Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Pies with a Flaky Pie Crust Topper

Today I’m going to be sharing a recipe for making mini strawberry pies with a flaky pie crust topper. These perfectly light and flaky pies are ten times better than anything you could buy at the store thanks to our homemade strawberry filling.

How to Make a Flaky Pie Crust

Whenever I make these mini pies, I like to start out by preparing the flaky crust:

• Process. Add 1 ½ cups of all purpose flour, salt, and sugar to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
• Add the butter. Add the ½ inch cold butter cubes to the food processor and pulse a few times until coarse crumbs form.
• Add the remaining flour. Add the remaining cup of all purpose flour and pulse a few times until the flour is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
• Add water. Keep the motor running while you pour iced water into the food processor. Pulse a few times until the dough just forms into large clumps.
• Knead. Turn out the dough onto a flattened surface and gently knead until it comes together.
• Finish it off. Divide the dough into 2 balls and then flatten each ball into a disk.
• Refrigerate. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

(Also try: Crustless Raspberry Mini Pies)

How to Make Mini Strawberry Pies

Next up on the to do list is to actually make your homemade mini strawberry pies:

• Prepare the strawberry filling mixture. Add the chopped strawberries, sugar, pure vanilla extract, and cornstarch to a bowl and stir to combine.
• Set aside. Set the filling mixture aside.
• Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 375℉.
• Prepare the muffin pan. Lightly grease a muffin pan.
• Prepare the crust base. Use a lightly-floured surface to roll out one disk until it is ⅛ inch thick. Next, use a 4-inch biscuit cutter to cut out circles of dough and then re-roll any scraps to make more circles.
• Add to muffin tins. Press each circle into a muffin tin.
• Add the strawberry filling. Divide the strawberry filling between the pies.
• Prepare the flaky pie crust topper. Using the same lightly-floured surface as before, roll out the second disk until it is ⅛ inch thick. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out circles and once again re-roll the scraps to form more circles. Cut slits in the top of each circle or use a 1-inch heart or star cookie cutter to cut a small hole in the top crust.
• Finish the pies off. Press the circles on top of the pies and then use a fork to seal the edges.
• Brush. Brush the pies with a lightly beaten egg wash.
• Bake. Bake the pies in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden.
• Cool. Remove the pies from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
• Serve. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Can I Freeze Mini Strawberry Pies?

You can absolutely freeze these mini strawberry pies.

You’ll first want to make sure that you allow the pies to cool completely after they come out of the oven. I would then recommend flash freezing the pies first before adding them into a large freezer-safe airtight container with parchment paper lined between them.

Your frozen mini pies will keep for up to 4 months.

3 Quick Tips for Making the Best Flaky Pies

Here are a few quick tips to keep in mind when making flaky pie recipes like this one:

• Make sure that you’re using cold butter when making your pie crust; this helps to prevent accidentally overworking the fat in the butter throughout the dough.
• Chill out on the chilling process – you don’t want to rush refrigerating your pie dough.
• As much as I love making my own homemade pie crust dough, you can always buy store bought dough that is already prepared to save some time as well.

(Also try: Blueberry Pie Filling You Can Make Ahead of Time)

Print