Mini pies recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups (260 grams) Pastry Flour Blend
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• ¼ cup (55 g) organic cane sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons shortening, cold
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) plus 1 tablespoon cold water
• Up to 3 tablespoons additional flour for dusting

• 1½ cups (225 g) blueberries
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
• 3 tablespoons organic cane sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1½ cups (150 g) peeled, cored, and diced apples (about 2 apples)
• ¼ cup (40 g) raisins, optional
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
• ¼ cup (55 g) organic cane sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

To Prepare the Crust
1. Combine the flour, xanthan gum, ¼ cup (55 g) cane sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Cut the shortening into tablespoon-sized pieces and lay them on top of the flour. Use a pastry cutter, a pastry fork, or your hands to work the shortening into the flour. Continue working for 3 to 4 minutes, until a crumbly mixture forms.
3. Add the vinegar and ¼ cup (60 ml) water. Work the liquids into the dough using the pastry cutter. Add up to 1 more tablespoon of cold water as needed, ½ tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth and pliable.
4. Separate the dough into three sections (to make it easier to work with later) and form each section into a disk, about ½ inch (13 mm) thick. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Pastry dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
5. When you are ready to make the pies, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease 8 cups of a 12-cup standard muffin pan.
6. If the dough has been refrigerated for more than 30 minutes prior to rolling, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and massage it with your hands until it is pliable. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Use additional flour, if needed, to avoid sticking.
7. Cut eight 4½-inch (11.5 cm) rounds to form the bottom crusts. Use two of the three sections of dough for this step. Place the bottom crusts into the wells of the prepared muffin pan. The pastry should fully cover the bottom and sides of the wells with up to ¼ inch (6.5 mm) of crust protruding from the wells.
8. Roll out the remaining section of dough and cut eight 2½-inch (6.5 cm) rounds for the top crusts. Cut a ⅞8-inch (2 cm) center hole in the top crusts.
To make the Filling
9. Toss the fruit (blueberries and zest or apples and raisins) with lemon juice in a small bowl.
10. Combine the starch, remaining cane sugar, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Add this to the fruit, and toss to coat.
11. Distribute the fruit evenly in the bottom crusts.
To Finish the Pies
12. Place the top crusts over the fruit, allowing them to sit inside the bottom crusts. Use your fingers to roll and pinch the edges together.
13. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on the tops of the crusts, if desired.
14. Bake for 19 to 20 minutes, until the fruit filling is bubbling and the tops are golden.