The Ingenious Way Ree Drummond Uses Mason Jar Lids For Baking

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Mason jars are the traditional container for canning and pickling thanks to the two-part lid which creates a seal that enables us to safely preserve fruits and vegetables. But these jars are handy beyond their classic use in food storage and crafty projects. It's become trendy to use mason jars to serve drinks and other foods, such as layered desserts. The "Pioneer Woman" celebrity chef Ree Drummond has come up with an ingenious way to repurpose specifically the mason jar lids by baking mini pies in them.

Drummond makes chocolate pies using the lids which have a crumbled chocolate sandwich cookie crust and chocolate cream filling inside. This mason jar lid technique will work for any kind of pie you'd make in a regular-size pie pan, though. If you don't have mason jars, you can buy the lids alone. Drummond uses 3½-inch wide-mouth mason jar lids, but the regular 2¾-inch size is fine too if you want to make even more petite pies.

Clean both parts of the lid first, then flip over the flat piece with the rubber seal so the metal side is face up inside the larger ring part. Consider this your mini pie pan. Before you add the pie crust, place a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in the jar. Keep in mind that the cook time will be shorter than for regular-sized pies so keep an eye on them and adjust accordingly. Once the pies are done, push up the bottom piece and they'll pop out.

Mason jar lid mini pies with a crumbled cookie or graham cracker crust like chocolate or key lime pie are the easiest to make. Once the cookies are crushed and mixed with add-ins like sugar or butter, simply press them into the bottom and sides of the lid to shape the crust. If it's a no-bake recipe like Strawberry Lemonade Pie, the filling is just put into the crust — otherwise bake the crust first.

For a traditional crust pie like apple, blueberry, or pumpkin, you can either make homemade pie crust or use store-bought refrigerated crust. Roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter or knife to make a circle for the bottom crust that's 4¼ inches for a wide-mouth lid (¾-inch bigger than the lid's diameter). Fit it into the lid the same way you'd put a whole crust into a regular pie pan. Then put the lid's flat part on the dough and cut around it for the top crust if you're using one. Place the top crust on and pinch it closed after you put in the filling. Make slits or decorative cuts in the top crust as you would for a regular pie.

Mason jar lids can also be helpful for baking in other ways besides making pie. The ring part can be used to cut out homemade biscuits or cookies and there's a genius hack for baking muffins with them too. No muffin pan required.