I had seen a cake pop maker at one of the warehouse stores a few weeks ago and debated about getting one, but I didn't. I kept thinking I should go back and see if they were still there. As luck would have it I was going through the Target sale catalog last night and saw similar machines that make donuts and cupcakes and mini pies. I kept going back to the page with the mini pie maker and finally decided that I wanted to get a close up look at it. This morning I ran to Target and found .........
I have to say I like this red color too - just really makes you smile.
I They are so easy to put together. I know you can make your own pie crust and filling, but for this experiment I used some store bought pie crust (the refrigerator kind) and some canned fruit pie filling. I wanted to see if this was basically fool proof or at least for the culinary challenged. I rolled out the pie crust (my first pass, with these below, were too thin but even these were great) to an even thin piece. I plugged in the machine and sprayed each cup (top and bottom) with Pam. While the machine heated, I cut out my crusts using the handy dandy tool provided. When the machine was ready (less than 3 minutes) I put the bottom crust dough in each well, filled the crusts with some of the canned filling,
Put the crust top on top of each filling and closed the machine. Literally 10 minutes later, I had mini apple pies.
I had a little dough left over from the 4 apple pies, so I put it all together and rolled it out again. I was able to make another pie with the leftovers. I thought I would see if you could do a savory pie just as quick and easy with leftovers from the other night. I made this dough a little thicker, mixed up a meatball with some gravy and a little onion and added that to the well, covered it with the topper and cooked that one for 10 minutes too.
I love how these look on the plate. The one on the right is the apple with the very thin crust, the one on the left is the meatball with a little thicker crust.
Even with the thicker crust (which I liked better) it was still light and tasty - not heavy or gooey.
These would make a great quick meal that would use up some leftovers and have it on the table in less than 20 minutes. And you could make dessert too!
What a way to be a star! I am so very glad I found this little gem. I know I will be using it often - even if its just to use up leftovers in a "creative" way.
If you are looking for something different for your kitchen - I definitely would vote for this one. With a $5 off coupon in the flyer and the sale, I was able to pick this one up for $20! So worth the money.
I wonder if I made a batch and froze them if I could have my very own frozen pot pies ?? Hmmmm I'm thinking that will be my next test, although being able to make these in about 15 minutes may eliminate the need to freeze them.
9 comments:
I bought mine on Tuesday!! I love it (and it was purchased with birthday gift money, making it even better)! That first night we had chicken pot pies (rotisserie chicken, peas, carrots, potatoes and onions in a roux-based gravy, then salt pepper, and poultry seasoning), and we've been enjoying apple pies every day. My next experiment is to see if it will cook single crust pies. If so, baby, it's on! :o)
I know I was thinking about single crust pies this morning as I was walking around the supermarket. (Yes I know its strange, but I find all kinds of neat things in this store AND I get some walking in too)
Hi
I got one for Christmas and promptly tossed the cool parts for cutting the pie crust. Can anyone measure the small and large circles so I know what sizes to cut the crust dough.
Help!
Thank you!
Nancy
Hi,
Small circle is 3-3/4"
Large circle is 4-1/4"
You can maybe order a replacement from sunbeam.
Good luck
Oh NO Nancy! I like Anonymous hope you could order a new cutting tool from Sunbeam.
I also want to thank whoever it is for measuring their "part" to see how big each side is.
I really love mine. I am "itching" to make something - its been too long since I did. Maybe some more little apple pies for hubby since he's finished the chocolate cake.
Did you get a chance to try the single crust pies? Did it work?
I've been a huge fan of these pie makers. Years ago they had a different model available with a more elaborate cook book. You could make a one crust pie tho I've never done that so I don't know how well it turns out. One thing that they don't mention with this newer version is that you can use all sorts of things to make the crust like sliced bread and tortilla's. One that's kind of fun to make is to put a small cheeseburger from McDonalds in one of the pie spots and you have a little meat pie.
I've found mini pie makers to be tricky to use. They either leave the tops not baked or they burn my pies. I discovered this clever tool. Now I bake golden pies almost every time, no more burning. Some of you can get the mini pie tool for free here. I love my pie maker now and have learn how to bake pumpkin pies in it. Something the manual said we couldn't do.
Did you know you can use sliced bread for the crust? It works pretty well.
Hi Kat, I've been having some fun with these things. Mini pie makers can be tricky to use. Some have a difficult time baking the center of pie tops. Some will burn your crust. The list goes on. However, I'm determined to bake a perfect mini pie that I can share with family and friends. I post my pie maker results hoping you learn from my failures.
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