Pie in a Jar

I have seen several people and blogs talking about making single serving pies in jars. I could not wait to try it but I needed to find some jars first. My parents were coming to visit and I was trying to figure out something new to make while they were here. I have always tried to make something new for them when I see them. The oven is still broken so knew it could not be something I bake.. and well.. that limits me as I love baking and have a hard time thinking outside of that box. I do have a toaster oven that works to bake small things so I decided it was a good time to make some pies in some jars. The beauty of this is that my mom is one of those people that has some of everything so I gave her a call and asked her to bring some 1/2 pint wide mouth canning jars if she had some, and she did :) *thanks mom*

I had some apples in the fridge so I cut some of them up and mixed in some sugar and cinnamon and then I cheated and bought a can of cherry pie filling. I also cheated on the dough and just bought that already made. I rolled it out a bit thinner than it comes and pressed it into the jars. I did read on one site, Squawkfox that coating the jar with butter first will help the pie come out of the jar *fingers crossed* I basically followed the directions on that great site so please go check it out.. lots of fun ideas on that site.

I made two apple and three cherry pies. I put two of each in the freezer and baked up the third cherry (that is the one I want) I wanted to be sure to test it before I send them home with my parents. I was thinking since I can not really bake them that sending them home with them to bake whenever they want would work out pretty well :)

Mine is out of the oven now... cooling... the top is a little well done because the toaster oven is a bit small... but it still is cute (I think) I wanted to take it out of the jar for a photo op.. but I am thinking I will eat it when it is in the jar.. I think that might be a bit of the charm for me and I will be waiting to eat it until tomorrow.. so will not be including that photo in this blog post right now.. I will update it tomorrow after my parents have been here and we try it :)

~Michelle

*Update 8-27-10* Parents were over yesterday and we tried the pie.. and it was wonderful... I was so proud.. it slid right out of the jar... and tasted wonderful. Only thing that could have been better is if we had warmed it up and added some ice cream :)

**update 10-11-11** I am getting lots of questions over the last couple of months about baking in jars and thought I would leave a note here. It is super easy to do and great portion control. Works wonderful for gift giving too. If you google "baking in mason jars" you can find so much information on so many wonderful sites. My own experience so far is that just about anything you bake you can bake in a mason jar. Lots of trial and errors to get things just how you want them but it can all be done. Pot pie and lasagna and meat loaf with mashed potatoes. Brownies and cobblers and cakes and pies. For most of the things I have baked (besides the pies) I have found that baking them then freezing them works great. I do like to bake some of these things at a bit lower temp.. and the times vary a bit. I suggest starting with your own favorite recipes and adjusting until you find what works right. I would love to have anyone who does bake anything in a jar come back and share their experience pictures are also always welcome. If you want you can email me Michelle_Ballard@hotmail.com (subject line Coffee Tea and Recipes) and I will write it up as a post on here. ~Thank you!