It’s the start of fall. The leaves are just starting to change, and it’s chilly in the shade but warm in the sun – the perfect time to be outside. These adorable pie pops are great for a picnic. They’re portable, cute and have endless filling options. I made these with several different kinds, depending on what I had available. One of my favorite fillings is a simple blackberry; another combines peanut butter, Nutella and a banana slice. All it takes is some creativity to make fun combinations. Wrap them in a buttery pie crust with a slight sugar crunch, and you have little bites of heaven.
Enjoy and happy baking!
Pie Pops Adapted from Smitten Kitchen Makes 8 to 12 pie pops
1¼ cups flour
½ Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 stick cold butter, cubed
½ cup very cold water
24 Tbsp. filling*, divided
1 egg white, beaten
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling
• In a large bowl, stir the flour, sugar and salt together. Add the butter and rub the mixture together with your hands until the butter is in small, pea-sized pieces.
• Add the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and stir until the dough just comes together in a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.
• Place chilled dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to ¼-inch thickness. (Chill again if it gets too soft.) Use cookie cutters to create shapes from the dough, making sure to cut 2 of each shape. Make sure the shapes are no bigger than 2 inches to put them on sticks; otherwise, they can be mini pies.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place the cutouts on parchment paper and gently press a lollipop stick into the dough, about ¼ of the way in.
• Spread about 2 tablespoons of filling inside the dough, leaving space around the edges. Place the matching cutout on top of the filling and seal the edges with a fork.
Brush the tops with the beaten egg white and sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar. Use a knife to cut a small slit in the tops or poke holes with a fork.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking, until pies are golden and puffed. Let cool completely before serving.
*To make fillings with more than one flavor, combine all desired ingredients in equal parts, adjusting the ratio to taste. Filling ideas include: peanut butter and Nutella, Nutella and raspberry jam, brown sugar and cinnamon, Biscoff/cookie butter spread, vanilla cream/curd and raspberry jam, or peanut butter and honey.
This article appears in September 2013.
