Create darling pies in canning jars to freeze and bake later, or impress your friends and family with sweet gifts!
by Jennifer Cole
I love everything about pie. The smell spreading throughout the house, warming up next to the hot oven in the cold winter months while it bakes a buttery, nourishing squash pie, the sight and anticipation of a pie cooling on the rack…and of course the beauty and simplicity of a cold chocolate cream pie for a rich summer dessert. I make pie every season, all year round, and get especially obsessed when fall arrives. You could say it’s passion for pie.
However, whenever I make a whole pie when it’s not a holiday, I find finishing an entire pie between one or two people a dilemma. I believe it’s a grievous crime to waste food (especially pie), also, it’s hard on the structural integrity of one’s waistline to consume pie for a week straight.
Here is where the versatility of the canning jar comes into play. There are recipe books and blogs devoted to the fine art of mini and handheld pies. I embraced that concept and off to the kitchen I went to convert my favorite pie recipe into sweet little mini pies to freeze, bake, and unashamedly devour at my convenience.
JENN’S FAVORITE RHUBARB PIE- MADE MINI!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
-7 half pint canning jars (the short and fat kind, see pictures below)
-About a pound of fresh organic rhubarb stalks, roughly chopped (a little over 3 cups)
– Already prepared cold pie dough for a double crust regular pie
– Roughly 14 TBSP evaporated cane juice (or white sugar)
– Roughly 4 TBSP all purpose flour
YIELD: For this particular pie project, the yield of the above ingredients made 7 half pint mini pies, with a very small amount of leftover dough you could use for another small pie if you have a little extra rhubarb on hand, or you can take the leftover dough and roll into strips, brush with melted butter and top with cinnamon and sugar and bake at 375˚ F. until golden brown for a tasty treat.