Mini Sugar-Free Blackberry Crumble Pies

My freezer had about four pounds of frozen blackberries leftover from last summer's picking frenzy. With the next season coming up, I knew that I had to work through them to make space for this year's frenzied frenzy.

We love to pick blackberries. Everywhere that we've ever lived has been abundant in blackberries. (Sigh. Sadness may take over when we move next! No blackberries where we're going). But hey, at least I'll get to pick berries for one more season.

Back to the cooking. I've made blackberry oat bars, blackberry oatmeal, blackberry sauce for banana ice cream, blackberry sorbet...well, I've made blackberry everything and my family has just about had enough of me. But, I had ONE more bag left and just enough inside to make mini blackberry crumble pies.

That's right. Mini Blackberry Crumble Pies. I named them this because they truly combine the heavenly crumbleness of a crumble, the butteryness of a pie crust, and the rich fruit flavors of blackberries.

And guess what? No added sugar. We don't use sugar here. I'd rather have a tart berry over a sucrose-laden lollipop attack any day of the week. If you like sugar, you might add some honey to the berries, but really, do you need to? Can it wait?

The recipe will make 12-14 mini pies. I made 12 in my cupcake pan and a breakfast "galette" with the leftover crust and berries, so the family could nibble on it whenever they please.

The Recipe
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 cups flour (we used gluten-free...do as you please)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup cold vegan butter, cut into pieces
• 3 cups blackberries (frozen or fresh)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Lemon zest, optional

Directions:

1. Grind the oats in a food processor for a few minutes.
2. Combine the oats salt, cinnamon, and flour in a bowl.
3. Cut in the butter until the "dough" is very crumbly. I use my hands to do this. Reserve two cups of the crust.
4. Press the remaining crust into the bottom of an ungreased cupcake tin. Place in the freezer.
5. In a pan, heat the berries of medium heat. When the berries begin to turn into liquid, add the cornstarch.
6. Continue to cook the berries until it jams up. Sometimes this can take 10 minutes. Keep stirring and keep an eye on it.
7. Preheat the oven to 375F.
8. Remove the cupcake tin from the freezer. Spoon in the blackberry mixture. Top with the remaining crust (sprinkle it, don't press it down).
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden.
10. Remove from the oven and gently release the pies using a fork or thin pastry spatula.
11. Serve with yogurt, whipped cream, or whatever your heart fancies.

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Quick Nutrition Data Per Serving:

• 9 grams fat
• 16 grams carbs
• 3 grams fiber
• 3 grams protein
• 2 grams sugar
• 150 calories