kept in the refrigerator and will last for about two more days.

How do you reheat mini blueberry pies?

Warmed, leftover mini blueberry pies are absolutely delicious - below are some different ways that you can reheat the pies:

Toaster oven: Preheat the toaster to 350°F. Place the blueberry pie on a parchment lined tray as the toaster heats up. After 10 minutes, check to see if the pie is warm and whether the top or edges are burning too quickly. Cover the pie with some aluminum foil if the surface is browning too fast and the pie needs more time. Continue to bake until the pie is fully warmed through.

Air-fryer: Wrap the pie in aluminum or tin foil to prevent splatters and drips from the filling. Place the pie inside the air fryer. Cook at 350°F for about 6-7 minutes or until fully heated through.

Stovetop: Allow the pie to come to room temperature. Place the pie inside a skillet and cover. Heat over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes or until the pie is fully heated through.

Microwave: This is the fastest method but not ideal as it will also not give you the crispy, flaky crust texture that you get using the other methods. The steam from the microwave can also make the pastry a little limp and soggy. Place the pie on a microwave-safe plate on top of a paper towel (to absorb moisture). Heat in 30 second intervals, until the pie is warmed through - mine is done in 90 seconds for a single slice.

How do you freeze mini blueberry pies?

Mini blueberry pies can be frozen both before and after baking. Baked pies need to be allowed to cool down completely prior to freezing. To freeze, first place the unbaked or fully cooked cooled pie, uncovered into the freezer. Once the whole pie is frozen, store it in an airtight container like a freezer bag and wrap with a layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Place it back into the freezer. Mini blueberry pies can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Baking unbaked, frozen pies:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a baking sheet on the rack before preheating the oven.
2. Once the oven temperature is 450°F, place the frozen uncooked pie on the heated baking sheet on the lower third of the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for about 50 more minutes. The pie is done when the top is golden brown and the juices bubble through. If it looks like the top or edges of the crust are browning too fast, cover with aluminum foil. Place the pie on a wire rack to cool.

Note: Do not thaw the frozen unbaked pie prior to baking. If you thaw it, the pie will become soggy.

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