DIY Pie in a Jar Gifts and À la mode Pie Bar #ShareTheJoyOfPie

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Last week, my kiddos and I enjoyed an À la mode Pie Bar along with a super easy, totally scrumptious, and decided to Share the Joy of Pie with our new neighbors.  Unlike your traditional slaving-in-the-kitchen-for-hours pies in jars, this recipe uses Marie Callender's® Dessert Pies and  Reddi-wip® Whipped Topping for a simple recipe that's just as delicious and a zillion times easier!

Materials Needed:

• Marie Callender's Dessert Pies
• Reddi-wip Topping
• Medium Mason Jars
• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Sprinkles, Syrup, and Other Toppings
• Printables (found at the end of this post)
• Scissors
• 1/4"-wide ribbon

Instructions

1. Follow the package directions on the Marie Callender box. If you use a pie variety that includes a separate topping, set aside to use as a layer in the jar.
2. At room temperature, the pies take 3 hours to cool.  Stick them in the fridge for about an hour and they'll be ready to fill the jars with.
3. Stir your pies into a beautiful mess!  Line the bottom of each jar with pie topping if you have it.  Otherwise, simply start with a few dollops of pie.  Spray on some Reddi-wip.  Do each layer one more time.  Fill with whipped cream to just below the lip of the jar. Spread sprinkles or crushed pie topping across the uppermost layer of whipped cream.  Decorate as pictured below.
4. For the dessert you won't be giving away, combine anything in any way that suits your pleasure.  Placing your pie serving in a bowl and then heating in the microwave for 15 seconds tastes especially amazing if you'll be adding ice cream, going the a la mode route!
5. After finishing your dessert, head to the neighbors' house!  Be sure your recipients know they should keep the Pie in a Jar Gift refrigerated if they won't be enjoying it right away.

I found the Marie Callender's Dessert Pies on the end cap of the frozen section.  They were on sale for an awesome price plus they included a peel-off coupon on the box!  I chose to go with the Dutch Apple Pie and the Razzleberry, a blend of raspberries and blueberries.  They also offer other varieties of apple, peach, pecan, pumpkin, and cherry that would be ideal for this DIY!

Prepare your pie or pies in accordance with the instructions on the back of the package.

Be sure and cover the edges of the pies in tin foil!  They're very likely to burn otherwise.  I left the foil on for the entire hour they cooked and the crust came out a nice golden color.

While your pies bake, prepare everything you'll need for your DIY Pie in a Jar Gifts and À la mode Pie Bar.  Cut your ribbon to about 19".  You'll find the free label printable at the end of this post.  I recommend printing them on cardstock but I didn't have any.  Using paper worked just fine, though I did have to tape it to the top to keep the labels from crinkling when I twisted the lids on.

I placed all of the DIY supplies in an orderly section at one end of our À la mode Pie Bar.  It worked perfectly!

  

Alas, everything was ready!  We had so much fun with our À la mode Pie Bar!  As you can see, on one end we placed the DIY Gift Station.  The other end was the Pie Sundaes Station.  This time around, I did it with the kiddos but this is definitely something I'm going to do when we have friends over.

Here you can see our dessert creations up close.  As you can see, we layered the pie/crust/wip in the jar to make it look scrumptious.  You can also add ice cream for Pie in a Jar A La Mode if you know your recipient will be enjoying the dessert.  I wasn't sure how well everything would freeze and thaw so I didn't go that route for the gift, but it would be worth trying.  Everything tasted amazing and we had so much fun enjoying dessert and then putting together the dessert for our neighbors!

We packaged our Joy of Pie gift in a small, wooden crate I had been saving for just such an occasion.  You could also use those adorable baskets I've seen at the dollar store.  Cute but affordable! I really do believe my love language is gift giving.  I get so much joy out of blessing my friends and neighbors with handmade, creative things... especially desserts!  And, of course, I definitely love receiving gifts myself!

What do you think?  

Will you do a random act of pieness and #ShareTheJoyOfPie with a neighbor or friend? Print out these labels and hang them on your fridge as a reminder!