Tiny Pies

Sending kids off to school with something great in their lunchbox or bag challenges many parents.  I was surprised to learn these ultra-cute ready-to-bake pies in tiny canning jars started with a mom and grandmother’s solution to a school lunch dilemma.  When Amanda’s sons wanted pie in their lunchboxes, she and her mom, Kit, put their pie-making skills to work in a small way.  Using old family recipes and local market ingredients whenever possible, the Austin Texas duo turned a lunchtime dessert upgrade into a thriving business.

We selected a Texas Sweet Pecan Tiny Pie to taste.  The preparation was ridiculously easy.  Unscrew the cap from the jar, place the jar on a baking sheet in a 350° oven for 40 minutes, cool slightly, then indulge.  Indulgent it was, too.  The crust was flaky and delicious.  The filling would rival that of any traditional southern pecan pie, with a generous measure of nuts.  We ooh’d and aah’d through every amazing bite.  Amanda’s kiddos just had to be the envy of the entire lunchroom at school!

Fresh out of the oven!

Tiny Pies come in several sizes and many flavors.  Teeny tiny two-bite pies would be beautiful on a dessert buffet.  Tiny hand-held pies would be great for individual desserts (or lunchboxes).  I could fill my freezer with 3″ Mason Jar Tiny Pies!  Kit and Amanda also make darling pie pops on a stick, and just reading about the Fredericksburg Peach flavored pop is making my mouth water.  Tiny Pies flavors change with the seasons, but the website today shows apple, blueberry, cherry, strawberry rhubarb, and chocolate brownie sweet pies that can be ordered directly from the company.  Two savory tiny pies sound super-yummy:  spinach ricotta and potato leek.    Customized tiny pies are available with your choice of crust and filling flavors.  Pie-lovers lucky enough to live within driving distance of Austin can buy tiny cream pies in chocolate, lemon, key lime, and coconut, but these are too delicate to ship.  And for those too hungry for tiny pies, Amanda and Kit make Not So Tiny Pies with a choice of plain, chocolate or cheddar crusts and many sweet or savory filling flavors.

The canning jar presentation is a really creative twist for a convenient individual serving of delicious pie.  We agreed that eating pie from a jar was fun, even for grown-ups!