Pie – Mason Jar Lid

Ingredients:

• 8 wide mouth mason jar lids and rings
• 21 oz. can of pie filling or similar quantity of homemade
• Double Pie Crust
• 1 egg, well-beaten
• Turbinado sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place the inside rings of the canning lids on a cookie sheet and insert the lids (rubber side down) into the rings.
3. Spray the inside of the rings with cooking spray.
4. Roll out the pie dough and cut 5″ diameter circles for the pie bottoms and 4″ diameter circles for the pie tops.
5. Use the side of a large spoon to score 3 slits in the dough tops.
6. Press the dough bottoms into the rings.
7. Spoon 2 heaping Tablespoons of pie filling into each bottom dough.
8. Use a brush to coat the top edges of the bottom dough with water.  (It is much faster than using your finger.)
9. Place the top dough on the pie and pinch the dough halves together.
10. Use a fork on the top and your finger on the bottom to crimp the dough together.  Make sure the crimp does not hang over the edge of the ring or the ring will melt it and it will droop.
11. Brush the tops of each pie with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with the raw turbinado sugar.
12. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
13. Let the pies cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

FREEZING and REHEATING:

1. If you create your own pie filling, make sure you use Clear Jell as a thickening agent.  Other thickeners will separate.

According to Betty Crocker:

1. Don’t freeze pies containing eggs (pumpkin, custard and cream pies).   The custard will separate in the pie.
2. Fruit pies keep at room temperature for two days and in the refrigerator for 4 days.
3. Baked pies freeze better.  They can stay frozen for up to 4 months.  Raw pies last about 2 months in the freezer.
4. Cook raw pies from frozen.  Allow baked pies to defrost at room temperature for 1 hour before reheating.
5. For best results, first bake the pie and then place it uncovered in the freezer. When completely frozen, wrap the pie tightly or place in a plastic freezer bag and place back in the freezer.
6. Heat a frozen, baked pie at about the same temperature and for the same amount of time you used to cook it originally.