Peanut Butter and Jelly Fish Pie

Okay, before anyone panics, there is no fish in this fish pie!  That’s just what my little Monkey and I call it because it is shaped like a fish 🙂

It seems like whenever I make a pie (which is fairly often – we love apple pies!), I have leftover dough from the crust.  It’s not enough to do much with, but enough that it seems like a waste to just toss it.

So one day I decided to make my little Monkey a special pie just his size.  At the time, we were going through a very picky stage in his eating habits.  I decided to make a peanut-butter-and-jelly pie, since these sandwiches were one of the things he was refusing to eat.  I shaped the little pie like a fish, hoping it would grab his attention and make him more likely to eat it.  It worked!  He gobbled it up, and now it has become a favorite treat that he expects whenever I make an apple pie.  I love it because it’s healthy, and he loves it because it’s yummy and fun.  Win-win!

Even better, this fish pie recipe is so simple your toddler can help you make it.  Of course, feel free to pull out your cookie cutters or knife and make other fun shapes.  I’m thinking next time we’ll be having a butterfly pie!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Fish Pie

Extra pie crust dough

Peanut butter or other nut butter (I usually use sunflower seed butter, my little Monkey’s favorite)

Jelly, any flavor (I use the apricot jelly left over from making my grandmother’s apple pie recipe)

Roll out the pie crust and cut out two identical fish, using either cookie cutters or a paring knife.  You will probably need to cut out one fish and then re-roll to cut the second.  If you are free-handing the shapes, in order to make them match, simply cut out one, then set it on top of the remaining dough and trace around it with your knife.

Lay one fish on your baking sheet and add a layer of nut butter then a layer of jelly, taking care to leave about a quarter-inch edge all the way around.  The layers don’t have to be super-thin, but don’t make them too thick either, or it will be difficult to seal the edges of the pie.  I usually make the layers a little thinner than I normally would when making a sandwich.

Layer the second fish on top then seal the edges with a fork.  (This was my Monkey’s favorite part: “Mommy make edge, fork.”)

Cut a few slits in the top and bake for 10-15 at 350.  (I do 15 minutes, but our oven tends to run a little cold, so 10-12 minutes should be enough for most ovens).

Serve warm, but be sure not to serve straight out of the oven.  Even when the pie has cooled enough to handle, the filling will be quite hot, so give it a few extra minutes then enjoy!

This post has been shared at Made in a Day’s Made U Look Linky, Taming the Goblin’s Kids Co-op, One Creative Mommy’s One Creative Weekend Happy Whimsical Heart’s Baking with Kids Linky, Living Life Intentionally’s TGIF Linky Party, Bowdabra’s Saturday Showcase, My Life’s a Treasure’s Our Favorite Things, Say Not Sweet Anne’s Sweet Sharing Monday, and True Aim Education’s Mom’s Library.