About:

These little scrumptious hand pies are just the perfect little treat for the beginning of New year. They have a tart & Cranberry Pomegranate filling, surrounded by a flakey pie crust. They are super delicious warmed up as is, or eat one cold for breakfast.

These whole wheat tarts filled with fresh fruits are pretty healthy and easy to make.

Yields-18-20 mini pies
Preparation time-30 minutes (for dough and filling)
Baking time: 15-20 minutes
Waiting time-15 minutes (dough resting time)

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• Cranberries- 300gms
• Pomegranate seeds from 1 fruit
• Fruits sugar-1/3 cup (alternatively any sweetener can be used)
• Lemon zest-1tsp
• Ground cinnamon-1tsp
• Ground cardamom-1/2tsp
• Agave nectar-2tbsp
• Corn starch-1tbsp (alternatively arrowroot can be used)

Pie dough:

• Wheat flour- 2cups
• Corn Starch – 1 to 2 tbsp
• Salt- 1/4tsp
• Sugar-1tsp
• Soy spread/butter-1/4cup
• Cold water- 1/3cup (or as required for the dough)

Procedure:

For the dough:

• Combine wheat flour, Corn starch, Salt, Sugar, Soy spread/butter and mix until it form crumbles.
• Then add cold water and mix to form the firm pliable dough, wrap the dough n a plastic wrap/cling film and place in the refrigerator for 15minutes.

While the dough is chilling prepare the filling:

• Dissolve corn starch in 2-3tbsp water and set aside.
• Combine cranberries and pomegranates in a skillet over medium heat with ¼ cup water.
• Once cranberries and pomegranate begin to burst add sugar, corn starch-water mixture, honey , lemon zest and let it cook on a low flame.
• Add in ground cinnamon, cardamom mix well and simmer for 8-10minutes, then remove from flame and allow it to cool.

For the pie:

• Pre-heat the oven at 180deg C(for fan assisted). Grease the muffin tray with some soy spread and set aside.
• Get the dough out of the fridge and roll it on a floured surface.
• Use a cookie cutter or simply a glass to get the circle form- place them in a muffin form in the greased tray and make sure to press them against muffin form so they sit well.
• Place 1-2tablespoon of filling (make sure not to over fill it as it tends to pop out while baking.
• Cut some small circle compared to the earlier one and then cur heart shape using heart shaped cookie cutter and place it on the filled mini pie(feel free to personalise the shape as desired)
• place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes (time may vary from oven to oven so keep an eye and bake until the crust turns golden)
• Now look how adorable those little cutie-pies are

Enjoy!

Note:

• My family prefers a bit sweet and tangy filling so I used less sweetener in filling- feel free to add extra sweetener if desired.
• I used a large heart-shaped cookie cutter, but you can use any shape you like.
• Spices can be personalised as per the taste.
• The texture is quite different from the standard all-purpose flour pie dough, not light and flaky, a little hearty but not chewy. The resting time is important for the flour to properly absorb the liquids, which will soften the bran and produce a smoother crust

I am bringing this recipe to Angie’s FF#50; Angela’s VVLP #1