Dainty summer fruit pies served cold for a summer afternoon tea or warm with a hot brew in the winter months, these mince pie-sized treats are super cute and fun to make.
Makes 12
Ingredients:
- 300g (2 1⁄2 cups) plain flour
- 30g (2 1⁄2 tbsp) granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1⁄2 tsp salt
- 250g (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
- 8 tbsp ice-cold water
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk
Filling
- 150g (5 1⁄2oz) frozen mixed summer fruits
- 60g (5 tbsp) caster sugar
- 1⁄2 tsp ground sweet cinnamon
- 2 heaped tbsp cornflour
Special Equipment
- Food processor (optional)
- 10cm (4in) cookie cutter
- 12-hole cupcake tin, greased with cake release spray
- Lattice pastry cutter
- Pastry brush
Method:
- If making the dough by hand, add the dry ingredients to a bowl. Grate in the butter (or add as small cubes) and use your hands to coat the butter with the dry mixture. Sift and rub the butter through your fingers until crumbs form. Add the water and mix with a spoon until a dough forms. If using a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt together. Cut the butter into cubes, add to the flour, then pulse until breadcrumbs form. Add the water and mix until a dough forms.
- Remove the dough and pat down with some flour if too sticky. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1–2 hours, or longer if possible.
- Roll out the pastry until 2–3mm (1⁄16–1⁄8in) thick and stamp out 12 circles with the cookie cutter. From the centre, slice a line to the edge of each circle. Press a pastry circle into each cupcake hole using the cut to help curve around the hole, then press the cut edges together to seal. Chill the tin and the remaining pastry.
- To prepare the filling, weigh out most of the mixed frozen fruit (save some large pieces of fruit), place into a saucepan and combine with the sugar, cinnamon and a splash of water. As the fruit softens, cut any large fruit in half. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the cornflour and mix until coated. Leave to cool.
- Spoon equal amounts of the cooled fruit into the cupcake cases, and then add the larger frozen pieces. This will enable the pies to be filled but stop the filling bubbling up out of them.
- Roll out the remaining pastry to 2–3mm (1⁄16–1⁄8in) thick and use the lattice cutter to create the perfect pastry pattern – or cut strips of pastry using a sharp knife and weave them over each pie in an under and over formation, pressing the edges together to seal. Chill again for a further 30 minutes – the pastry needs to be cold before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6). Whisk the egg and milk together. Brush over the lids and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 25 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden. Leave in the tin until slightly cooled. Serve with any leftover fruit, cream, ice cream or custard!
Mini Summer Fruit Pies from the Finch Bakery Cookbook
