Pie In A Jar

First off, let me tell you that the party on Friday looked 

spec-tac-u-lar (if I do say so myself)!

Pictures will be tomorrow...

Secondly, this adorable "pie in a jar" is another rage

that is taking center stage...

they are everywhere...

precious as can be too...

I never knew how to go about making them...

until now...

Remember the pic from Friday's post?

Well, I was reading Eat, Drink, Pretty in detail

when I found a link in there 

that gave detailed instructions on how to make these little guys...

How exciting is that??!!

So without further ado here are directions from Our Best Bites...

Pie in Jar

This is the type of jar you'll need.

They're half-pint jars, but short and squatty instead of tall and skinny 

(Ya know, like me as opposed to my mother. 

Why oh why did I have to get the other parent's genes??!) 

Mine are made by Kerr (Here's the link to buy them from Amazon). 

They're stinking cute as is, don't you think? 

Something about a short squatty jar makes me giddy 

with the thoughts of fun things 

I could put inside. Ya know, like PIE.
Step 1: Pie Dough
The first thing you'll need is dough. You can use any pie dough you like. 

Here's a great tutorial on making a basic crust. 

That particular recipe will make 4 jars. 

You can also use the all-butter crust from this post. 

Or if you're really in a pinch, even a store bought crust will do.
Step 2: Make a topper and line the jar
Roll out a small handful of dough. This is just for the tops of your pies, 

so eyeball about that much. 

Grab the ring part of your jar and use that as your cookie cutter. 

Brilliant, right? Cut out the tops and set aside.

Use the rest of the dough to line the jars. 

(No, you do not need to grease them) 

The great part is that there's no rolling required! 

Just take little pieces and press them in. 

Make sure it's pressed all the way up to the top 

of the jar, or pretty close to it.

Step 3: Fill 'er up
You'll need about 1/2 C filling for each jar. 

You can use any filling your little pie-craving heart desires, 

even (gasp) canned! You can also use the same method 

shown in thegalette post to use any fruit you happen to have around.
Here's the basic recipe (for 4 pies)
2 C prepared fruit (pitted, diced, peeled, etc.)
2 T sugar- brown or white (use more or less depending on sweetness of fruit)
2 T flour- (again, more if your fruit is super juicy like cherries, less if it's pretty dry)
1 T butter (divided between the pies)
Seasonings/flavorings- cinnamon, nutmeg, 

vanilla and almond extract, citrus zest etc)

Play around with it and come up with something yummy! 

I made 2 different pies in my pictures: 

one, a cut-down version of Kate's Apple Pie 

and one with fresh cherries and almond extract.

When your filling is all combined, divide it between the jars 

and dot a pat of butter on top (about 1/4 T)


Step 4: Top it off
Make sure your "lid" has a vent so steam can escape. 

You can use a knive to make a couple of slits 

or a tiny cookie cutter to make it decorative. 

I am in LOVE with these littleAutumn Leaf Pie Crust Cutters 

that my sister gave to me last fall. 

Oooh, I just saw this year's set has an acorn in it! 

I might have to get that one too--how cute is that little acorn??! 

My little maple leaf is pretty darn cute, too.


When your topper is ready, slip it onto the top of the pie. 

It will be large enough that the outside edge

 goes up the side of the dough-covered jar a bit, 

as show in the picture below. Then use your finger, or a fork, 

to press the 2 pieces of dough together to seal. 

And nobody even think about mentioning the state of my fingernails.


Another option is to do a crumb topping. 

I put a basic crumb topping on my cherry pies and they were sooo yummy.


Crumb Topping (for 4-6 pies)
1/4C brown sugar
1/4 C flour
2 T oats
1/4 T cinnamon
3 T cold butter
Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. 

Cut in butter. Add oats and stir to combine.

And I couldn't help but try a mini lattice on one. 

Eeek! Dying of cuteness overload. 

(Click here for a how-to on a lattice pattern)

** Optional step here that I HIGHLY reccomend: 

Brush pie tops with butter and sprinkle with sugar at this point. 

Yumminess highly instensified!
Step 5: Freeze 'em!

Ready for this? When your pies are all done and topped, 

place metal lids back on and seal them tight. T

hen pop these little cuties in the freezer. 

There they will stay until you find yourself having an insatiable craving

 for home-baked goodness. You'll be reaching for the crumbs 

at the bottom of the keebler box when suddenly 

your eyes will light up because you remember 

you have THESE sitting in your freezer.


Or when you have unexpected guests in need of impressing, 

or a friend needing to be cheered up, 

or it's Thursday...I can think of a million reasons 

why one should have a constant supply of fresh pie in the freezer.
Step 6: Bake 'em

Now first let me say that one of the biggest concerns from everyone 

is about the jars breaking in the oven.

 All I can say it that I've baked hundreds of these 

and never once has a jar broken. 

These are canning jars- they are designed to be boiled, pressure cooked, etc. 

So it's different than putting any ol' piece of glass in the oven.

 They bake just fine! But if you're freaking out then my advice would be this: 

remove lids from jars and place jars on a baking sheet. 

Place baking sheet in a COLD oven. Then turn the oven to 375.

 That will give the jars a chance to warm up slowly as the oven preheats. 

If you're really worried you can always let them sit at room temp for a bit first 

before putting them in a cold oven. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, 

or until the tops are golden brown and the middles are bubbly. 

If you're baking them fresh and not frozen they take about 45 minutes.


Depending on your filling you can pop them

 right out of the jar and onto a plate like so:



Or just eat them right out of the jar. 

There's something way more fun about eating it right out of the jar...

And if you have oozing cherry filling, that might be the only option!