Mini Egg Pies with creamy custard filling and a super buttery crust are the ultimate snack or dessert. They are fun to eat and make a great party or on-the-go sweet treat.
Before there was Kawaling Pinoy, my long-time dream was to have my own restaurant or catering services. Over the years, I thought of quitting my full-time job and taking the risky plunge, but the prospect of jumping into the water with both feet was daunting, especially with a dependent child still in college.
All I could do was take small steps and see where they brought me. I contacted a few restaurants, and Asian supermarkets in our area to offer my mini egg pies, leche flan, and cassava cake on a consignment basis and had a friend design a packaging label on Photoshop for my products.
I'd come home from work late in the afternoon, bake my goodies till dawn, and deliver them the next day before I went to work again. It was an exhausting one-person show but nonetheless exciting.
If you happened to be at a certain Asian supermarket in Carson, California mid-October of 2010 and saw a suspicious-looking woman taking pictures of their refrigerator, that would have been me. It was so surreal to see something I baked actually on the shelves for sale!
Unfortunately, after a year of sweating it out, I had to accept it was all but wishful thinking. Although the venture was successful on its own merits, it was too small-scaled to warrant hiring another pair of hands to help or to give up my job to focus on it a hundred percent.
But even if I don't sell these mini egg pies anymore, I still regularly make them for potlucks or gatherings. Conveniently bite-sized with a crust so crisp and flaky and a custard filling so smooth and velvety!
Give them a try and let me know in the comments if I could have been the next Sara Lee if I held on to the dream a little longer. ๐
Helpful tips
- The key to buttery, flaky crusts is starting with VERY cold ingredients. I recommend freezing the butter cubes and chilling the flour for a few minutes to maintain cool temperatures.
- For a tender crust, use ice-cold water and add just enough amount for the dough to hold together. The dough should not be sticky but shaggy and feel almost dry to the touch.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out, especially during hot weather. Work fast while rolling and lining the muffin pans, so the dough doesn't heat up. If it softens, tears apart, or sticks on the work surface, return it to the refrigerator to chill for about 5 minutes.
- Handle the dough gently and do not over-manipulate to prevent gluten formation.
How to store
Wrap the pies tightly with film, transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Note that the crust can become soggy over time.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 8 ounces butter
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ยผ cup ice water
For the Custard FIlling
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Cut butter into cubes and freeze for about 30 minutes to an hour.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Add butter to flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or by pinching the fat into the flour mixture with hands. Work them together until resembling coarse cornmeal with pea-like, butter-speckled pieces.
- Slowly drizzle ice water to the flour-butter mixture and with hands, mix until just combined. Gently gather dough and press into a ball. If the dough is too crumbly and does not hold together, add more water a tablespoon at a time. DO NOT ADD TOO MUCH LIQUID and DO NOT OVERWORK DOUGH.
- Wrap dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine egg yolks, evaporated milk, and condensed milk until blended. Using a cheesecloth, strain custard mixture.
- Divide dough into 12 balls. Place each ball between two sheets of parchment paper and with a rolling pin, gently flatten each ball into 4-inch diameter and โ -inch thickness.
- Spray holes of a 12-hole muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lift each flattened dough and place into each muffin holes and with hands, gently press on sides and bottom. Trim off excess dough on edges.
- Pour custard mixture into prepared dough-lined muffin pan up to ยพ full.
- Bake in a 350 F oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle of custard comes out clean.ย
- Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing from pan. Best served at room temperature.
Notes
- The key to buttery, flaky crusts is starting with VERY cold ingredients. I recommend freezing the butter cubes and chilling the flour for a few minutes to maintain cool temperatures.
- For a tender crust, use ice-cold water and add just enough amount for the dough to hold together. The dough should not be sticky but shaggy and feel almost dry to the touch.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out, especially during hot weather. Work fast while rolling and lining the muffin pans, so the dough doesn't heat up. If it softens, tears apart, or sticks on the work surface, return it to the refrigerator to chill for about 5 minutes.
- Handle the dough gently and do not over-manipulate to prevent gluten formation.
Video
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
cookie says
I love your recipe of mini egg pies, just one question, do you have to bake the pie shells before u fill them with the egg yolk and condensed milk filling. Thanks...
Lalaine says
Hello Cookie
Don't pre bake the crust. It will bake along with filling. ๐
Halley says
I love egg pies! I've attempted to make one years ago and although it tasted good, didn't look perfect. I will try this mini version tomorrow! Thanks for sharing this recipe! ๐
jenn says
Hi, this is a great recipe and thanks so much. I read on a previous post the shelf life is three days. I was just wondering is it okay to freeze some of them. I get lazy baking and cleaning up and I just want to avoid it every time I get the cravings ๐ My plan is to bake a bunch of them and freeze most of it to enjoy at a later time. thanks again
Lalaine says
Hi Jenn
I've never really tried freezing these eggpies, they're gone before I can even save some ๐ but I think they'll be ok to freeze. Just wrap them tightly.
jin says
Hi Lalaine,
I tried making this again but this time in 1 10" pie.. But the crust turned out to be soft and soggy while i was rolling it. And when i baked it, it became powdery and very crunchy. Is it the result of over doing the dough?
Lalaine says
Hi Jin
I believe so. Since the dough was already soft and soggy, most of the pockets of butter probably already melted.
Jin says
I thought so. Sigh!.
Catherine says
thank you so much for sharing this recipe it was really delish! The pie crust is just as perfect as it is and the filling "heaven". I actually reduced the amount of condensed milk because my husband is diabetic. It turned out great still... Very perfect for our taste!! again, thank you for this recipe! ๐
Lalaine says
I am glad you enjoyed them ๐
jin says
HI Lalaine,
Thanks for this recipe, I am trying it now. Hoping for a good result so i could bring it for iftar party tomorrow.
