Mini Blueberry Crumb Pies

Today is National Pi Day (3/14), so I decided to make some pies! I was looking for something different than the usual apple pie, so I opted for blueberry. This is my first time making a blueberry dessert, and it turned out delicious! I decided to make them mini pies, as I figured they'd be easier to serve; the blueberry filling tends to leak out the sides of the regular larger pie slices.

Ingredients:

Pie crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ice cold water

Blueberry filling:
5 cups blueberries, washed
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Crumb topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Prepare the pie crust:



In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the butter pieces and shortening, and use two knives or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture. Continue to do this until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.




Next, add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix in with a fork until the dough just comes together. (If the dough is still too dry, add a little more water. Be careful not to add too much, as the dough may become too sticky).

Wrap the pie crust dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You may keep the dough in the refrigerator up to 2 days, if necessary.

2. Prepare the crumb topping:


In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, light brown sugar, white sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Mix to combine.





Next,  add the cold butter pieces. Using your hands, work the butter pieces into the flour mixture until large clumps begin to appear. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You may also freeze some of the crumb topping at this stage if you will not be using all of it.

3. Prepare the blueberry filling:

In a mixing bowl, combine the white sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest. Mix well.







Next, add in the blueberries and lemon juice. Set aside for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.







4. Assemble the mini pies:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Take the pie dough out of the refrigerator and divide the dough into two. I only made 4 mini pies, so I used only half of the dough. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut smaller circles out of the dough (larger than the circumference of your mini pie plates), and transfer each to a pie dish. Gently press the dough to fill in each dish. You can cut off any dough that is hanging over the edge of the pie dish or use it to create a decorative edge.

Pierce the bottoms of the crusts in a few places to allow steam to be released when baking. Place a piece of parhcment paper or aluminum foil over the dough in each dish. Fill the paper or foil with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans. This will help weigh down the crust while it is pre-baking, allowing it to stay nice and flat.

Bake the pie crusts for about 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and remove the paper or foil and weights from inside each. Place them on a rack to cool.

Once the crusts have cooled for a while, add the prepared blueberry filling.

Top each of the pies with about 2 tablespoons of the crumb topping, and then bake the mini pies for about 40 minutes, or until the blueberry filling just begins to bubble. If you notice the crumb topping and/or edges browning too quickly, you can cover the pies with some aluminum foil and then resume baking. Once they are cooked, allow the pies to cool completely within the pie dishes. Once they have cooled, they should be easy to lift out of the pie dishes and onto a serving plate. Serve at room temperature.