If you love cherries, you will love these mini cherry pies. They are secretly made gluten free, paleo and easily vegan. With fresh whole cherries simmered in maple syrup and lemon and baked in a grain free pastry crust, these little pies are baked in a muffin tin making them so easy to make and enjoy!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE MINI CHERRY PIES
1. Because, mini. They're just too cute and perfect for parties or events.
2. They're made gluten free, paleo and can easily be vegan -- but no one will know!
3. The juicy cherry filling keep these mini pies moist even after refrigerated.
4. Easy to make, even if making pies isn't your thing.
5. They're SO delicious, these little pies taste like summer!
INGREDIENTS IN GLUTEN FREE CHERRY PIES
Fresh or Frozen Cherries
Maple Syrup
Fresh Lemon Juice and Zest
Vanilla Extract
Tapioca Starch
Sea Salt
Almond Flour
Egg or Flax/Chia Egg
Dairy Free Butter Stick
Coconut Sugar
SUBSTITUTIONS AND SWAPS
1. Cherries can be replaced with any fruit! I suggest blueberry or raspberry for a low FODMAP option.
2. Maple syrup can be replaced for honey.
3. Fresh lemon juice and zest can be replaced with fresh orange juice and zest.
4. Tapioca starch in the cherry filling can be replaced for corn starch or arrowroot starch Tapioca starch in the dough can be replaced for arrowroot starch only.
5. Almond flour cannot be replaced but a nut free dough is noted below in the FAQ section.
6. Egg in the dough can be replaced with a flax egg or chia egg.
7. Dairy free butter stick can be replaced for real butter, or ghee. I don't suggest coconut oil here.
8. Coconut sugar can be replaced with any granulated sweetener.
HOW TO MAKE MINI GLUTEN FREE CHERRY PIES
See recipe card below for full recipe and ingredients
1. Make the cherry filling by simmering together all ingredients in a saucepan on the stovetop until thickened.
2. While the filling is cooling, make the pie crust dough. Combine all dough ingredients into a bowl and mix until a dough forms. Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes.
3. Remove dough from fridge and roll out to 1/8" thick. Cut 8 circles from dough and place inside a muffin tin, covering the bottom and up the sides making the crust.
4. Add filling to the crust shells. Cut small thin strips from remaining dough, placing two strips horizontally and two strips vertically over the filling. Add another strip of dough around the edge creating the circle crust edge.
5. Option to brush with an egg wash or olive oil and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15-17 minutes until tops and edges brown. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before popping out of the pan. Enjoy!
Customize gluten free mini pies by changing up the fruits! You can replace the cherries with:
Blueberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Peaches
Plums
FAQs
What type of cherries to use?
We want to use dark sweet cherries in these pies, or Rainier cherries, rather than the typical sour cherries used in pies. This is because we aren't using white sugar in the filling, so we want the filling as sweet as possible without a lot of added sweetener.
Can I make mini gluten free cherry pies vegan?
Yes! Use dairy free butter sticks (I love Miyoko's) and replace the egg with either a flax egg or chia egg (1 Tbsp ground flax plus 3 Tbsp warm water)
Are mini cherry pies also paleo?
Yes! These gluten free mini cherry pies are also paleo-compliant if using dairy free butter that is paleo-friendly. I like Miyoko's.
Can I make this as a single large cherry pie?
Yes, this can be made as a single pie. You'd want to double the dough recipe to have enough for the top crust. Keep in mind this is more of a pastry crust vs a pie crust.
You can use the paleo crust as noted in the recipe, or to make more a traditional gluten free pie crust, or a nut free pie crust, use these ingredients:
2 cups gluten free 1:1 flour
3/4 cup dairy free unsalted butter sticks, cold
2 Tbsp tapioca starch
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
4-8 Tbsp cold water (start with 1 and add until dough forms)
Proceed with recipe the same, but bake for 30-35 minutes instead or until top crust browns.
Can I use other fruits?
Yes! You can use any berry to make these pies low FODMAP, or if you prefer a different fruit. Keep in mind the pies are small, so if using peaches or larger fruits, make sure to dice up in smaller pieces.
Notes:
Dough: Make sure to roll the dough thin, so there's a thin layer in the shell, but there are no holes in the dough otherwise the filling will leak once baked. 1/8" thickness is preferred. We don't want soggy bottoms! These only bake for 15-17 minutes.
Cherries: Fresh or frozen cherries both work. I think using Rainier cherries or Dark Sweet is the best here, since we don't use a lot of sweetener in the filling! Sour cherries wouldn't give us a sweet pie.
Nut Free: See recipe above for pie crust that doesn't use nuts! It's not paleo, but it is gluten free and vegan.
Dairy Free Butter: I love to use Miyoko's unsalted butter, it gives the pie crust a perfect texture! I think Flora butter will also work well, or for nut free Earth Balance unsalted butter sticks.
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