CHERRY ROSE MINI PIES

These cherry rose mini pies are made with rose tea and oh wow! They add such a delicate touch. Adding rose tea is an easy extra step to use with any cherry pie recipe. Now I don’t think I can ever eat another pie without it.

With Valentine’s Day coming up I’ve been playing around with rose petals a lot. I love roses and I think it’s no wonder that they’re synonymous with love, desire and beauty. They are all those things combined. They’re pretty wonderful and I love paying homage to them during February.

For the pie crust, I used a muffin tin to get 12 individual mini pie shapes. My theory is that people enjoy mini pies much more than a traditional slice of pie. You know when you’re dishes out pie slices to people always say “not too big” or you hand them a slice of pie and they say “oh, that’s too much!” Well, when you give them a mini pie or hand pie, they don’t say that. In fact, they usually eat another one. And maybe another one after that. Give it a try. Everyone love mini pies!

CHERRY ROSE MINI PIE RECIPE

Makes 12 mini pies

Pie Crust

• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup of ice water, as needed

Cherry Filling Ingredients

• 12 ounce cherries (I used frozen)
• 3/4 cup of steeped rose tea
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions

1. Combine the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
2. Cut up the butter into little pieces, about the size of a pea (or use a food processor).
3. Combine the butter with the dry ingredients and add the ice water 1 teaspoon at a time. Don’t add too much water. Use just enough for the ingredients to combine into a ball without crumbling.
4. Cut the ball in half and form two new (smaller) balls. Cover in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour before use.
5. While the dough is resting in the refrigerator, steep rose petals or rose tea and set aside.
6. In a medium saucepan, combine the dry ingredients then add the rose tea then the cherries. Mix well.
7. Cook on low heat until the cherry filling begins to simmer then thicken. Mix occasionally. This will take some time, be patient and don’t be tempted to turn the heat up as this will cause it to burn.
8. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
9. Roll the dough into discs about 1/8″ thick.
10. Section off 12 squares and use muffin tins to hold each dough square.
11. Mold the dough into each cup then cut off any excess on top.
12. Scoop in about 2 tablespoons of cherry filling into each cup of the tin.
13. Roll out the second ball of dough for the top crust of each pie. I cut mine into heart shapes. (Optional)
14. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
15. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
16. Enjoy!