Pies and Mini Pies (15 page)

Spray muffin pans with Pam. Add a strip of parchment paper to the muffin cup to use as handles for removing the tiny pies easily. Form the dough into balls about 1 1/2" in diameter. Press the balls into the bottom and up sides of muffin cups.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 8 minutes. The crusts need to cool before removing from pan. As they cool, they will form a crust.

Yield: 24 graham cracker mini crusts.

German Chocolate Pie

Crust:

2 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:

4 ounce package German sweet chocolate

3 teaspoons water

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

1 cup whipping cream

Beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until it forms soft peaks. Add sugar gradually and continue beating until mixture is very stiff. Fold in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and nuts. Turn into lightly greased 8” pie pan and make a nest-like shell. Bake at 300 degrees F for 50-55 minutes. Cool.

For filling: Place chocolate & water in saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted. Add egg yolks, sugar & vanilla. Cool. Whip cream and stir into chocolate mixture. Spoon into meringue. Top with additional whipped cream and chocolate & white chocolate shavings. Chill 3 hours before serving.

German Chocolate Mini Pies

Muffin/Cupcake Pan: 2-3/4” mini pies

Pie crust:
  Make pastry crust as in recipe above. Form pastry into balls for muffin cups. Spray muffin pan cups with Pam. Add sturdy strips of parchment paper to the muffin cup to use as handles for removing the pie easily. Press pastry into sides and bottom of muffin cups. Bake crust at 300 degrees F for 40 minutes or longer. Fill with filling recipe above.

Mini Muffin Pan: 1-3/4” mini pies

Pie crust:
  Make pastry crust as in recipe above. Form pastry into 24 one inch balls for mini muffin pan. Spray muffin pan cups with Pam. Add a strip of parchment paper to the muffin cup to use as handles for removing the pie easily. Press pastry into sides and bottom of muffin cups. Bake crust at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes or longer.

Cool crust. Fill with filling recipe above. A popsicle stick works great for spreading the filling in the mini muffin cups.

Mexican Fiesta Pie

6 teaspoons butter, melted

3 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 cups pretzels, finely ground

1 quart vanilla ice milk, softened

1/2 10 ounce can frozen margarita concentrate, thawed

Lime twists, optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine butter, sugar and pretzels; pat into 9 inch glass pie plate, reserving 2 T. for topping. Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Blend ice milk and 5 oz. of margarita concentrate until thoroughly combined. Spoon into crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Freeze. Garnish with lime twists.

Mexican Fiesta Mini Pies

Muffin/Cupcake Pan: 2-3/4” mini pies

Pie crust:
  Make pastry crust as in recipe above. Form pastry into balls for muffin cups. Spray muffin pan cups with Pam. Add sturdy strips of parchment paper to the muffin cup to use as handles for removing the pie easily. Press pastry into sides and bottom of muffin cups. Bake crust at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes. Fill with filling recipe above.

Mini Muffin Pan: 1-3/4” mini pies

Pie crust:
  Make pastry crust as in recipe above. Form pastry into 24 one inch balls for mini muffin pan. Spray muffin pan cups with Pam. Add a strip of parchment paper to the muffin cup to use as handles for removing the pie easily. Press pastry into sides and bottom of muffin cups. Bake crust at 325 degrees F for 8 minutes.

Cool crust. Fill with filling recipe above. A popsicle stick works great for spreading the filling in the mini muffin cups.

Grasshopper Pie

Pie crust:

16 graham crackers or chocolate wafers, crushed

3 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup sugar

Mix and spread evenly in a pie pan.

Filling:

1/2 cup milk

25 regular size marshmallows

1/2 pint cream

1 oz. green crème de menthe

1/2 oz. cream de cocoa

Heat milk, add marshmallows and stir until melted. Set aside to cool. Whip cream and add crème de menthe and crème de cocoa. Whip again. Fold into first mixture. Pour into pie shell and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Serve with dab of whipped cream topped with a cherry or strawberry.

French Chocolate Pie

Pie crust:

Spread butter
very thickly
in pie plate. Press shredded coconut in the butter until the pie plate is coated with a thick layer. Bake at 250 or 300 degrees F until golden. Cool.

Filling:

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter

2 tablespoons instant coffee

1 cup nuts, coarsely chopped

2 eggs

Unsweetened chocolate, 3 ounces, melted

Brandy or rum to taste (optional)

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time, beating 2 minutes between each egg addition. Add coffee, nuts, cooled chocolate and rum or brandy. Pour into pie shell and chill.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

1 baked pie shell

1 cup pumpkin, canned

3/8 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup fresh milk

2 teaspoons butter

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons milk

3 egg whites

1 3/4 tablespoons sugar

Mix pumpkin with 3/8 cup of granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk and butter; bring to a boil. Add cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons of milk. Cook until the mixture thickens. Remove from stove. Place egg whites in a mixing bowl, add 1 3/4 tablespoons of sugar to the beaten egg whites and continue beating one minute. Slowly pour cooked pumpkin mix over beaten egg whites and fold gently together with a hand wire beater, mixing well. Place hot filling in baked pie shell. Fill the shell generously and place in ice box to chill. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Pumpkin Chiffon Mini Pies

** Use 2 9" crusts for 12 muffin cups or 24 mini muffin cups.

** Refrigerator pie crusts may be used.

** Add filling from pumpkin chiffon recipe after baking and cooling the mini pie crusts.

Spray muffin pans with Pam. Add a strip of parchment paper to the muffin cup to use as handles for removing the tiny pies easily. Fill muffin cups with pastry as directed below, depending on your mini pie size.

Muffin/Cupcake Pan: 2-3/4” mini pies

Pie crust:
Cut 3-1/2” or 4" circles with a biscuit cutter or use a bowl to cut the circle. Shape the pie crust into each regular size muffin cup. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Mini Muffin Pan: 1-3/4” mini pies

Pie Crust:
Make your favorite pie crust recipe. Roll the dough into 24 balls about 1" in diameter. Press the balls into the bottom and up sides of muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees F 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Peppermint Fudge Pie

24 crushed cream filled chocolate cookies (2 cups)

1/3 cup melted margarine

Press above into 9” pie tin. Chill.

4 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup milk