Winter is a rough season for a pie enthusiast. Sure, you can eat pie anytime, but eating pie with in-season ingredients is next level. Here in Ohio, you will find me impatiently watching the calendar as winter winds down, searching for any signs that the rhubarb is almost here.
To tide me over, my local indoor farmer’s market has a vendor that sells frozen local fruit. I was able to get my hands on some frozen blueberries just as I was dreaming up some spring pie flavors. The return of the sun had me craving something lemony and bright, so with blueberries in hand, I set out to make a pie that could bridge me to rhubarb season.
These blueberry lemon mini-pies are the result and they are the perfect early spring treat. The filling is very lemon-forward and it is buddied up with a hint of freshly ground cardamom. The pies are finished with a sharp lemon drizzle which gives them the extra lemon pop that I was looking for. Don’t be scared of all the steps with these – it’s not as bad as it seems and these are worth the work! While you can make these in one day, I highly encourage you to do some steps ahead of time.
There are four main steps to this recipe and you can plan them out however you want.
- Making the all butter dough (my recipe here)
- Rolling the dough and cutting the circles
- Making the filling
- Assembling the pies
Things you can do ahead of time:
- Make the dough and refrigerate or freeze the discs (3 days in fridge, 3 months in freezer)
- Make the dough, roll out and cut the circles. The circles can be covered in parchment or plastic wrap and placed in a freezer bag. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze to use later.
- Make the filling and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze the assembled, unbaked pies for use at a later date (up to 3 months)
Blueberry Lemon Bites
Ingredients
- 1 recipe double all-butter crust Follow directions on recipe of choice or use my All Butter Handpie Dough (link above)
Filling
- 2-1/2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries (approx. 360g)
- 1 large granny smith apple (peeled and grated)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon (save lemon for juice)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp cardamom (freshly ground cardamom is worth it)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 egg (for egg wash at the end)
Lemon drizzle
- 1/2 – 1 cup powdered sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon (Add juice until the right consistency)
Instructions
Cutting the Circles
- Roll pie dough as you would for a regular pie, about ¼ inch thick. Because you are going to cut circles out of it, you do not need to worry about the shape of the dough when rolling it.
- Using a 2.5 inch round cutter or glass, cut as many circles as possible out of each round of dough. You might have to gather scraps and re-roll a couple of times. Each round should be able to get 15-18 circles. For some reason, I always get 17.
- Place the cut circles on a plate or baking sheet, cover well and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use (or put in a freezer bag if waiting a few days or freezing).
Filling
- Place blueberries in a bowl (no need to thaw if frozen).
- Peel and grate granny smith apple on a large box grater. Using paper towel, squeeze out liquid and add to the blueberries.
- Place ¼ cup sugar in a small bowl and add the zest of one lemon. Using your fingers, rub lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant. Add to the blueberry and apple mixture.
- In a small bowl or ramekin, combine cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of sugar and cardamom. Set aside.
- Place filling into a deep nonstick skillet, dutch oven or medium pan and cook over medium-low heat. Stir gently with a rubber spatula.
- Once some juice has accumulated, pour some juice into the cornstarch mixture and stir it to make a smooth slurry. This can be an annoying step because I inevitably make a mess, so you can also just add a little water to make the slurry. I like to use the juice but don’t stress over it.
- Once the mixture has cooked through, turn heat up to medium-high and add the cornstarch slurry. The higher heat will help the cornstarch thicken. Stir until the mixture is thick and you can leave streaks at the bottom with the spatula.
- Remove from heat and add the juice of one lemon.
- Place in a bowl and let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate.
Assembly
- Place a scant tablespoon of filling in the center of a dough circle. You can experiment with how much filling if you are willing for a few to be messy!
- Cover gently with another dough circle, pressing the edges together. Using a fork, seal the edges.
- Using a small knife, pierce the middle to let steam out when they cook.
- Place completed pies on a baking sheet, cover lightly and return to the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes or until ready to bake. If you are freezing them, freeze them covered with plastic wrap on a baking sheet in the freezer first, then transfer them into a freezer bag. I like to line the freezer bag with parchment or wax paper to give them an extra layer of protection.
Baking
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Prepare egg wash and lightly brush pies with the mixture.
- Very lightly sprinkle tops with sugar (you will put icing in these later … just gives them a nice crunch.).
- Place on middle rack of oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Lemon Drizzle
- When pies are completely cool, prepare lemon drizzle.
- Start with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a bowl.
- Add fresh lemon juice until consistency is smooth and has some body. You want to avoid it being too thin. I just keep adding powdered sugar and lemon until it looks right.
- Drizzle pies with a spoon or cut the corner of a small plastic bag (tiny cut). Let the lemon drizzle dry before stacking or storing.
