mini cherry pies

This festive, easy Christmas tree cherry hand pie is made with just 3 ingredients and will be a beautiful addition to any holiday sweet tray.

Cherry Christmas Tree Hand Pies

boxes of ready-made pie crust (2 crusts each)

cherry pie filling

eggs

water

Coarse sanding sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350℉. Thaw the ready-made pie crust, according to package directions.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs and water together, set aside.

Using a rolling pin, roll out one thawed pie crust, ensuring there are no cracks or holes.  The crust should be between ¼” and ⅛” thick.

Using a holiday tree cookie cutter, cut out 7 trees. Save the excess crust.

Place trees on the parchment lined baking sheet and spoon about 1 - 1 ½ Tablespoons of cherry pie filling into the center of each tree.  Brush the border around the filling with egg wash.

Roll out a second pie crust and cut out 7 more trees.  Save the excess crust.  Gently place the trees over the top of the filling.  Starting at the trunk, lightly press the edges together, making sure not to press down on the filling.

Using the tines of a fork, press the seams together, working around the outline of the tree. Using a sharp knife, make a few slits in the top crust for venting.   Brush the top crusts with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar, if desired.

Repeat the process with the remaining pie crusts.  When all the ready-made pie crust has been used, and all that remains is the excess, combine it all and roll it out, the same thickness as the original crusts, to complete the remaining hand pies.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

These look so yummy and festive! I can't wait to make these for my kids!

Mini cherry pies are charming bite-sized desserts featuring a flaky golden crust filled with a sweet and tart cherry mixture. Each pie offers a perfect balance of juicy fruit and crisp pastry, creating a delightful contrast in texture and flavor.

Mini Cherry Pies

sugar

cornstarch

vanilla extract

lemon juice

almond extract (optional)

salt

refrigerated pie crusts (or homemade)

egg egg wash)

milk (for egg wash)

sugar (for sprinkling)

Prepare the cherry filling by combining cherries, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, lemon juice, optional almond extract, and salt in a bowl. Toss gently and set aside.

Roll out the pie crust on a floured surface and cut into 4-5 inch diameter circles, two per mini pie.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a muffin tin and place one dough circle in each cup, pressing gently.

Fill each crust with about 1 tablespoon of cherry filling, then cover with a second dough circle. Seal edges by crimping with a fork and cut small slits on top for steam.

Mix egg and milk for egg wash. Brush over pie tops and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until crusts are golden and filling is bubbly. Cool in pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Bite-sized cherry pies are baked in a muffin pan for the perfect handheld dessert. Filled with juicy cherries and topped with a flaky lattice crust, this take on the hand pie will be the talk of the table!

cherries

pie crusts (store bought

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Use a dark-colored muffin pan for the best, crispiest results. Light-colored or aluminum pans work, but note that there may be a longer bake time for the pie crust to turn a deep golden brown.

Place the quartered cherries in a medium bowl with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and extracts. Stir everything together, then set aside for at least 10 minutes. During this time, the sugar will pull water out of the cherries, giving us the liquid filling. This process is called maceration.

Making the Cherry Pie Filling

While the cherries are macerating, roll out one chilled pie crust on a lightly floured surface, leaving the other in the fridge. Rotate the dough one quarter turn after every roll to ensure it doesn&#39;t stick to your work surface. Roll only in one direction, from the center of the dough out to help prevent sticking.

Once you&#x27;ve rolled out the pie crust about 11&quot; to 12&quot; (28 to 30 cm) in diameter, use a 4&quot; (10 cm) circle cutter to cut 8 or 9 circles out of the dough, then immediately place each one into a hole in your muffin pan. To prevent holes, press down evenly in the center of the dough round with the fingertips of one hand while guiding the edges of the dough circle down the side of the cutout with your other. It might take a few tries to get the hang of it, but if a circle rips, just patch it up with excess dough—no one will ever know!

Set aside the leftover dough from the first pie crust, then roll out the second pie crust in the same manner as the first. Cut out the remaining 3 or 4 circles to fill the rest of the muffin pan holes. You&#39;ll use the remaining dough to make the lattice, so set it aside for now.

Preparing the Mini Cherry Pie Crusts

Fill the mini pie crusts with about one Tablespoon of just the cherries (not yet the liquid!) from the cherry pie filling.

Then divide the leftover liquid from the filling into the mini pies, usually a little less than a Tablespoon per pie.

Filling the Mini Cherry Pies

Place the muffin pan with the filled pies in the fridge to chill while you make the lattices.

Using a bench scraper or knife, cut strips of dough about ¼&quot; (6 mm) wide.

Line half of the strips up vertically on your lightly floured workspace in one row, with the other half of the strips close by. Fold over every other strip in the vertical row in half. Then, take one of the strips from the remaining pile and place it horizontally right above the fold point. Fold the vertical strips back over the horizontal strip. You have your first lattice!

For the next lattice, fold back the opposite vertical strips, up to the horizontal strip you just laid. Take a strip from the pile close by and place it horizontally, right above the fold point. Fold the vertical strips back over the horizontal strip, and you&#x27;ll have your second lattice.

Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you run out of dough strips. You can make one large lattice about 10&quot; by 8&quot; (25 by 20 cm), or a few smaller lattices, whichever is easier for you. (I usually end up making two.)

Using a 2 ½&quot; (6 cm) round cutter, cut out circles of the lattice. Use a bench scraper or spatula to slide under the lattice circle, then place it directly on top of a mini cherry pie, pressing it lightly into the edges of the pie crust.

Beat the egg in a small bowl, then lightly brush the egg wash over the pie crust. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top, if desired.

Making the Mini Lattice Tops*

Bake the pies for 22-25 minutes in the center rack of your oven. If using a dark-colored pan, your mini cherry pies will be fully baked around 22 minutes. If using a light-colored pan, like aluminum, they may take closer to 25 minutes to turn golden brown on the edges.

Allow the pies to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove from the pan with a fork. Place on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling and prevent soggy bottoms. Enjoy!

Baking the Pies

Thank you for your descriptive and helpful recipe!  I made these for the audience for a show I was doing.  They turned out great.  Appreciate you!

Made these without the almond extract and they simply weren't sweet enough. Perhaps the almond extract should not be optional.

Also wanted to be helpful and point out an inconsistency. You say at various points that the cutter to cut out the lattice should be 2″ and also 2.5"

I used this recipe to use up some cherries I had that were about to go bad. This was the first time I've ever made pie and it was so good!

This recipe was very easy to make.
 I made the all butter crust recipe for my crust. Very simple, my kids were able to help with the whole process. 
We were able to bring one over to my neighbor, who also loved the pie. Thank you for a simple, tasty recipe. Cannot wait to make it again.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/1rqxOS8i.mp4

Learn how to make homemade mini cherry pies in a muffin pan with a lattice top!

Top 3 mini cherry pies recipes from across the web

The most viewed mini cherry pies recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Cherry Christmas Tree Hand Pies

Mini Cherry Pies

Mini Cherry Pies

Top 3 mini cherry pies recipes from across the web

The most viewed mini cherry pies recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Cherry Christmas Tree Hand Pies

Mini Cherry Pies

Mini Cherry Pies

The most viewed mini cherry pies recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine