• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Baker by Nature

A Baking Blog by Ashley Manila

  • About
  • Travel
  • Everyday Inspiration
  • Recipe Box
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email

January 20, 2014

Fat and Flaky Cranberry Sage Pie Bites

 

I’ve been aching to bake a cranberry sage pie since the very moment Summer packed up its bags, bid us adieu, and swiftly hit the road. Something about the two bold ingredients baking up in a flaky, buttery crust just seemed destined for pie perfection. I even wrote it down in my little “must bake before 2014” book…

 

But alas, somewhere in the middle of gobbling turkey and toasting to the New year, the idea got shoved to the baking backseat (who has time for handling pies when presents need wrapping?!) and had almost completely vanished from my thoughts when I found my old little notebook and decided to take those 2013 goals and transfer them right on over to the new year. Why not, right!?

 

I got the idea for these fat and flaky little pie bites at a dinner party we went to last month. In lieu of a traditional dessert buffet, our hosts just had a few platters of mini-treats set out for self snatching. Such a great idea!

 

While all of the teeny-tiny desserts were phenomenal, the petite pies stole the show – and my heart!

 

The main reason everyone raved over these pies was the CRUST!!! I mean… there’s just so much of it. Which, if you’re a crust lover, (and who isn’t?!) is a very, very good thing.

 

Since cranberry and sage are such big, bold, badass flavors (that can lean a little on the aggressive side), I knew right away that a lot of crust would be the perfect way to counterbalance their feisty flavors.

Fat and Flaky Cranberry Sage Pie Bites

Buttery crust + Sweet sage and Cranberry filling = a match made in heaven!

 

Just be warned… no way you’re stopping at one bite 😉

Fat and Flaky Cranberry Sage Pie Bites Fat and Flaky Cranberry Sage Pie Bites – Baker by Nature

Makes about 25 pie bites, depending how willing you are to re-chill the scraps of dough and then roll them out

Ingredients

For the Pie Pastry:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 fresh orange zest

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup COLD unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces

1/2 cup sour cream

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the Cranberry Sage Filling:

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 tablespoon fresh sage, roughly chopped

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

For the Pie Pastry:

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, zest, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter, working it in with your hands until it resembles a coarse mixture. The butter should be pea sized when you stop working it in.

Stir in the sour cream. The dough will still be very scraggly. Turn it out onto a well floured surface, and bring it together with a few quick kneads.

Pat the dough into a log, and roll it into a large (12 x 18″) rectangle. Lightly flour the top of the dough, then fold it in half, then in half again (like you’re folding a letter), and re-roll it out into another large rectangle. Fold dough in half, then in half, and wrap tightly in saran wrap.

Chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425°F; place a rack on the middle shelf. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the dough into a large square that’s about 1/4 of an inch thick. Using a small cookie cutter of your choice (I went with circles and stars obviously) cut an even number of shapes out of the dough. On one half of the cut outs make a small slit or cut out shape. Fill the other half of the cut outs with 1 heaping teaspoon of the cranberry sage filling, brush the edges lightly with the beaten egg, then top with a slit cut out piece. Use a fork to crimp down the edges, and lightly brush the tops of each pie with the egg wash. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and place them on prepared baking sheet.

Bake the pies for 18 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

For the Cranberry Sage Filling:

In a blender or food processor pulse cranberries and sage for 15 seconds, or until both have broken up into small bits but are not completely pulverized.

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan set over medium high heat. Simmer, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken – about 5 minutes. Turn to very low and let cook for another 2 minutes before removing from the heat. Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Once cooled, fill pies according to instructions above.

*You will most likely have leftover pie filling, but it makes a great jam substitute or cookie filling 🙂

25 Shares

Filed Under: Pie

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Belinda@themoonblushbaker says

    January 20, 2014 at 3:55 pm

    Too cute and love the way you made use of pantry staples (at least in my pantry). Just because it is not Christmas doesn’t mean you have let go of cranberries and sage!

    Reply
  2. Laura (Tutti Dolci) says

    January 20, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    These bites are too cute, love the cranberry and sage!

    Reply
  3. Claire Gallam says

    January 20, 2014 at 4:46 pm

    You had me at fat and flakey! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says

    January 20, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    I love these! The combination of sage and cranberries sound perfect.

    Reply
  5. Jess says

    January 20, 2014 at 4:57 pm

    Yum, these both sound and look amazing! The pastry looks super flaky and I love anything with sage in..:)

    Reply
  6. Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says

    January 20, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    Um, I mean these are the cutest! Love.

    Reply
  7. Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says

    January 20, 2014 at 5:37 pm

    This girl right here is a crust lover, and I am tickled that you made your own crust. I don’t cook much with sage, but these two flavors together sound awesome!

    Reply
  8. Zainab @ Blahnik Baker says

    January 20, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    You are so right…there is so much crust to love here!! And cranberries and sage are just perfect together. These are too cute!!

    Reply
  9. Sue - My Cooking Pots says

    January 20, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    Love the look of these. Cranberry and sage sound great together!! Think they would be delicious at anytime of the year!

    Reply
  10. Erin | The Law Student's Wife says

    January 20, 2014 at 9:03 pm

    I want to pop everyone of these bad boys right into my mouth. This is a crust-lover’s dream!

    Reply
  11. Jenny @ BAKE says

    January 20, 2014 at 9:46 pm

    wow these look amazing! i love the idea of adding woody herbs to tart fruits it sounds incredible!

    Reply
  12. Cate @ Chez CateyLou says

    January 20, 2014 at 9:57 pm

    I think it is a great idea to roll over 2013 goals to 2014! Especially when it involves something so delicious looking! These look amazing – perfect party food!

    Reply
  13. Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says

    January 20, 2014 at 10:35 pm

    Girl you kill me with these delicious baked treats! These look amaze — and with some brie on the side? *swoon*

    Reply
  14. Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says

    January 20, 2014 at 11:25 pm

    I love the flavors of these and they are so pretty! Pinned!

    Reply
  15. Taylor @ FoodFaithFitness says

    January 20, 2014 at 11:42 pm

    Ohmygosh. Need all the pie bites. Want all the pie bites.
    Crust is my favorite part of pie so I am alll over these little guys!

    Reply
  16. Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg says

    January 21, 2014 at 10:32 pm

    Oh my I love this! I would eat them all myself. Dangerous!

    Reply
  17. Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says

    January 28, 2014 at 3:15 am

    These are so sweet, Ashley! Love all that flaky crust…made with sour cream pastry. I adore that cranberry filling, too. We were both on that same track during the holidays and I’m so glad you shared this recipe in the New Year. I am constantly sliding recipes to squeeze in others as there seems to never be enough time…a true bloggers’ lament. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  18. annie says

    May 28, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    I’m looking for the cranberry jam recipe you talked about in your grilled cheese post? This isn’t it is it?

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      May 28, 2014 at 8:01 pm

      Hi Annie. No, it’s not the same one, but very close. I didn’t actually post a recipe for the jam, but there are tons out there if you’re looking, also some stores sell it already made.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Meet Ashley

Hey! I’m Ashley, a creative spirit with a major sweet tooth. Most days you can find me in my happy place: the kitchen. If I’m not there, I’m probably snapping photos of food, planning a party… or dreaming about my next trip to Paris (AKA my favorite place in the entire world). I’m a story teller, recipe developer, and photographer who firmly believes that a homemade life is a happy life. Learn More.

Subscribe

Footer

Instagram

Instagram did not return a 200.

Copyright© 2021 · Baker by Nature | Privacy Policy