These mini blueberry pies have a super flaky all butter crust filled with a jammy blueberry filling. They’re much faster to make than a large blueberry pie and are oh so cute! The blueberry filling has a touch of cinnamon and butter to really enhance the blueberry flavour. The hand pies have a bakery style crunchy top and are impossible to stop eating.
The crust is an easy all butter pie crust with vinegar. I use it in all my pies and they turn out flaky, crispy tender every time. The trick is to flatten and fold the pie crust a few times before chilling to get lots of flaky layers. The vinegar helps prevent a bit of gluten formation keeping it more tender, and gives the crust a beautiful flavour that balances the butter in it.
Make ahead
Both the crust and the filling need to chill completely for at least 30 minutes but you can prepare them the day before. Assemble and bake the mini blueberry pies the day of so that they are crisp and fresh.
Key ingredients
Blueberries: you can use fresh or frozen blueberries for this recipe. They get cooked down anyways so it doesn't matter. Wild blueberries work great as well!
Cornstarch: this is going to thicken the blueberry filling so that it doesn't spill out of the pies.
Lemon juice: this really brightens the filling.
Cinnamon: you don't taste the cinnamon in the filling, it just brings out the warm blueberry flavour and makes it taste even more complex.
Butter: use a good quality real butter for best results and flavour. It needs to be cut into small cubes and frozen for about 10 minutes. This ensures that the butter stays cold for extra flaky layers. I also add a bit of butter into the filling to make it velvety smooth.
Vinegar: vinegar gives the pie crust a bit of tang (barely noticeable don't worry) but it really does deepen the flavour and help balance the butteriness. I used apple cider vinegar but you can use white vinegar or lemon juice.
Egg + milk: these get whisked together to make an eggwash that gets brushed on top of the pies for a golden crisp crust. For an egg free egg wash brush with just milk.
Making the filling
Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add the blueberries, lemon juice, water, cinnamon, and salt, and heat on low heat stirring and smashing the blueberries until it comes to a simmer.
Simmer until thickened, for a minute or two. Take off the heat and add the butter, stirring until melted. Transfer into a non metal container and let cool to room temperature before refrigerating to completely chill.
Making the Crust
Add the vinegar into the ice water, stir, and set aside.
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl or food processor with blade attachment. Mix until incorporated.
Add the frozen cubed butter into the flour and pulse or use a knife (or your fingers) to cut it in. Work quickly to not melt the butter. The texture should be like breadcrumbs with larger pea sized pieces. The pea size pieces are going to roll out to thin flaky layers.
Add the vinegar water gradually, stirring or pulsing in between additions until it begins to form a very shaggy dough. I used ¾ of the mixture. Only use as much as you need.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and flatten the dough into a disk with your hands. Press any dry bits into the dough. Fold in half, flatten, and fold again. This process is going to make all those tender flaky layers. Cut in half and form two disks. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
Assembly
Roll out one disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to ⅛” thick. Cut out ten 4” circles using a cookie cutter or the bottom of a glass. Set aside onto a sheet lined with parchment paper.
Spoon a tablespoon of chilled blueberry filling into the middle of each circle.
Add the rest of the dough into the second disk of dough and roll it out to ⅛” thick. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut strips of dough in various thicknesses. Make a lattice by overlapping the strips of dough, weaving them in and out. Press down lightly onto the lattice so that it holds together while cutting out circles.
Using the same circle cutter, cut out 10 circles of the lattice. Use a spatula to carefully transfer the lattices onto each filled circle of dough. If they fall apart a bit then just add the fallen pieces back onto the pies.
Use a fork dipped in flour to seal the edges of the mini blueberry pies. Pop the pies into the freezer for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Whisk together the egg and milk to form an egg wash.
Brush the egg wash over the chilled pies and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown and the bottoms are crispy. Do not overbake because the filling will begin to bubble out of the pies.
Let the mini blueberry pies cool on the baking tray before digging in. They are best served the day they are baked. Store any leftovers in the fridge. Heat up any leftover blueberry pies in the oven to make them taste as if they were just baked.
