Pi Day Picnic
Great for kids 3 and up with an adult
We like to celebrate Pi Day with a side of Pie. 3.14, or Pi, is roughly the ratio of the circumference of any circle to the diameter. What better way to help people remember then celebrating March 14th with a perfect circle of dessert?
These tiny hand-held pies make a great project for little little kids. We made ours a little easier by using some prepared pie crust, but an easy pie dough recipe can be found here. Little hands can use a dull butter knife to help slice ripe strawberries, stir in sugar and cornstarch and press together the edges of our pie crusts. As the finished product emerges from the oven, everyone in the family will get an opportunity to observe the science of heat transforming simple ingredients into a yummy dessert. If the weather will cooperate, these are a great, non-messy option to take on a picnic.
Materials
- 1 lb ripe strawberries(roughly 1 clamshell)
- Flattened pie dough
- ⅓ cup strawberries
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
- 1 egg(optional)
- Granulated sugar (optional)
Directions
- Slice strawberries into small pieces
- Mix strawberries with lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch. Let stand for 10 minutes
- Using a cup or a biscuit cutter, cut circles out of pie dough. Each pie will need 2 circles
- Turn oven to 425 degrees
- Spray a baking sheet, and place half the circles on baking sheet
- Place a spoonful of strawberries into the center pie dough circles on the baking sheet
- Cover the strawberries with another pie dough circle
- Close the pie circles by pinching the edges together, or by mushing the two circles together using the tines of a fork
- Poke the top of all the mini-pies with a fork so steam can escape
- Optional: Whisk egg and brush the top of the mini-pies with the egg mixture
- Optional: Sprinkle the top of the mini-pie with granulated sugar
- Cook 10-12 minutes
More Fun
- Watch people recite Pi here.
