Food and Recipes Recipes Mini Pear-Cranberry Pies These mini pear cranberry pies are the perfect balance of tart cranberries and sweet, tender pears. We added a touch of our favorite warm spices, cinnamon and nutmeg, to round out the goodness of these mini treats. We all love apples, pumpkins, pecans, and sweet potatoes this time of year and they seem to get most of the love in fall desserts. But juicy pears deserve a shot at the dessert table, as well. This fruit is in season from late summer all the way through winter, so it is readily available at your farmers' market or grocery store. We "paired" them up with colorful cranberries for a non-traditional holiday dessert. We love saving time by using refrigerated piecrusts but if you really prefer homemade, feel free to make your own pie crust. Don't worry about missing out on the other favorites - when you make a variety of mini pies, you can enjoy all of them. By Southern Living Test Kitchen Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on April 1, 2022 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: David Malosh; Prop Styling: Robyn Glaser; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Active Time: 40 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins Yield: 12 Ingredients 2 (14.1-oz. or 15-oz.) pkg. refrigerated piecrusts 1 large egg, beaten 2 ½ cups cubed (about ½-inch pieces) firm-ripe green Anjou pears (about 2 medium pears) 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries ½ cup granulated sugar ¾ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for work surface 5 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar, divided 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided 2 tabelspoons uncooked old-fashioned regular rolled oats 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened Vanilla ice cream, for serving Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Unroll piecrusts on a lightly floured work surface. Using a 5-inch round cutter, cut piecrusts into 12 circles, rerolling scraps as needed. Reserve remaining dough scraps. Press 1 circle in bottom and up sides of each cup of a lightly greased (with cooking spray) 12-cup muffin pan, flattening any bunches of dough along sides. Fold over top edge; pinch to seal. Press tines of a fork at an angle to create a design in crust edge. Freeze 30 minutes. Meanwhile, gather remaining dough scraps; roll to ¼-inch thickness on a clean work surface. Using 1 ½-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutters, cut dough into 24 leaves. Using the back of a small knife, make lines resembling veins on leaves. Place in 1 layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; brush lightly with egg. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 10 to 14 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine pears, cranberries, granulated sugar, salt, nutmeg, 4 tablespoons each of the flour and light brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a bowl; toss to coat. Let stand 10 minutes. Combine oats, butter, and remaining 2 tablespoons flour, 1 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl. Use fingers to rub butter into mixture until it is crumbly and butter is incorporated. Remove pan from freezer; fill each piecrust with pear mixture (about ⅓ cup each). Sprinkle with oat mixture (about ¾ teaspoon each). Bake at 350°F until tops are golden and filling is bubbly, 26 to 32 minutes. Remove from oven; cool in pan 15 minutes. Using a small knife or offset spatula, loosen pies. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool 30 minutes. Decorate with piecrust leaves. Serve warm with ice cream, or cool completely, about 1 hour. Print