Recipe: Sugar-Free Strawberry Mini-Pies

     My dear friend, Ashley, invited me over so that we could (FINALLY) watch The Bling Ring. We obviously needed a treat to accompany our movie night, so we decided on these mini-pies. They were super easy to make and even sugar-free! Here's the rundown:

The recipe calls for store-bought pie dough, cinnamon, honey, one orange, lemon juice, strawberries, and one egg. You'll also need cupcake tins, wax or parchment paper, and cooking spray. I will admit that there is a very small amount of sugar in the pie dough; less than 2 %. But, the filling is in fact sugar-free.

     First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray your tins with cooking spray, then tear strips of wax or parchment paper to line the shells. This will ensure easy removal. Next, unroll the pie dough from its package, and use a circular cookie cutter to make your pie rounds. After the dough is cut, shape the rounds into your tins. The original recipe that we used said to use mini-cupcake tins, but we just used regular sized ones. I will say we created more work for ourselves, as we had to use our dough scraps to create the rest of the crust around the tins. So, if you do have the mini tins on hand, just go with those! 

     Once your tins are lined, move onto the filling. Depending on the size of the berries and your cupcake pans, cut 8-12 strawberries into quarters. In a bowl, mix 2 to 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of honey, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/2 tablespoon of grated or chopped orange zest, and just a splash of the orange juice. Once your mixture is blended well, add your berries and coat evenly.

     In a small bowl, whisk one egg completely for your egg wash. Spoon your berry mixture into your pie shells, brush your egg wash around the edges of the crust, and top your pies with the second crust. Using a fork, press the edges of the shells together. Next, lightly brush your pies with the remaining egg wash; this will give you a crispy, golden crust. Place the pans on the middle rack of your oven, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crusts are evenly colored.

     Once the pies are finished baking, remove from the oven and let them cool for at least half an hour before enjoying a taste. Since these are small and sugar-free, you can have two or six! Or, at least thats what I've convinced myself. These things are crazy good, you guys. I am already stoked about trying out different fillings, and flavor combinations for the next round. Be sure to show Ashley some love by seeing her snapshots of our evening here.

Happy eating, readers.

Until next time, 

Heather

(This recipe was adapted from this one here.)