Check out some of my other berry recipes:
Happy baking! xx
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📖 Recipe
Mini Blueberry Pies with Flaky Crust
Equipment
- 1 4" circle cutter or glass
Ingredients
Blueberry Filling
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice more if you have tart blueberries
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ tablespoon butter
Pie Crust
- 2 ½ cup all purpose flour 300g
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter small cubes and frozen for 10 minutes
- 1 tablespoon vinegar apple cider, white, or lemon juice
- 1 cup ice water
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
Blueberry Filling
- The filling needs to chill completely before filling the pies so you can make this the day before and refrigerate.
- Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add the blueberries, lemon juice, water, cinnamon, and salt, and heat on low heat stirring and smashing the blueberries until it comes to a simmer.2 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 ½ cup blueberries, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- Simmer until thickened, for a minute or two. Take off the heat and add the butter, stirring until melted. Transfer into a non metal container and let cool to room temperature before refrigerating until completely chilled.½ tablespoon butter
Pie Crust
- You can make the pie crust the day before as it needs to chill completely. Add the vinegar into the ice water and stir.1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 cup ice water
- Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl or food processor with blade attachment. Mix until incorporated.2 ½ cup all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add the frozen cubed butter into the flour and pulse or use a knife (or your fingers) to cut it in. Work quickly to not melt the butter. The texture should be like breadcrumbs with larger pea sized pieces.1 cup unsalted butter
- Add the vinegar water gradually, stirring or pulsing in between additions until it begins to form a very shaggy dough. I used ¾ of the mixture.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and flatten the dough into a disk with your hands. Press any dry bits into the dough. Fold in half, flatten, and fold again. Cut in half and form two disks. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
Assembly
- Roll out one disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to ⅛” thick. Cut out ten 4” circles using a cookie cutter or the bottom of a glass. Set aside onto a sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Spoon a tablespoon of chilled blueberry filling into the middle of each circle.
- Add the rest of the dough into the second disk of dough and roll it out to ⅛” thick. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut strips of dough in various thicknesses. Make a lattice by overlapping the strips of dough, weaving them in and out. Press down lightly onto the lattice so that it holds together.
- Using the same circle cutter, cut out 10 circles of the lattice. Use a spatula to carefully transfer the lattices onto each filled circle of dough.
- Use a fork dipped in flour to seal the edges of the pies. Pop the pies into the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Whisk together the egg and milk to form an egg wash.1 egg, 1 tablespoon milk
- Brush the egg wash over the chilled pies and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown and the bottoms are crispy. Do not overbake because the filling will begin to bubble out of the pies.1 tablespoon coarse sugar
Alison Haney
These look amazing! I can't wait to try them. I would assume this method would work for all fruit fillings? What about pumpkin?
Mary
Thank you! I haven't tried making the pies with pumpkin but you could definitely try it with other fruit like raspberries, cherries, or apple. You might have to adjust the amount of corn starch in the filling. You want the filling to be pretty thick and hold its shape when it's chilled. I'm really not sure how it would turn out with a pumpkin filling though. If you try it, I wouldn't recommend a lattice crust because the filling might leak out easier - put another circle of crust on top and cut out a hole in the middle to let steam escape. If you end up trying them out with other fillings, I'd love to hear how it went!
Hanna
LOVED this recipe!! It was so fun to make! Also very easy recipe to follow if you are not very confident with baking! I had very tart juicy blueberries and added the extra lemon like suggested but also added in a little powder sugar to help sweeten and thicken the sauce and even a little extra cinnamon because I loved the hint of it! This is the perfect party dessert and the sizing of the mini pies is so much easier then one giant pie, it was so easy for people to grab and eat without the mess of cutting into a pie! I will definitely make these again, I event want to try apple and cherry next time!
Mary
I'm so happy you made and enjoyed them! Thank you so much 😀
Constance Cooper
Can't wait to try these
I love blueberries., and this recipe for small pies will be very convenient sine there's only me in my household. Can't wait to try the blueberry cinnamon rolls also. Yummy.
Mary
I hope you try them and love them! Thank you so much 😀