Homemade Mini Blueberry Pies
These individual blueberry pies pair a buttery, tender crust with a thick homemade blueberry filling. Each small pie is filled, sealed, brushed with egg wash, and baked until puffed and golden.
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Servings: 24 mini pies
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 4 cup blueberries (1 ½ lbs. / 690g / 2 pint containers)
- 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
- 3 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour in UK)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest, freshly grated
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Crust
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (450 grams)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small pieces (339g)
- 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk]
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
For the Egg Wash
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, lemon zest, granulated sugar, and salt together.
- Add the very cold butter. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the largest pieces are about the size of tiny peas.
- Pour in ¾ cup of the buttermilk. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until the mixture begins to hold together, then knead it two or three times to form a ball.
- If the dough does not come together, add the remaining ¼ cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does. Gently knead it again after adding the necessary buttermilk.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and flatten it into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to 2 days.
Prepare the Blueberry Filling
- Taste a few of the blueberries first. If they are sweet, use closer to ½ cup sugar. If they are less sweet, you may need up to ¾ cup sugar.
- Put the blueberries and sugar into a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has melted and the blueberries begin to burst, about 5–7 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water to make a slurry.
- Once the sugar has dissolved and the berries have started bursting, mash any blueberries that remain whole. While whisking constantly, slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan. Do not add it all at once, as this can cause the cornstarch to clump.
- Increase the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the blueberry mixture has thickened.
- Stir in the lemon zest, butter, and salt. Cook for another 30–45 seconds.
- Remove the filling from the heat and allow it to cool completely before assembling the pies. The filling can also be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated.
Assemble and Bake the Mini Pies
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Generously flour the countertop. Unwrap one chilled disc of dough and place it on the floured surface.
- Using a floured rolling pin, gently roll the dough from the center outward. The chilled dough will initially be quite firm, so work with it gradually. It will soften fairly quickly as you roll.
- Continue rolling from the center outward, rotating the dough as needed, until it reaches approximately 1/8 inch thick. If the butter begins to soften too much and the dough becomes sticky or mushy, transfer the dough to a baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze it for a few minutes, just until it firms up again.
- Cut the rolled dough using a 2 ½–3 inch cookie or biscuit cutter, or use a knife to cut the dough into squares.
- Prepare the egg wash and have a pastry brush ready. Lightly brush egg wash around the edges of half of the dough pieces.
- Cut small vents into the centers of the remaining dough pieces. These will form the tops of the pies.
- Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon of blueberry filling into the center of each egg-washed piece of dough.
- Cover each filled piece with one of the vented dough tops. Avoid adding too much filling, as overfilled pies are harder to seal and may leak while baking.
- Gently press the top and bottom pieces together with your fingertips. Seal the perimeter of each pie by pressing the edges with the tines of a fork.
- Brush the tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
- If the assembled pies or remaining dough become soft or mushy, refrigerate them briefly before baking.
- Repeat the rolling, cutting, filling, and sealing process with the second disc of dough and the remaining filling. Dough scraps can be re-rolled, but handle them as little as possible.
- Arrange the pies on the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving 1–2 inches between them.
- Bake for 15–18 minutes, or until the pies are puffed and golden.
- Transfer the baked pies to a wire rack and allow them to cool.