Dessert: Mini Pies!

Ryan made these mini pies with both a pumpkin and an apple filling. Kids and Ryan both loved them. The original recipe is from Heather Christo Cooks.

Ingredients:

Best Crust

2 1/4 cups flour

2 Tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, very cold and cut into pieces

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup ice water

Pumpkin Vanilla Bean Filling

15 oz can pumpkin puree

1 cup brown sugar

1 Tbs vanilla bean paste

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 nutmeg

1/2 ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cream

2 eggs

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

Best Crust

1. In a food processor, add flour, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. 
2. Add butter and shortening. Pulse until the dough resembles coarse crumbles.
3. Add water a little at a time and pulse until the dough comes together. Stop adding water once the dough has come together.
4. Transfer dough to a sheet of wax paper.
5. Gently press dough into a disc, wrap it in the paper and chill for about 30 minutes.
6. Take half of the recipe for pie dough, and using a small amount of flour, roll out the pie dough into a circle in between two sheets of wax paper.
7. Gently peel back one side of the wax paper and law over a pie dish.

Mini-Pies

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. In a 9x9 baking dish, add all the filling ingredients.
3. Combine until smooth.
4. Bake the pumpkin filling for 45 minutes. Take the filling out and leave until cooled.
5. Using a 4-inch cookie cutter, cut circles out of the chilled pie dough.
6. Spoon the chilled filling into the center of the circles.
7. Fold the pie dough over and pinch and fork tine the edges. Chill in the refrigerator while you heat the oil.
8. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.
9. Gently fry the pumpkin mini pies until the dough is golden brown.
10. Drain for a moment on paper towels and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Other details:

• Preparation time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 1 hours
• Makes 12 pies