Peach Pie in a Jar

Peach Pie in a Jar! YU-UM!
There is this really great arts n’ crafts joint called the workshop, just one block from where I live in the NOPA area of San Francisco. There you can learn how to sew, create art, and perform all things trendy and crafty. They even have a Metal jazzercise class where you do muscle curls with cans of Pap’s blue ribbon as your weights! Fun! So I’m walking around the corner and take a quick peek at the up and coming class schedule and notice that there is one on how to make pie in a jar. “Pie in a jar” Really? That same week I came across actual pies in jars for sale at the local Mission Indie Mart. They were so adorable and looked so yummy I decided to try and recreate them on my own. Last year I made canned jams and jellies for Christmas gifts, so I was feeling pretty brave in the baking and canning department.

Here is how I did it, using ½ pint jars to make 10 individual pies.

The Crust: I made generic pie dough (like you would for any recipe asking for crust) using:
2 ½ C of Flour
1 Tsp salt

2/3 C butter flavored Crisco

1/4 C cold water 

In a med size bowl I mixed all of the dry ingredients and added the shortening in chunks (small spoon-full’s at a time). After blending a bit, I added the cold water little by little and used my hands to start molding and mixing everything together. You may need more H20 if the dough seems a bit dry, but don’t let it get too wet or else you will need more dry ingredients.I wrapped the dough in plastic and put to the side until I was ready for it (you can also place in the fridge for later use).

The Filling:

5 1/2 C organic peaches from the local farmer’s market) peeled, seeded, and chopped.

2/3 C white sugar (you can use more or less depending on the sweetness of the fruit).
3 Tsp Flour (once again use more or less depending on fruit (something dry like apples may not need much or it may call for a squeeze of lemon to wet things up a bit).

3 Tsp cinnamon (maybe more, I love the smell of this stuff while it’s baking!)

In the same sized bowl I mixed all of these ingredients until the peaches were caramelized and shiny and delicious.

I then rolled out the dough with some flour and used the jar lids (using ½ pint jars) as cutters for the bottom layer crust. I then took strips of dough and pressed then into the inner walls of the jars. (I will have to admit, this part (and peeling fruit) was the most tedious). Get your boyfriend involved if he’s hanging around to help out, that’s what I did, put his ass to work!

Fill up the jars with the fruit and top off with a crumb topping. In a small bowl mix these ingredients: 

Topping:

½ C brown sugar
½ C flour2 Tsp. oats
½ Tsp. cinnamon
Dot the top of each pie with a few tsp. of butter.

Bake um! Place the mini pies on a baking sheet and pop in the oven. But DO take off the lids. Bake for about 45 min to an hour in a 375 deg oven. The filling should be bubbling and the tops nice and brown, and your apt should smell sweet. 

The nice thing about this recipe is that if you wanted to freeze the pie jars for another time (before baking them) you can, and when you have the craving for something sweet, just pop in the oven! Also I have found that after I bake’um, I can place the lid back on (careful they are hot) and transport them to a party, picnic, the office or wherever. The heat concealed in the glass jars keeps them warm for about 45 min, so by the time you and your friends are ready to eat you won’t need a microwave or oven near by. Awesome right?

As for me and my little helper (aka boyfriend), we had to have ours right away. I topped off mine with cool whip, his with honey flavored Greek yogurt, and they were perfect.
Perfect gifts, great idea, and you can also create cute packaging for a bake sale or just to impress the hell out of your friends and family, because I find that life is really fun when you focus on the aesthetics and presentation. It just makes eating pie that much more special. Enjoy.