They keep saying that in 2011 “Pie is the new cupcake.” We’ll have 
to see about that, but for now I’ll add to the hype. Valentines day is just around the corner and if you need something that is 100% guaranteed to put a smile on someone’s face- I have it right here! These little sweetie pies are genuinely adorable. They’re also one of those things that look like tons of work and effort, but in reality they’re pretty quick and easy! So go ahead and impress people with your skills. Or just sit in a dark room and eat them all yourself in one sitting. We won’t tell, I swear. I have tons of variations shown below, as well as some options for fillings so if you really wanted to, you could make these super fast with store bought filling and dough.
Homemade pie dough really is a cinch to whip up though, so if you’re not used to making your own, give it a shot! Start by rolling out your dough on a floured surface. About an 1/8 of an inch works well. Since you’ll be sandwiching two pieces of dough together you don’t want it too thick.
If you’re making pops, you want to keep your hearts small- if they’re too large, the sticks won’t be able to hold them up. A 2-inch heart worked perfectly.
You can use any filling you like, store-bought or homemade. Just keep in mind that these little pie pops are small so you don’t want huge pieces in there. I’m using canned raspberry filling in the picture below. Place 1-2 teaspoons on each cut-out, making sure to keep it at least 1/4-inch away from the edges. Otherwise it will all squeeze out and look messy when you put them together.
If you want to be crazy like me, throw a little chocolate in there too. Nutella-banana pies would be yummy too. I imagined that when making these with no bananas in my house.
A quick homemade apple is fantastic too- you only need one apple! Since these are tiny little pies that don’t bake for very long, grating the apple with a cheese grater works well.
Remember to only fill half of your shapes with filling. Place a lollipop stick right in the middle, about 1/4 inch from the top. If you place it at the bottom that little pie will fall right off. Also, try to have relatively clean hands when handling the sticks or you’ll find your finished sticks will have brown spots where the grease baked in!
Keep a little bowl of water next to you and use it to wet your finger and run it along that open edge.
Do the same for another non-filled cut out and place it right on top of the filled one. Gently press down with your fingers to seal the dough together. Make sure to press it around that stick. take a fork and crimp all around the edges. This is done partially because it helps seal the edges and partially because it’s totally cute.
You have some options for the tops. For my raspberry pies I brushed the tops with melted butter and sprinkled with sanding sugar. I decided to leave the apple pies plain so I could brush a glaze on after baking.
Prick a whole in each pie as well, so that steam can escape and then pop them in the oven. They only bake for about 15-20 minutes and come out looking puffed and golden.
Now..the apple pie. I wanted this one to have a glaze instead, so that can be whipped up while the pies are cooking. Super simple: sugar, butter, milk. These were definitely my favorite.
When the pies are still warm, just spoon it on. It dries so it’s not wet to the touch so you can package these cuties.
It makes them shiny and sweet and utterly adorable. How could I NOT make tags that say “Sweetie PIE” on them?!
And if I make tags, how can I not share them with all of you?? See the end of this post for a free download!
I happened to have little 3″ cellophane bags that were exactly the size for these. Perfect for gifting! They look super cute in a little tin bucket for party favors too.
Now, if you want to enjoy all of the cuteness of Sweetie Pies but without the Pop part, then fear not. Make hand pies! Hand pies are just little pies about the size of your palm. A darling little snacky pie. It’s obviously the same method, just without the stick. I used a 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter and one crust recipe made 6 pies.
The look super cute with a tiny heart placed on top too.
Just stick them in a little cello bag with a ribbon too. Pretty much everything in life is improved with a cello bag and ribbon.
A Sweetie Pie Pie-in-a-Jar is pretty freaking adorable too. I just used a tiny 1″ heart cutter and layered hearts all over the top of the pie.
And since I was doing labels already, I whipped some up for those too! You are going to have the happiest Valentines ever!
Sweetie Pie Pops
Recipe by Our Best Bites
Yields 16-18 2″ Pops, 6 4″ hand pies, or 4 Pie Jars
1 Recipe Pie crust (or store bought pie crust dough)
6″ lollipop sticks (available at craft stores, including Walmart)
small bowl of water
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Course sugar or sprinkles for top
Canned pie filling, or homemade apple below
Cookie Cutters
Apple Pie Filling (combine all ingredients below):
1 medium tart green apple, peeled and grated
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cold butter, grated
Glaze (Whisk all ingredients until smooth. Add milk until desired consistency is reached):
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1-3 tsp milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat if desired.
Roll out pie dough on a floured surface about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out heart shapes (or other shape of your choosing) and place them on your baking sheet. Place about 1-2 tsp of filling on one cut out, keeping it at least 1/4 inch away from the edges. Place 6 inch lollipop stick in center of shape, with the top of the stick near the top of the shape. Wet your finger in a small bowl of water and wet the edge of the pie dough shape. Wet the edges of a 2nd pie dough shape (one without filling) and place on top of the other. Press together gently with your fingers to seal the pieces together. Use a fork to crimp edges, being careful to seal edges around the stick. Poke a fork into top of pie one time so steam can vent. If desired, brush top of pie in melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. (Or leave plain to glaze after)
Bake pies for 15-20 minutes until barely golden brown. Cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. If glazing, gently brush or spoon glaze over pies while still warm. Cool completely before packaging. If desired, place in cellophane bags and tie with ribbons and labels.