Lalaine says
Hi Jin
Please let me know how they turn out. ๐
Jin says
Wow! Just the way i wanted my pie crust to be, flaky and buttery!
I just made a small mistake, dapat pala slightly lampas sa mould ung dough before baking kase nahirapan ako mag tanggal sa mould, dumikit ung custard sa mould ng konti while cooking, kaya ayun ndi sya madali tanggalin ng hindi nadudurog. But other than that, it was perfect.
Lalaine says
Hi Jin
My fault, dapat specify ko sa instructions na may konting overhang ang dough or wag overfill nang milk and egg mixture. It will also help if you let them cool for awhile para mas madaling alisin sa muffin pan.
I am glad you liked them. Happy baking!
Jin says
Lalaine,
No your instructions are enough and very clear, at least to a first timer like me and my first attempt was a hit! I wish i could send you a photo pero before ko naisip mag picture naubos na nila. Next in line ko empanada..
Thank u!
Lalaine says
Thank you for taking the time to leave a feedback. I can't to wait to hear about your empanada adventures ๐
Rose says
Hi Lalaine, I'm a new subscriber from Dubai, UAE. I love baking and I hope that your site will help me a lot. Thank you for sharing your skills to us. God Bless
Lalaine says
Thanks, Rose, for subscribing. I really appreciate it. Happy cooking!
Rose says
Hi! They're so cute! My daughter loves egg pies and I'm sure she will love these even more. I was searching google for delicious baked goods I could try when I came across your site (I just got a new oven so I'm excited to try baking! ๐ ). I definitely will try your recipe very soon. I am your newest fan! Thank you so much for sharing and more power.. ๐
Lalaine says
I am sure your daughter will love these ๐ Have fun baking!
Ggi says
I love to cook & bake, your site helps me a lot to improve more of my cooking techniques.... Egg pie is one of my favorites... I'm planning to sell them off like what u used to do. How much should I sell them? ..... Many thanks
Lalaine says
Hello Ggi
The recipe yields 1 dozen and it costs about $4 to make, about 30 cents each and about 20 cents for the packaging/labels ($1.10 for a 3-pack). I passed them to stores at $2.50 on consignment. The stores sold them at $3.75 each pack. Please note that I bought my ingredients bulk so I was able to cut the cost down. I had to lower my prize to allow the stores to make a profit as well so if you are selling directly to consumers, you could prize each pack at $3 to $3.50. I've seen eggpies of the same size (but not as good as mine hehehehe) were prized at about $1.50 each so $3.50 for 3 is very competitive.
Are you from the Philippines or US? If you are from the Philippines, provide me with the cost of ingredients and I'll cost out the recipe for you and provide you with a baseline. Hope this helps.
Ggi says
Aloha Lalaine,
Thank u for the reply... I'm Filipina based in Hawaii. I bought my ingredients from Costco, so I guess ur estimation is just the same of how much should I sell them... I cooked/baked the empanadas & mini egg pies today, using your recipes and it really turned out great!!! I wish I could post some pictures here.. My friend and her husband ( both Mexicans love them ) they said it's more tastier than their empanadas and custard pies .. I totally agree!! they're giving me more motivation to sell them in public( my biggest supporters so far haha)...I'm planning to sell them off at the farmers market next Saturday, see how it goes, then maybe at Asian markets my next step, I'll keep u posted... Thank u again, more power to u and Have a blessed day !!!!
Mahalo,
Ggi
Lalaine says
Good luck, Ggi! Wish you success in your business endeavor. ๐
Lorna says
In addition to that ... How long is the shelf life if I have to sell this on consignment basis? Thank you.
Anabelle San Jose says
I love this site ! I can't wait to try baking the leche flan and the mini egg tarts.
Just a quick question; for the mini egg tarts is it puffed pastry that you use? there are alot of ready made pastries in Australia I was hoping to use instead of making my own dough
Many thanks for this recipe
Belle
Lalaine says
Hello Anabelle
I used pie crust not the puffed pastry. I've never tried puffed pastry for my mini pies but I don't see why it won't work.
Thank you so much.
Bernadette dela Luna says
Hi Lalaine,
I love ypur website! You are very talented cook and an excellent writer.
I have one question. Do you preheat the oven first before baking?
Thanks! More power to you. God bless.
Lalaine says
Hi Bernadette
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am flattered. ๐
shasha says
Hi! What is the shelf life for you mini egg pies? Thank you!
Lalaine says
Hi Shasha
About 3 days in refrigerator. ๐
MG says
Is it normal to see small chunks of butter unmelted in the dough mixture? The dough holds together well though however I dont know if it needed more manipulation so the butter blends in completely, if you know what i mean.
Lalaine says
Hello MG
I am not sure how big the "chunks" of butter you mean but the flour mixture should be like coarse cornmeal with pea size pieces of flour with some speckling of butter. Hope this helps.
Jen says
Can I use store bought dough? This looks delish! Thanks
Lalaine says
Yes, you can use store bought pie crust ๐
cecilia teh says
Hi, does the crust need to be blind baked first? I think these egg tarts are the cutest! But I usually have trouble with a soggy crust.
Lalaine says
Hi Cecilia
No, I don't pre-bake the crust first. It is pretty thin so it cooks along with the custard filling. If the filling is browning and the crust is still slightly raw, just set the muffin pan to the lowest rack and bake a few minutes longer. Hope this helps. ๐