Blueberry Pie Cookies

blueberry pie cookie

Did you ever eat something so delicious that you make an excuse to eat it again? That’s what kind of happened with these pie cookies.

Blueberry Pie Pops 2

You see, I made these adorable pie pops for Pi Day and they rocked my socks. The only problem was they were too small. One bite and you were done.  I can satisfy myself with eating only one slice of pie because frankly, it is a whole slice of pie.  But pie pops? I sat there taste testing them one at a time, and before I knew it there was an embarrassing pile of lollipop sticks.

steps

So if figured, what’s bigger than a pie pop? From that thought, these blueberry pie cookies were born. Still small enough to be adorable but they are at least 2 bites worth, which makes them last a little longer. Unfortunately, this did not solve the eating-more-than-one dilemma because I found out that:

 Bigger dough = more filling = more delicious.

Blueberry Pie Cookies 3

I realized that the cookies don’t look very small in the photo, so here is the milk glass with my cat, Bear, for a size reference. Yes. He is adorable.

Bear with Milk

Blueberry Pie Cookies

For the Pie Dough:

Ingredients
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
8 oz. unsalted butter, very cold cut into 1 tbsp pieces
1/2 c. very cold water

Instructions:

  1. In a bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt together a few times to mix thoroughly.
  2. Add the butter into the food processor and pulse until butter becomes the size of peas (or smaller).
  3. Add the cold water and pulse until dough starts to come together.
  4. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
  5. While the dough is chilling, make the blueberry filling.

For the Blueberry Filling:

Ingredients:
1 ½ c. of blueberries*, divided
¼ c. sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. water
1 tsp. lemon juice

Instructions:

  1. In a small pot, combine 1 cup of blueberries with ¼ cup of sugar.
  2. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until all the berries burst and sugar is completely melted; about 5 minutes. The mixture should look very liquid.
  3. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until it becomes a slurry.
  4. Add to the blueberry mixture and cook until it becomes thick. It will become almost paste-like.
  5. Transfer blueberry mix to a bowl and rest of the blueberries and lemon juice.
  6. Add more lemon juice if needed.

 Assembly:

If the dough starts to become sticky or warm at any point, place into the freezer to firm up for 3-5 minutes before working on it again.  This is very important, since the cold butter is what gives you the flaky layers.

Ingredients:

1 Egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Sanding sugar or raw sugar (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Take out half of the prepared pie dough and roll out until ¼- ⅛ inch thick on a floured surface.
  4. Cut out pie rounds with a 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter**.
  5. Reserve half of the pie rounds and cut the rest into 4 strips with a fluted pastry wheel or a pizza cutter (a knife will do too).
  6. Place a teaspoon of blueberry filling in the center of the reserved pie rounds and place strips of cut pie dough on top. (As shown in above photo.)
  7. Crimp edges with a fork to seal the two pieces of dough together. (As shown in above photo.)
  8. Fold the crimped edges together to form a seal for the pie filling. (As shown in above photo.)
  9. Brush with egg wash with a pastry brush and sprinkle sanding / raw sugar. (As shown in above photo.)
  10. Place into the freezer for 5 minutes to chill before baking.
  11. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
  12. While the first batch is chilling and baking, start working on the second batch with the other half of your prepared pastry dough.
  13. Cool for 5-10 minutes before consuming.

* I used frozen wild Maine blueberries.  They are a lot smaller than your average supermarket blueberries which make them ideal for this filling.  If you can find them, use them instead of regular blueberries. They also taste more blueberry-y than regular blueberries (if that makes sense).

** If you cannot find a 2 ½ round cookie cutter or you do not own one, feel free to use a cut out can as your cookie cutter. It works similarly, except you might not get as clean of an edge when you cut out your dough.

Bunny Cake Pops

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When I came across a package of edible grass at Target, a passage from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl was the first thing that came into my mind:

“The grass you’re standing on, my dear little ones, is made of a new kind of soft, minty sugar that I’ve just invented! I call it swudge! Try a blade! Please do! It’s delectable!

Automatically, everybody bent down and picked one blade of grass – everybody, that is, except Augustus Gloop, who took a big handful.”

Filled with nostalgia from my childhood obsession with the wonderful world of Willy Wonka, I immediately grabbed two bags and tossed it into my basket.  From there, it promptly sat on my counter waiting to be used for something scrumdiddlyumptious.

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This is what I have for you. It’s perfect for Easter*, spring and bunny themed parties. I hope you give it a try and wait for the squeals of “It’s so cute!” to follow you for the rest of the day.

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Bunny Cake Pops

You will need:

1 Batch of Cake (whatever flavor you prefer, you may use 1 box cake mix if pressed for time)
1 Batch of Frosting (whatever flavor you prefer, you can use 1 can frosting if pressed for time)
1 Bag of White Candy Melts
Mini Marshmallows
Edible Grass
Heart Shaped Sprinkles
Black Edible Sugar Pearls
Light Pink Sanding Sugar
Lollipop sticks or Striped Party Paper Straws

Instructions:

1.  Crumble up cooled cake until you have very fine cake crumbs.

2.   Add half of the frosting to the cake and mix until it is evenly distributed.  If you can mold the cake into a firm stable ball at this point, stop.  If not, add the rest of the frosting ¼ at a time until you are able to shape it.

3.  Scoop tablespoon sized balls of the cake mixture and shape into an oval (approximately the size and shape of a piece of sushi rice ball).

4.  Chill cake balls in the freezer until firm (this could take anywhere from 15-30 minutes)**

5.  While the cake is chilling:

a. Cut the mini marshmallows vertically, and dip into sanding sugar for the ears.

b. Cut more mini marshmallows horizontally for the tails.

c. Cut edible grass into desired size.

d. Melt the chocolate wafers in the microwave until completely smooth.

6.  Remove the cake balls from the freezer and dip your stick (or straw) into a little chocolate and insert it into the top middle of the cake ball. Place back into the freezer for 5-10 mins until the chocolate has set.

7.  Line a sheet with parchment paper and place tufts of edible grass where your coated cake ball will land.

8.  Once the chocolate has set, take the stick and submerge the cake ball into the melted chocolate and gently tap the excess chocolate off.  Place on the edible grass.

9. Quickly, before the chocolate sets, place the tail on one end and the ears on the opposite end.  Place two black pearls for the eyes and a heart shaped sprinkle for the nose.  You can use a (clean) tweezer to facilitate the placement of the eyes and nose.

10. Let the chocolate set at room temp, or if you’re in a hurry you can place it in the freezer to set it.


*I am aware that bunnies have nothing to do with the meaning of Easter.
**Be careful when chilling the cake balls.  If the cake balls are too cold, it will crack your chocolate when it comes to room temperature.