Peter Pan's Imaginary Cream Pies

If you have ever seen the 1991 movie called “Hook” with Robin Williams, you may remember that there is a feast scene in Neverland featuring adult Peter Pan sitting with the Lost Boys at an empty dining table. Peter has to use his imagination for food to magically appear. When he finally does, there is a beautiful spread of food, including colorfully decorated cream pies! They have a food fight, throwing the colored cream on the pies. This mini pie recipe is inspired by that scene from the movie! These creamy-good imaginary pies with an added hidden surprise filling inside are so colorful and fun to make! They are just as fun to eat whether you use a spoon, your hands or something else. Follow along to see how you can easily make them!

Crust

1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts

No-Bake Cheesecake Filling

1 1/2 cup heavy cream (divided)

2 1/2 teaspoons (7 grams) gelatin (1 packet)

2/3 cups granulated sugar

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

40-50 drops red food coloring

1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling

1 tablespoon mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (10-ounce) jar lemon curd

Tools

12-count muffin tin

fork

4-inch round cutter

electric mixer

medium mixing bowl

rolling pin

rubber or silicone spatula

1 quart saucepan

1 zip locking plastic bag

stand mixer with bowl

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lay out one of the pie crusts on parchment paper. Roll gently with a rolling pin to enlarge the circle slightly.

Using a 4-inch cutter, cut 6 circles out of the pie crust. Repeat steps with the second pie crust dough, forming 12 circles of pie dough.

Gently press each round of pie dough, into a muffin cup. Prick all over the crusts with a fork.

Bake the crusts in the preheated 375 degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool before removing from the pan.

Start preparing the cheesecake filling.

Gently heat 1/4 cup of heavy cream in a 1-quart saucepan.

Add the gelatin to the warm cream and stir until completely dissolved. This can take up to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl using the hand mixer, beat remaining 1 cup of heavy cream and granulated sugar until soft peaks form; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese in the mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add lemon juice, vanilla extract and red coloring to the cream cheese mixture. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add cooled gelatin mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.

Spoon about one tablespoon of the cherry pie filling into 6 mini pie crusts. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the lemon curd into each of the other 6 mini pie crusts. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the 6 pies with the cherry filling.

Snip a corner of a zip locking bag. Spoon the pink cheesecake filling into the bag and zip shut. Press on the filling in the bag to pipe the mixture over the cherries topped with chocolate chips and the lemon curd in each mini crust, covering the filling. Be sure to separate the cherry filled from the lemon curd filled mini pies and keep track which are which. Place in the refrigerator while making the colorful cream toppings.

hand mixer

2 medium bowls

2 spoons

spatula

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

15 drops blue food coloring

10 drops green food coloring

kitchen shears

2 zip locking sandwich bags

red sugar

white sanding sugar

Add the cream, confectioner's sugar and the vanilla to the mixing bowl.

Beat the mixture until soft peaks form. Spoon 1/2 of the cream into the second bowl.

Add 10 drops of green food coloring to one bowl of whipped cream. Stir to blend.

Add 15 drops of blue food color to the other bowl of cream. Stir well.

Snip a bottom corner of the 2 zip locking bags. Add the green cream to one bag and the blue cream to the other bag. Zip each shut.

Carefully push out and pipe 1 green blob in the center of each of the 6 cherry-filled pies. Add 6 smaller blue blobs around the green blob of each pie. Sprinkle with a little red sugar so you will know which pies are the cherry ones.

Push out and pipe 1 blue blob in the center of each of the 6 lemon curd-filled pies. Add 6 smaller green blobs around the blue blob of each pie. Sprinkle with a little white sugar so you will know which pies are the lemon curd ones.

Refrigerate the pies until you are ready to serve them. Your guests will enjoy seeing the very pretty colors of these unusual mini pies, and they will love the hidden flavors inside! So very creamy and yummy!! Enjoy!!