Cooking & Crafting 2013 – Pie Pops

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Looking for something fun to bring to your next holiday potluck gathering? How about pie pops?

finished pie popsThey're easy to make thanks to pre-made pie crusts and will get you tons of compliments, both for flavor and presentation–seriously, they're adorable. Andrea Smetona's EASY AS PIE POPS has tons of recipes perfect for the season, including Peppermint Pudding, Mint Fudge, and Pumpkin Cheesecake, not to mention brunch-inspired savory pops such as Breakfast Casserole and Hot Ham & Cheese.

Anne whipped up a batch of Honeyed Fig pie pops to bring to a white elephant party last weekend and they were a huge hit. Read on for the how-to and don't forget that this Sunday, December 15 is the last day to enter to win a copy of EASY AS PIE POPS and other cooking and crafting books (details after the break).


INGREDIENTS: 

pie pops ingredients1 recipe Homemade Pie Pop Crust (p. 13 in the book) or 4 unbaked store-bought or homemade 9" diameter pie crusts

For filling:
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened (Anne used Neufchatel)
1/2 cup whipping cream (Anne substituted Half and Half)
1 large egg, plus the white of another for basting
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup honey
5 cups brown or black figs, chopped small

Olive oil, for garnish
Fresh rosemary, for garnish

Other tools needed:
Basting brush (silicone is recommended)
Cookie sticks


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a large baking sheet, or line with parchment paper (Anne's note: wax paper and parchment paper are not the same! Wax paper will melt, so make sure you're using the correct one).

baked pie filling

Prepare the filling by mixing together the cream cheese, cream, egg, brown sugar, flour, salt and honey. Toss in the chopped figs and stir. Pour into a 9" diameter pie dish and bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature before using in pie pops.

Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

star pieFlour both sides of the pie crusts you're using, then roll flat with a rolling pin. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out 24 rounds from the dough–12 for the bottom and 12 for the top. Get creative with your shapes! Anne used a star cutter.

Lay out the 12 bottom crusts on the prepared baking sheet. Using a basting brush, coat each bottom crust with egg white. Press the cookie stick firmly into the center of each bottom crust.

filled pie popsDollop a 1-1/2 inch bit of the cooled fig mixture in the center of each bottom crust. Place a top crust over the filling and press firmly around the sides to seal the pie pop, making sure to start by firmly crimping the edges around the cookie stick to ensure it stays in place.

After all the pops are sealed and pressed, brush olive oil on each top crust and sprinkle with fresh rosemary. 

Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is nice and golden. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Try your best not to eat all the pie pops before you get to the party/brunch/potluck (Anne highly recommends eating one or two for quality control purposes). 

UPDATE 12/16: Congratulations to our winners, Sarah Bourg of Hamilton North Public Library in Cicero, IN and Pam Aghababian of Ashland Public Library in Ashland, MA!

To enter the giveaway for a bundle of cookbooks and craft books, simply email Library@MacmillanUSA.com from your professional/library-issued e-mail address (subject: Cooking & Crafts) with your library’s mailing address to be placed in the random drawing. This sweepstakes is open to librarians in the United States. Entrants must be age 18 or older. No purchase necessary. Entries must be received by Sunday, December 15th, 2013 to be eligible. The winner grants Macmillan Library the right to announce his/her name on Twitter, MacmillanLibrary.com, and any other platform we want to congratulate him/her on. We will select the potential prize winner at random from among all eligible entries received. If a potential prize winner cannot be reached after three (3) business days, we will select an alternate winner, so check your email.

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