Red Plum Blueberry Streusel Cutie Pies

Have you seen the recent spate of jar pies on recipe sites around the internet lately? Not only the internet features these adorable little individual desserts, Meat & Potatoes in downtown Pittsburgh always has at least one on their daily menu. They are SO easy to make and with it just being the two of us at home now, individual pies make much more sense that a big one. I'm tired of throwing out what we can't eat!

Our 4th of July picnic-for-two seemed just the right time to whip up a batch of these little cutie pies (yes, pun intended). I had a red, white and blue dessert in mind AND just happened to have blueberries and red plums on hand to suit the color theme of the day. Because gluten-free pie dough is such a pain to work with - although I could have just crumbled it and layered it into the bottoms of the jars and blind baked them first - I decided to do a streusel topping for the white section of the patriotic colors.

Each jar contained a layer of big, juicy blueberries, a layer of jewel-toned sliced red plums and a topping of buttery cinnamon-y oatmeal streusel crunchy goodness. They were popped into the oven on a rimmed cookie sheet to corral the jars for ease in getting them into and out of the oven...and to catch any bubble-overs that might mess the oven otherwise. The technique worked beautifully!

Although I lost my distinct definition of red and blue layers - they kind of melded into blue only, the results were just what I'd hoped. The piled-high fruit that went into the oven cooked down leaving space at the top of the jar for a good scoop of ice cream. Jar pies ala mode! Perfect.

Since I'd made four pies for the two of us, I simply screwed the tops and lids onto the cooled extras to store in the fridge for the next night (or maybe a midnight craving). I can't wait to experiment some more. I'm thinking individual cheesecakes or pumpkin pies or even going the savory route with chicken or turkey pot pies or shepherds pies. And wouldn't one of the savory pies travel to work for lunch with ease? Screw on lids are ideal for this!

Any short, squat, small Mason-type or Ball-type canning jar will work. Be sure to check each jar for cracks or chips first to prevent breakage in the oven. Hmmm...I just realized these make for an automatic portion control, too...well, unless more than one can't be resisted. Not that I'd know anything about that. Really!

Red Plum and Blueberry Streusel Cutie Pies

• 2 cups blueberries
• 3 plums, red or purple, stones removed & sliced
• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup oats, gluten-free to make these GF, regular oats if gluten isn't an issue
• 1/3 cup flour, again, gluten-free to make these GF, regular all-purpose flour if gluten isn't an issue
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 
In 4 clean, short, wide Mason or Ball-type canning jars, layer 1/2 cup of blueberries, then 1/4 of the plum slices and press down gently, but firmly. Sprinkle each fruit filled jar with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Set aside.

 


To make streusel: In a small bowl, use a fork to mix the brown sugar, oats, flour, butter and cinnamon together until all is incorporated and crumbly. Sprinkle the streusel evenly on the tops of the fruit filled jars.
 
Place the jars on a rimmed cookie sheet to catch any spills and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.
 
To serve, top with scoops of ice cream right in the jar!