If you love pie but wish they were a bit easier then give my mini pumpkin pies a try! They’re basically foolproof, beyond delicious, and everyone will love them so you might want to make a double batch.
What You’ll Need for This Recipe
Pie Dough: I’m using my favorite butter crust recipe but you can use two rounds of frozen pie dough if you’d like.
Pumpkin Puree: Just a reminder that you are using pure pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling. I find that Libbys is smoother than store brands.
How to Make Mini Pumpkin Pies
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Roll the chilled pastry dough out to about 1/8 of an inch then cut cut 3.5-4 inch circles. You can definitely use a glass or small bowl to cut the circles if you don’t have round cookie cutters.
2. Press the rounds of pie dough into the wells of a muffin tin. Use your thumb to nudge the dough up a bit if it’s looking a little low.
3. Add the pumpkin pure, brown sugar, spices, egg, vanilla, and cream to a large bowl. You can add more spices if you’d like.
4. Mix together until combined. You don’t want to introduce too much air into the mixture as the filling will expand and crack during the bake so be gentle.
5. Fill each pie about 3/4 the way up. It’s best to leave a quarter inch of crust exposed so the pies have a neat appearance and release easily.
6. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or until the centers are set and the crust is golden. Top with dollops of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon when cooled. I used an 869 tip for these but a spoonful of whipped cream on top will taste just as good.
Pro Tips for this Recipe
- Roll that pie dough out thinner than you are used to! It should be closer to 1/8 an inch than the standard 1/4 inch thickness. These are mini pies and you want a thin crust with lots of filling.
- Feel free to adjust the spice profile/level to your liking.
- Sub in a few tablespoons of water for vodka. The vodka will burn off during baking but help your dough come together without activating the gluten.
- Try adding a half teaspoon of cinnamon and a few pinches of your favorite spices to the pie dough along with the flour if you’re making it from scratch.
- Whipped cream is a classic topping but you can always whip up a batch of meringue, pipe beautiful dollops and torch them for a marshmallowy finish.
- These keep really well in the fridge so go ahead and make them a day or two in advance!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use fresh pumpkins to make this?
If you’d like to use fresh pumpkins it’s totally doable! Just choose a pumpkin meant to be eaten like a sugar or pie pumpkin. The large ones you buy for carving have no flavor.
Can you make these in advance?
Definitely! They keep well in the refrigerator for up to three days and you can freeze them, without the whipped cream topping, for up to three months. Just wrap well and and store in a freezer bag.
What other flavors can I add to the filling?
Try a few tablespoons of maple syrup, bourbon, or rum. You can add a teaspoon or two or orange zest or some of your favorite spices like cardamom, allspice and cloves.
Can I cut the pie dough without a cookie cutter?
Yes! Find a glass or bowl that can cut 3.5-4 Inch circles and you’re good to go! If your circle cutter is too small then just roll the dough out a bit more after you’ve cut it to make the circles bigger.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Mini Pumpkin Pie recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Mini Pumpkin Pies
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust I used my butter crust recipe but frozen pie dough works too.
- 1 cup can pumpkin puree
- ½ cup brown sugar lightly packed
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 egg room temperature, large
- 1/2 cup heavy cream 120mL
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove your chilled pie dough and let it sit on the counter for about 5 minutes to soften slightly. Roll our on a floured surface to about 1/8 an inch thick.
- Use a round 3.5-4 inch cookie cutter to cut circles for the mini pies. Re-roll scraps if needed.
- Press cut dough into wells of your muffin tin. If you think you crusts look a bit shallow then use your fingers to work the crust upwards so you can add more filling later.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, egg, cream, and vanilla.
- Fill each mini pie about 3/4 the way up, you want to leave about a 1/4 inch of crust exposed.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, until the filling is just set and the edge of the pie crust s golden.
- Set aside to cool completely.
- Serve with the whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Notes
- Try adding strips of parchment paper in the wells of the muffin tin before adding the dough. These will act as handles making t easy to remove the mini pies after baking.
- Roll that pie dough out thinner than you are used to! It should be closer to 1/8 an inch than the standard 1/4 inch thickness. These are min pies and you want a thin crust with lots of filling.
- If it's a Cold day then try warming the pie filling in a pot over medium low heat before adding to the pie shells. Make sure to stir constantly. Doing this will help the pies bake faster and more evenly.
- Feel free to adjust the spice profile/level to your liking.
- Sub in a few tablespoons of water for vodka. The vodka will burn off during baking but help your dough come together without activating the gluten.
- Try adding a half teaspoon of cinnamon and a few pinches of your favorite spices to the pie dough along with the flour if you're making it from scratch.
- Whipped cream is a classic topping but you can always whip up a batch of meringue, pipe beautiful dollops and torch them for a marshmallowy finish.
- These keep really well in the fridge so go ahead and make them a day or two in advance!
