Mini Rustic Peach Custard Pies - The Real Recipes (2024)

This Mini Rustic Peach Custard Pies recipe is my all time favorite peach pie recipe. Featuring sweet fresh peaches, a super simple creamy custard and an easy press-in crust, this is the kind of recipe anyone can make, even aspiring bakers!

With summer in full swing, now is the time to take advantage of ripe and fresh produce. And this recipe relies heavily on the flavors of the ripest, juiciest peaches. While you could make this recipe with frozen (and thawed) or canned (and drained) peaches, the best flavor will surely come from fresh peaches. This recipe is a combination of a fruit pie with a custard pie, and the result is decadent deliciousness.

Be sure to check out other summer produce recipes, like our Peach and Goat Cheese Salad, our Skillet Street Corn Dip and Charred Broccolini with Chili and Garlic.

This recipe is inspired by a pie my mom made when I was growing up. It was a Custard Peach Pie recipe she picked up from an old food magazine. That recipe used a basic pie crust, a custard made with sour cream, lots of fresh peaches and a streusel topping. My recipe for these mini peach custard pies is inspired by that recipe my mom made on so many special occasions.

Ingredients that Matter

These rustic mini pies use basic ingredients. And while there are not many ingredients, just about all of them are used in different components of the recipe. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:

• Peaches. Use fresh and ripe peaches for this recipe. Peel them for the best texture, though you can leave the skins on if you’d prefer. While you could make this recipe with frozen or canned peaches, you’ll get the best peach flavor from fresh and ripe peaches. Choose either yellow or white peaches, but I recommend using freestone peaches as the pits are easy to remove.
• Sour Cream. The custard component of this recipe starts with sour cream. It provides the creamy texture, a bit of tang and plenty of body. I recommend using full fat, though you could use a low fat sour cream if desired.
• All-Purpose Flour. As mentioned above, several of the ingredients are used in multiple components of the mini pies. All-purpose flour is used in the crust, the custard and the streusel topping.
• Sugar. Like the flour, granulated sugar is used in the crust, custard and the topping.
• Unsalted Butter. Use room temperature butter for the crust and the streusel topping.
• Eggs. Adding an egg yolk to the sour cream mixture creates a luscious custard, while the egg white (and another whole egg) go into the crust.
• Vanilla Extract. Adding a splash of vanilla extract gives the simple crust and custard filling a bit of flavor.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

These pies have a good amount of steps, but it’s quite simple! The recipe is designed for beginner bakers who want to make a special dessert for a summer dinner party. With that in mind, here is how the recipe comes together.

Start by making a basic cookie-style pie crust. Cream together room temperature butter with sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer. Once this mixture is lightly and fluffy, add an egg and egg white, along with vanilla extract, and beat until well incorporated (at this point, the mixture may look slightly chunky or even broken, but just follow along and it’ll come together). Now whisk together flour and salt and slowly add this mixture to the sugar and butter and mix just until a cohesive dough is formed. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the dough and refrigerate while prepping out the other components (at least 15 minutes and up to 1 day).

Next, make the custard filling by stirring together in a medium bowl the sour cream, sugar, vanilla, egg yolk and flour until smooth. Transfer to the refrigerator while you prep the rest of the components. This mixture may be made a day ahead of time.

Make the streusel topping by “cutting” butter into flour and sugar. You can use a fork or your hands to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse cornmeal. Set this mixture aside in the refrigerator.

Peel the peaches then cut into thin slices.

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Divide the cookie crust into 8 portions, about 2.2 ounces (about ¼ cup) each then press into 4- to 5-inch mini tart or pie pans. I recommend using non-stick pans if possible. If not, simply spray lightly with cooking spray. When pressing the dough in the pan, it should come up the sides of the pan but not over the edge. That means you’ll have just a little lip to help unmold the pies after they cool slightly. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to fill.

Spoon the sour cream mixture into the crusts, about 1 ½ tablespoons of cream mixture per mini pie.

Add peaches on top of the custard, shingling the peach slices to completely cover the custard.

Sprinkle the streusel topping over the peaches. The pies are ready to bake now or refrigerate until ready to cook, up to 1 hour. When ready to bake, cook in a 375F oven until the custard is set and the edge of the crust is lightly browned, about 20-23 minutes. Remove from the oven and chill at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then carefully remove the pies from the pans using an offset spatula or a flexible plastic knife. Cool at room temperature on a wire rack and serve slightly warm, room temperature or cold (store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days).

These pies are pretty forgiving, so don’t worry if you feel like you messed up any of these steps. The most important part is ensuring the crust is pressed into the pan well without any holes and ensure the dough comes up the edges and creates a small lip. The custard may cook up over the edge of the pan, but it should still unmold without any problems.

How to Pick a Peach

Peaches are at the peak ripeness in summer (depending on where you live). Many peaches sold in the United States come from Georgia and Pennsylvania, but they can grow in pretty much any state (maybe not all varieties, but we can get local peaches here in Vermont and could find them when we lived in Alabama, too).

So how do you pick the right peach? Use your senses! Here’s how to tell a peach is perfect:

• Smell. A peach should smell, well, like a peach! If it doesn’t have much aroma, chances are it won’t have much flavor, either. Smell the peach around its stem.
• Feel. A peach is ripe when it is slightly firm and gives just barely when pressed around the stem. Here’s a tip on buying peaches: A good grocer or farm stand will discourage its customers from pressing on peaches as this can bruise ripe peaches. That same grocer asking you not to press on their peaches has also likely only put out RIPE peaches! I tend to trust a grocer who puts out signs like “Don’t squeeze our peaches, they are ripe”.
• Taste. Speaking of finding a good grocer, the best way to tell if a peach is ripe is by tasting it! And a good grocer will cut into one for you if you are planning to buy lots of their peaches.
• Look. While you can’t necessarily tell a lot about how a peach will taste just by how it looks, you should avoid buying peaches that are clearly bruised or have lots of spots. Their color can range from yellow to red or even a deep reddish purple.

Variations

No peaches? No problem! I recognize not everyone loves peaches as much as I do, or perhaps you are making these mini rustic pies when peaches aren’t so ripe. Here are some fruit variations you could try:

• Apples (pick a cooking apple, like Macintosh)
• Plums
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Pears

Equipment

You will need to have a set (or two) of mini pie or tart pans. You can use a non-stick one like this Cuisinart 4 Piece Round Dish Set, Mini or even these disposable 4-Inch Mini Aluminum Pie Pans. And, yes, you can absolutely use a ceramic mini pie dish like this Aunt Shannon’s Kitchen Ceramic Mini Pie Pans

Storage

These pies can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Here is how:

• The cookie pie crust may be made a day ahead of time. You can even press the crust into the pie pans a day ahead. Do not fill until ready to bake.
• The custard filling may be made up to one day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Also, the streusel topping may be made up to one day ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.
• Pies may be assembled and stored in the refrigerator, uncooked, up to 1 hour before you are ready to bake them.

Once cooked and cooled, store the pies in an airtight container or simply covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve cold or room temperature.

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