Bite Of Minnesota: Mini Cherry Pies

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Miniature is cute. It works for most things: Babies, puppies and even mini food can cause the standard Minnesota exclamation, "Oh, for cute!" That's why I couldn't resist making mini cherry pies over the weekend. They are portable, right-sized and super easy to make with most fruits.

Since I bought four pounds of cherries during a recent sale, I knew pie had to be made with at least one of those pounds. Not wanting a traditional pie (because, let's be honest, I'd eat more than one slice), I pulled out my muffin tins and cherry pitter and got to work. I didn't really use a recipe or measure any ingredients, but I've put the general directions together for you below.

Mini Cherry Pies

(makes approximately 6 1-cup pies)

1 pie crust (homemade or store-bought)
1 lb. cherries, pitted
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup rolled oats

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine cherries and sugar. Heat over medium until bubbly, reduce heat to low and add cornstarch. Stir until dissolved and cook until thickened, approximately 10 minutes.

Using a fork or a potato masher, mash cherries to break up the big pieces. Cherry pieces do not need to be uniform. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie dough and cut into circles to fit bottom of muffin tins. I used the top of a sour cream container to help measure the circles. Press into muffin tins and fill ¾ with cherry mixture.

In a small bowl, combine softened butter, sugar and oats. Sprinkle over cherry mixture in muffin tins. Bake in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and filling is bubbly. Let cool before serving.