Questions & Reviews
So I made these today, but they turned out bad. They look great, but they just don't taste like pie. I rolled the dough almost a quarter inch thick and I think you need to stick to an eighth. Any thicker and the filling to crust ratio is so small it just tastes like pastry. oh well they will be a great center piece.
Made these TWICE now and my family just loved them and wanted to say thanks once again and let you know that I blogged about it here:
http://con-tain-it.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/02/wfmw-valentines-sweetie-pie-pops
So sweet 😉
I love these! Mom and I made them for a dish to pass this week. We added a little pink sugar and heart sprinkles to the outside. We had raspberry with white chocolate chips and mm mm good!
oh heres my post, brain dead me, http://all-k-names.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentines-treats-for-kids-schools.html
I just want to make sure I give you credit. I posted a blog post on these, that I made after visiting your blog. yours are alot cuter and I gave up by the time I needed to put sticks in, I didnt want then to be to heavy, but they are cute. Your pictures are alot cuter also. Thanks for the idea. I'm new to your blog.
OMG…. I bet the gooey cookie pie bite recipe would be YUMMOOOO in there!!! Totally trying that…. oooh and then you could even dip half the pie in chocolate… perhaps sprinkles… CUTE OVERLOAD!!
Do you think I could put jelly or nutella in the middle, or do you think it would get soaked up and be gone when they were baked??
I had forgotten about them! I've seen them (not in heart shape though) long time ago in http://luxirare.com/float/ but never tried to make them… Yours look great and yummi. I surely will make them!
sjs- yup 🙂 Just fine.
These are so cute.:) Question are the pies ok to cook in the gas oven with the stick still in them? Hope this doesn't sound like a crazy question. LOL Thanks.:)
Sharon 🙂
These are so adorable! What a creative idea. Love it! Love your blog, thanks for all the inspiration!
~Jess
@www.makingoverthemartins.blogspot.com
If I am giving these as teacher gifts….should I put reheating instructions? 5 seconds in microwave? Or just eat cold?
If I give these as gifts to teachers should I put reheating instructions ? Maybe 5 seconds in microwave or just eat cold?
love the photography.
Oh my goodness, these are THE cutest things EVER!! I actually saw heart shaped pocket pie makers at William Sonoma the other day and really wanted them. Glad I didn't, because you posted them like you read our minds!!! You guys are so awesome!! =)
so! i totally made something like this and dubbed mine "pie potstickers" since i wasn't putting them on sticks and they also were the typically, half moon, pot sticker shape.
see? http://clutzycooking.blogspot.com/2010/05/pie-potstickers.html
yours are about 1 million times cuter, ha, please your fillings are so much fun! i love the chocolate chips! i made some filled with nutella that i dusted in powdered sugar and dubbed "italian dessert ravioli", perhaps taking a page from your book and using some raspberry would be a grand addition…
thank you for posting. your pics are so beautiful, as always, and i love the fact that you brought something i made a while ago back into my mind and moving creatively again! really, appreciate it 🙂
-meg
@ http://clutzycooking.blogspot.com
@ http://myscribblednotebook.blogspot.com
Are pretty much all pie fillings equal here? I want to make these but my boyfriend does not have a sweet tooth at alllllll so I was thinking lemon meringue pie filling, would that work?
This is such a cute idea! I would love to read a tutorial on how you make your tags. I'm always wanting to add cute tags to food gifts, but I don't know how to make them. Love your blog! Thanks!
I love the hearts on the pie in a jar. Thanks for sharing!
Weeeellll…..since you asked so nicely, I will be your sweetie pie. I will be sweet, and you can bring me pie!!
Totally fair.
These look SO cute. I love all the wonderful ideas you guys have!
Just when you (I) think you guys can't possibly get any more creative, you do!! LOVE THESE!! We are moving the weekend before V-day, so I am very sad that no v-day baking will happen this year. . . I guess I COULD whip up one batch of these. . . hmm. Thanks always, for all you do!! Have fun in Utah!! (We just got a Cafe Rio 45 min away from us in SoCal. WOO HOO!!!)
Hmmmm…. I'm thinking football and jersey shaped hand-pies for the big game on Sunday. (Go PACK!)
I made these today with leftover dough from making chicken pot pie and made a blueberry filling. They were so yummy! I have a question though. I know it isn't the season but I love pumpkin pie! Do you think this would work with pumpkin pie filling and shape them like pumpkins?
"Pretty much everything in life is improved with a cello bag and ribbon."
Ha ha ha. Its so funny because its true! I love it!
Made some nutella banana hand pies today. MMMM sooo good. Thanks for the idea!
ohhh those are really cute! I was just going to make some with the kiddos because we are stuck in the house because of the weather. So cute!
These will be my sweetie's treat! Raspberry and chocolate sounds irresistable. Thanks for all your awesomeness!
Everything is cuter on a stick! Love these and I think I'll be making these for my kids teachers Valentines. I did the pie in a jar for Christmas gifts this year and they turned out sooooo cute!
OH my DARLING!! Love this! What a fun Valentine's Day idea!