Description
These Mini Heart Pies are delicate, flaky pastries filled with sweet blueberry jam, perfect for a charming dessert or a special treat. Made with a buttery, tender pie crust and topped with a sprinkle of coarse sugar, they bake to a golden brown finish that will impress family and friends.
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- ½ cup Crisco shortening, cold and cubed
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup ice cold water (approx.)
For the Filling and Topping
- ½ cup blueberry jam (or homemade simple compote)
- ¼ cup milk (for brushing the tops)
- ¼ cup coarse sugar (for sprinkling on top)
Instructions
- Make the pastry dough: In a food processor, combine the flour and salt and pulse briefly to mix.
- Add fats: Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until small crumbs form. Then add the shortening and pulse again until the mixture looks like small pea-sized crumbs.
- Add water: With the processor running, slowly add the ice cold water just until the dough forms a ball—be careful not to overprocess it.
- Chill the dough: Divide the dough into two halves and flatten each into discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes to chill and firm up.
- Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll out dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Cut shapes: Use a large heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out approximately 16 hearts. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Add filling: Spoon blueberry jam into the center of every other heart, leaving an edge all around to seal later. Avoid overfilling to prevent leakage.
- Seal pies: Place the plain hearts on top of the jam-filled ones. Press the edges together firmly using a fork to seal completely around the hearts.
- Brush and sprinkle: Brush the tops of the pies with milk, then sprinkle with coarse sugar for a crunchy, sweet finish.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the pies are golden brown and cooked through.
- Cool: Allow the mini heart pies to cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack or serving.
Notes
- Use very cold butter and shortening to achieve a flaky pastry texture.
- Don’t overfill the pies to prevent jam from leaking during baking.
- Chilling the dough before rolling helps maintain structure and makes it easier to handle.
- The coarse sugar on top gives the pies a lovely crunch and sparkle.
- For a different flavor, swap the blueberry jam with raspberry or strawberry jam.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
