Mini Cherry Almond Pies

By Kate Riley June 8, 2011

We have a cherry tree in our yard and every year about this time, we get a nice amount of fruit, just enough to fill a few bowls for snacking and also make a wonderful dessert.  

centsational girl bowl of cherries

Last year, I made cherry cobbler from the fruit picked from our tree, but this year I was in the mood for pie!  Not one large pie.  Mini pies.  Cute little individual morsels that entice you with their golden crust, and are just enough to satisfy a craving for ripe summer cherries! 

centsational girl mini cherry pie on plate

 

My craving for cherry pie prompted my quest for the perfect pie crust, and forced me to learn how to make my own flaky crust from scratch, thanks to the highly rated recipe I wrote about yesterday.  

To make twelve mini pies, I simply used a basic cupcake tin.  While the dough chilled, I prepared the pie filling, first by pitting the cherries.  Pitting cherries is messy business, so wear an apron and arm yourself with a pitter to get ‘er done right.  

cherries in bowl

 

When perfectly ripe, cherries are so naturally sweet and moist, so I kept the filling ingredients as easy as . . . pie.   4 cups of pitted cherries + 1/3 cup of sugar + 1 tablespoon of pure almond extract.  That’s it! 

cherries sugar almond extract

 

I had to use enough dough for three (not two!) pie crusts (which is why I was glad I doubled the crust recipe yesterday), and then used a small appetizer bowl to make the first layer of crusts for my mini pies.

roll dough cut circles

 

Once in the cupcake tin, I layered each one with pie filling, placed another layer of crust on top, pinched them closed with a fork, then brushed the top with egg white.  I baked them at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes (or when the crust turned golden brown.)

fill and crimp pies

centsational girl cherry almond pie up close

 

Flaky crust + fruit filling = heavenly mini cherry almond pies!

centsational girl pie and bowl of cherries

 

Served with tea, they make a perfect afternoon treat. 

centsational girl mini cherry pie on plate

 

Vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream might make them even better. 

tea with pie

 

centsational girl pie and tea

They didn’t last very long in our house, and they were divine!   

  

Download 8 ½ x 11 printable recipe here

Click on second link for ‘Mini Cherry Almond Pies’. 

 

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34 comments

  1. Oh goodness gracious, these look heavenly. I have a thing for cherries, and almond, and perfect pie crusts…love your pie crust comparison in the previous post~I bookmarked it and if I’m feeling ambitious this summer, by goly I’m making me a pie!! :)

  2. those look so good. cherries were on sale at the market this week, and i bought a large bag. not sure if i’m ambitious enough to make homemade pie crust, though! might have to cheat with some *gasp* store bought crust. ;)

  3. I love cherries! These look yummy galore!
    My ex-m.i.l. used to make cherry pies too; only she left the pits in. Can you imagine my shock at almost losing a tooth the first time I ever had a piece of cherry pie, at their home. Awwww the healing balm of divorce.

  4. Thanks for the recipe, I will be trying this.

    Your photography is top notch…the most beautiful I have seen on a blog.

  5. Looks yummy! With the cherries selling for 99c a pound, I will have to give this a shot. Thanks for sharing!

  6. Did you hear my stomach growling? Those look perfect, from the color and flakyness of the crust to the juicy oozing of the cherries to the size!

  7. Where are your plates from? the one with the beautiful border with the final pie on it and the cherries. Beautiful!

  8. Hey Nicole, those plates were found at Marshalls for $2.50 each, I LOVE them.
    xo
    Kate

  9. Ooh yum. I’m not much of a cherry fan, but berries would be awesome! I love pies!
    xoxo
    Lila Ferraro

  10. I made these today after seeing your post. Fantastic!! And I was able to use a 2.5 inch cookie cutter for the tops and it fit perfectly! Thank you so much for all your posts. You are genuinely someone I look up to for a lot of DIY. :)

  11. Yum. It is too early for cherries here but if I can work up the courage to try making pie crust myself I am going to try these. I love cherries!!!

  12. Thank you so much for the inspiration! With my pie cherries about ready to pick, I needed to get rid of my last bag of frozen ones. My college-age son and a couple of his friends came over to eat last night and I made them these individual pies (used the large muffin tin – better size for hungry boys). They were AWESOME! I have been so intimidated about making my own crust but no more. Paula’s pie crust is so delicious! I love your site. Look at it everyday . . . thank you!

  13. ok, I think I will be making these tomorrow. First think in the morning I’m going to have to go to the store to get all the fixings. Thanks!

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