With National Mango Day right around the corner (July 22, mark your calendars!), it is officially mango season! I absolutely love mangoes, so I thought I would try something new and put them in something else I adore: pies! Of course, I had to make them mini. These Mini Mango Pies are the perfect summer dessert, especially when paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The crust recipe is from Ina Garten, and the filling is adapted from Maui Girl. I combined and altered the two recipes to give you this delicious, mini version of the pie.
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
12 tablespoons cold, diced, and unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
For the Mango Filling:
3 cups peeled and sliced mango (make sure the slices are small enough to fit in a muffin tin)
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Tops of the Pies:
1 egg, beaten (this is the egg wash)
Granulated sugar
Directions:
For the Crust:
1) In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, salt, and sugar until combined.
2) Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the butter becomes gravel-like, about 8 to 12 times.
3) Add the ice water with the machine running, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to clump together and form a ball.
4) Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and separate it into two balls, wrapping each with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
For the Filling:
1) In a medium bowl, combine the mango, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon.
Assembly Time!
1) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Set out a 12 count muffin tin and a 6 count one (ungreased). Cut out 36 strips of parchment paper (2 for each pie). I did this by cutting a long strip and then cutting it in half.
2) Cross two parchment strips in a single muffin cup, leaving the edges up. Repeat in all the cups.
3) On a floured surface, roll out one ball of pie crust to about 1/8 inch thickness. Use a circular cookie cutter or cup of about 3.5 inches in diameter to cut out circles.
4) Place the dough circles in each of the muffin cups, pressing them down evenly. Fill each with the mango filling, allowing it to pile as high as needed to use all the filling. Remember, the filling will shrink down when baked.
5) Roll out the remaining ball of pie crust and use it to cover the tops of the pies. I did a lattice crust on top by cutting strips in the crust and then pinching several strips together. Don't worry about pinching together the top and bottom crusts, just place the top crust over the mango filling. Brush the egg wash over the tops of the crusts and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the tops are golden and the juices are bubbling.
