Jar Pies - filling

Method

• What is your favorie pie? With some butter and your favorite pie recipe... You can turn it into a jar pie!
• Below is my Apple Cranberry Crumb Recipe (you can mix and match fillings based on what you have or what your preference is).
• Get ready for assembly. Butter jars. Line jars with your pie dough, pressing firmly up the sides.
• Peel, core and slice apples, cut into bite sized pieces to easily fit into the jars.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk together. Add in apple chunks and toss well. Add in the Craisins. Add mixture to your pie dough lined jars, allowing enough room for topping and lids to get screwed on.
• For topping: Combine flour, brown sugar and butter and using a pastry blender, fork or your fingertips work until coarse crumbs appear (as an option you may also add in old fashioned oats...if you do, add in 3/4 cup of oats and then halve the listed amounts of flour, sugar and butter).
• Top mini pies with topping, screw on lids and freeze until ready to use or give as gifts. OR cook immediatley.
• These are great this time of year, when it's cold outside and you just want a warm sweet treat. When company is popping by for the holidays and you want something quick and easy to offer, just pluck a handful of these that you have tucked away in your freezer and bake up some warm goodness! Maybe you want a little something to gift to someone... Jar Pies fill the need!
• These happened to be Apple Cranberry Crumb... but make them your own. And BONUS!! These babies are like those 100 calorie snacks - they are small and do the trick and I am sure MUCH less calories than a big old hunk of pie...that is if you only eat one!!!
• Just make sure to butter your jars well, then press pie crust into your jars, covering the whole jar. Add your filling and topping or top pie crust (be sure to cut a vent if you are going to do a dough top instead of my topping). One double pie crust recipe (homemade or purchased) yields 6-10 pies... The amount of pie dough you will need depends what you are topping your pies with (crumb topping versus crust topping).
• Once you have the pies assembled, screw on your lids and freeze your pies, pull a few out when the mood strikes.
• When ready to use, take off the lids and rings, let them sit on a baking sheet for 20 minutes to come to room temperature a bit, preheat your oven and bake your pie at 375F for 35-45 minutes or until done. The true time would depend on the type of pie you are baking.
• Be sure to cut your apples, peaches, or fruit of your choice smaller than you normally would for a traditional pie.
• My kids had a blast making these this year. As a matter of fact in the above photo the pies were made by my youngest as her contribution to the Thanksgiving dessert table.
• Have fun with these!!