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Blueberry-Cream Cheese Mini Pies

Source of Recipe

From "Back Around the Table" by David Venable


Recipe Introduction

"During the last few years, cupcakes and other mini desserts have become more and more popular. These two- or three-bite pasties filled with purple blueberries and sweet cream cheese are a cross between cupcakes and mini pies. They're perfect for brunch, bake sales, or an office birthday party. For a lunchtime surprise, wrap up a mini pie and put it in your kid's lunch box."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ Vegetable oil spray

Crust:
â—¦ 3 cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 4 ½ tablespoons sugar
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon table salt
â—¦ 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter-flavored shortening, chilled
â—¦ ½ cup ice water
â—¦ 1 large egg
â—¦ 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Filling:
â—¦ â…” cup plus 1 â…“ cups fresh blueberries, plus more for garnish
â—¦ 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
â—¦ ¾ cup confectioners' sugar
â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
â—¦ Whipped cream



Recipe

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Lightly spray a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable oil spray.

To make the crust:
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the shortening, and, using a fork, blend until the mixture is like coarse meal. Using the fork, stir in the ice water and mix until the dough comes together. Using your hands, gather the dough into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. Make an egg wash by beating together the egg and cream.

Divide the dough into 12 parts. On a floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough to a 4-inch round and press it into a muffin cup. Cover the remaining dough with a towel so it doesn't dry out. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Place the dough cutouts in the prepared muffin cups and press the cutouts up the sides. With a knife, trim any excess dough from the edges. Prick the dough lightly with a fork.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Lightly brush the dough cups with the egg wash. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, until lightly brown. Let the dough cups cool in the muffin tin on a wire rack. Reduce the oven heat to 350° F.

To make the filling, put â…” cup of the blueberries in a bowl and mash them with a fork. Put the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Reduce the speed and add the eggs, one at a time, making sure that each egg is mixed well into the cream cheese mixture before adding the next one. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the mashed blueberries and the remaining 1 â…“ cups whole blueberries. Fill each baked shell to the top with the blueberry-cream cheese mixture, about ¼ cup. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top of the filling has set. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Garnish each mini pie with a dollop of whipped cream and a fresh blueberry.

Makes 12