The Brilliant Method Ree Drummond Uses Mason Jar Lids

Just when you think you’ve seen or even employed all of the possible uses for a Mason jar, in comes another application. The Mason jar’s original raison d’etre was as a canning jar for food preservation. That’s still a popular practice, but you’ll see Mason jars as a de facto lunch box even more frequently today. You should even be storing leftover wine in a Mason jar, as unconventional as that may sound. And food world celebrity Ree Drummond has another cleverly uncommon way to get even more mileage out of one of the world’s most famous culinary vessels.

The Pioneer Woman’s expectedly resourceful Mason jar tip actually turns to the lid for a petite baking hack. Drummond’s Mason jar lid chocolate pies are pretty self-explanatory, turning the lids into tiny pastry tins to create sweet treats that resemble miniature pies or tarts. And, while chocolate is typically shorthand for dessert, you can similarly miniaturize almost any pie variety in your rotation, with a few prudent modifications.

Mason jar lid pies can be as easy and convenient or as complicated as you wish. You’ll first want to arrange the lids on a baking sheet. You can then make the most of a store-bought pie crust by cutting it into circles to fit a greased lid’s interior, bake, fill with lemon curd or pistachio cream, and top with whipped cream for a little something that you can totally go ahead and call homemade.

You can also more closely approximate a standard-sized fruit pie by sandwiching your crust and using the cherry, apple, or other filling of your choice. You will, however, want to chop those fruits a little finer than you would for something like a typical 9-inch pie. While whole Granny Smith slices or tart stone fruits are terrific in a larger baked good, you’ll want to roughly chop them down to about a quarter of that size for these daintier preparations. Once crowned with the top crust, they’ll only take about 30 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit before you can cool and carefully remove them from the lids to serve.