Totally sweet! In addition to my interview(s) with Morgan and Christy of Mini Empire Bakery, wherein we discuss their adorable new book Mini Pies: Adorable and Delicious Recipes for Your Favorite Treats, they were also kind enough to let me share one of the sweetest recipes from the book: Sweetheart Cherry Pies! Now, you know my feelings about fruit in dessert (too much like health food!), but in this case, as the buttery crust-to-filling ratio is high, they have a cute upgrade from hearts being placed on top, and there is the chance of topping them with ice cream, I find them beyond acceptable--I find them excellent.

Sweetheart Cherry Pies

1 pound fresh sweet cherries, pitted and diced in 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pie crust (for one pie)
1/4 cup soy milk

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter or cooking spray.
Combine the cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
On a floured surface, roll out the pie crust to thickness of 3/16 inch. Using a 4-inch diameter round cutter, cut 12 crusts. Re-form and re-roll dough as necessary, keeping plenty of flour on the work surface.
Using a mini cookie cutter of your choice, use leftover dough to cut out 12 small shapes as pie toppers (suggested: hearts).
Carefully shape crusts into the wells of the tin, crimping the edges with your fingers.
Fill each mini pie with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cherry mixture. Don't fill in too much juice with the cherries, or they will bubble over. Top each pie with one of the toppers.
With a pastry brush, brush the crusts with soy milk, then sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool for several minutes in the tin, then carefully remove from the tin and allow to cool fully on a wire rack. To remove, try first to spin the pies in the muffin wells. If they need some help, run a butter knife along the edge of the crusts to pop them out of the in.
Serve, or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.