Cherry Pies in a Jar

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  These little pies in a jar were also one of my favorites from the shower (tied with the Blackberry Pie "Cookies"!).  I tied them up with a burlap ribbon and sent them home with guests.  I saved one for myself, of course, and they were just as tasty as eating a fresh slice of cherry pie but with the convenience of a single serving jar.

Our Best Bites provides a great detailed tutorial (with pictures and all) -- you can do so much with these, whether its incorporating different fruits, using a crumb topping or taking the time to make the perfect lattice crust.  

Due to time constraints and a kitchen FLOP (my homemade filling never thickened), I used cherry pie filling from a can (GASP!) and simply cut little heart-shaped dough for the top of the pies.  I also purchased the ball jars at Meijer but most craft stores sell them.  Feel free to contact me with any questions and enjoy :)

Cherry Pies in a Jar
Yields:  12 pies in a jar

Ingredients
12 half-pint ball jars
4 cups cherry pie filling (homemade or canned)
Prepared pie dough (enough for 2 full pies)

Directions
Prepare pie dough as directed.  I used my favorite all butter crust but you could opt for store bought if you prefer!

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

First prepare pie crust "toppers".  I chose a small heart-shaped cookie cutter.  Roll out a small amount of dough on floured surface and cut out enough toppers for your jars.

Next, using remaining pie dough, begin lining the jars using the dough (no need to grease the jars!).  There is no need to roll out the dough -- just take little pieces and press them in.  Make sure it’s pressed all the way up to the top of the jar, or pretty close to it.

Once the jars are lined, flash bake crust at 350 F for 7 minutes.

Remove from oven and fill crust with cherry pie filling (1/3 - 1/2 cup per jar) and top with crust.  

Turn up oven to 425 F and bake for 15 minutes.  Turn back down to 350 F and bake for 20 minutes longer.

Once pies are cool, seal jar and wrap or decorate for guests!

Source:  
Pie in a jar tutorial - Our Best Bites