Tribe & Table

Nothing inspires a flurry of baking like the prospect of a sugar hiatus.  The thought of living without sugar makes life seem, well, not as sweet. 

Hi my name is Jennifer and I am sugar addict.  With my sugar sobriety fast approaching, I decided to go out with a bang;  I went on an all out, sugar infused baking bender–one final hurrah before my self-imposed temperance.  And of course, Valentines Day is just around the corner, so baking up some sweet stuff is a must don’t you think?  Ahhh, excuses, excuses…

Thank you Pinterest, my muse, for providing sugar porn aplenty.  Tiny pies, why yes, pie on a stick, but of course–bender worthy indeed!

I ended up making both “Pie Pops” and something my husband named Pop Hearts, a larger version of the pie pop, but without the stick.  Very Pop Tart like, but evermore delicious and without the dairy, egg, and ewww gelatin.

Start by preparing your pie dough.  I used the Buttery Double Crust recipe from Vegan Pie in the Sky.  I used one disc of dough for the Pie Pops and the other for the Pop Hearts.  Also roll out your dough thinner than you would for a traditional pie crust–much thinner.  I made mine a tad too thick, but they were wonderful despite this oversight.

Roll out your dough on a floured surface and watch out for wiggly baby toes if you happen to be babywearing while rolling out your pie dough.

A small,  2 inch cookie cutter works best for the pie pops, any larger and your pies will not stay on the sticks.  I used a larger size (the red one) for the Pop Hearts.

Lightly dust your cookie cutters.

I was able to get about 8 pops from one circle of dough.  Okay, make that 7 number eight was the ugly duckling.

And about seven Pop Hearts from the other because I rolled it thinner.

You can fill your Pie Pops and Pop Hearts with just about anything.  I was pressed for time and used what I had on hand–chocolate chips and raspberry preserves.

I used a little less than a teaspoon of raspberry preserves to fill the pops and added a few chocolate chips (for the Pop Hearts I used a heaping teaspoon of preserves).  Careful not to overfill your pies or the preserves will spill out of the sides.  Place your sticks firmly in the center of the heart. Dip your fingers in a little water and dab on the edges of both cut outs  to create a good seal.

Use a fork or an extra lollipop stick to further press the edges together–makes for a pretty crust.

Oh and don’t forget to prick the center of each pie to allow steam to escape.

After this you are ready to pop them into the oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until they are ever so slightly golden brown.

Allow them to cool for a few minutes and put on a cooling rack.  When mine were completely cooled I dipped the tops of my pie pops in melted butter and a mixture of red and white sugar.

For the Pop Hearts I used both a strawberry glaze and then sprinkled them with red sugar.  This combination was so good I made a second batch the next morning.  Like I said I’m an addict.

The raspberry glaze is super simple to make.  Whisk together: 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar, 2 Tbs of melted Earth Balance, 2 Tbs of soy creamer, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1-2 Tbs raspberry preserves.  I even had a little glaze left over and I ate it with a spoon, perhaps I shouldn’t admit that…

While my Pie Pops do not hold a candle to the artistry of Bakerella (I mean, really, is that even possible) I am still very happy with how they turned out.  They were delicious and vegan!

Apparently these also double as baby bait.

~Peace and Love