Mini Pumpkin Pies

I didn’t plan on making a pumpkin pie this year. There’s always someone who brings pumpkin pie to Thanksgiving dinner so I’ve never really bothered to perfect a recipe.

But the other day I woke up dreaming about food (no surprise there). I dreamt that Mr. K did something to make me mad and to make it up to me, he took me to this magical pie place. Except then he ate some of the pie meant for me. I woke up craving pie and mad at him for eating my imaginary pie. Which led to me making these mini pies.

My favorite part of pie is the crust. Traditional pumpkin pie only has a single layer of crust, but I wanted as much crust as possible, so mine has a top layer as well. And with the mini form, I really maximized crust coverage on these pies.

I purchased these leaf shaped pie crust cutters at William Sonoma last year. I love how cute they are and you can also use them to cut out shortbread cookies, fondant, etc.

Picture from William Sonoma website

I was under the impression that I could bake the leaf shapes directly onto the pie, but once I started doing it, I realized it wouldn’t work because there’s nothing to hold up the leaves. You have to actually bake them separately (as it’s explained on the back of the box) and then place them onto the finished pie. As a result, on a really large pie, it isn’t really a stable top crust layer, it’s more just for decor. But on mini pies, I was able to get a leaf to fit perfectly on each mini pie.

I found it best to bake these mini pies in a tartlette pan. I own this Nordicware one. It’s a little expensive but it’s really nice material and it works really well. The pies popped out with no problem. I tried to bake a few in my muffin/cupcake pan and most of them crumbled when I tried to get them out, even though I greased them. Also the tartlette gives the pie crust pretty ridges too. I’ve used my tarlette pan to make Mini Pecan Pies, too.

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Servings: 24 mini pies

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

These mini pumpkin pies are perfect for Thanksgiving!

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Ingredients

Pie crust

• 4 unbaked 9-inch pie crusts I used refrigerated pie crust
• 1 whisked egg for egg wash

Pie Filling

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 can evaporated milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease tartlette pan. Roll out pie crust on a flat surface. Using a glass slightly wider than the size of the tartlette, cut circles into pie dough with rim of glass. Repeat and re-roll dough as needed. Cut enough to make 24 mini pies. With remaining dough, cut leaf shapes.
• Place pie dough rounds into molds and press gently, shaping into the molds.
• To make the pie filling, combine the sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in a medium bowl. Add the eggs and pumpkin and stir until incorporated. Add the evaporated milk and stir until smooth.
• Pour pie filling into pie crust, almost completely to the top, but leaving just enough space so they don't spill over when you are moving them into the oven
• Bake mini pies for about 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden and pie filling is solid. Let pies cool in pan. Meanwhile, place leaves on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush surface with egg wash. Bake for 10-15 minutes until leaves are golden. Let leaves cool for a few minutes and then place on top of mini pies.

Notes

Pie filling recipe source: Very Best Baking

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

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