If you ever listen to a Southerner talk about fresh raspberry pie, it’ll have you running to the kitchen to make one. I’ve had a lot of pie in my day, but never raspberry! I’ve been avoiding it because I assumed the raspberry seeds would make for a gritty pie. I was so glad to be proven wrong. I should mention that ages ago, I made a small peach raspberry pie (check out that photo from 2010!) but I slipped so few raspberries into the filling because I was hesitant to dethrone peaches. Now I know better. I made mini fresh raspberry pies in muffin cups, because if you can eat a whole serving of pie in two bites, well, you should. The recipe below makes 6 mini fresh raspberry pies. I baked them 3 to a pan, because I read a ‘how to bake mini pies’ guide on SeriousEats, and was scared. The guide was full of ominous warnings that made me believe the amount of fruit juice that would ooze from each pie would cover my house and glue my feet to the floor. I believe they called it ‘Pie-mageddon.’ Thankfully, I can assure you that these pies oozed minimally, yet were still bursting with raspberry flavor. I amped up the flour (equal parts flour to sugar!), and made a very thick crust (see photos for reference). I think this helped.
Fresh raspberry pie in muffin pan steps:
First, butter your pie pan so very well. Call your Mom, water all the plants in your house, light that fancy candle you’ve been saving for no good reason, and then butter it again. Press the pie crust into the muffin cups. You buttered those cups, right? Make sure the crust comes up all the way to the top of the buttered pan. I’m going to stop harping on you now. Mix two cartons (12 ounces total) of raspberries with ¼ cup of sugar and ¼ cup of flour.
For intoxicating flavor, we’re going to tip in a ½ teaspoon of almond extract and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Stir, baby, stir. It’s totally okay if the berries start to collapse and commingle with their friends.
Can I wear lipstick this color, please? Divide the berry filling between 6 cups.
How to lattice a fresh raspberry pie:
Now, latticing can be hard (is that a word?). I took the easy route (thanks to the Serious Eats guide), and didn’t exactly lattice correctly. I laid across a few strips of dough, wove a few in, but overall, I did not stress about having the perfect lattice weave. Because I am nothing if not a lazy baker. Nothing!
I trimmed the edges…feel free to judge my poor lattice work.
I pressed + pinched the end of each dough strip into the bottom crust.
And then I brushed each little pie with gobs of beaten egg. Did I ever tell you about the time I made so many pies that I figured out the best way to get a shine on your pie dough is EGG YOLK? Unless you’re baking at a super high temp, egg yolk is going to be the only thing that makes your pies look shiny, golden brown and delicious. Trust me, I used every topping imaginable–cream, milk, egg white, egg + cream, egg + water, egg yolk + cream. So much pie that summer.
Sprinkle coarse sugar on top of each pie (because even pies need a little glitter!)
And pop in the oven until bubbly and golden brown. Don’t let this fresh raspberry pie cool all the way in the pan…just about 15 minutes or so. Remove and then let them cool all the way (if you can). I ate the first pie warm with vanilla ice cream. And maybe it was my lunch. And maybe I had coffee after that. And maybe it’s been 2 days since I can remember eating a vegetable or drinking a glass of water. Maybe.
Pie-mageddon awaits you. Kidding! Easy, breezy!
