Mini pumpkin pies have all the classic pumpkin pie flavor you love, in a bite-sized package! They’re so quick and easy to make, and you can prep them ahead of time to make Thanksgiving dinner a little less stressful.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie crust to ⅛-inch thickness.
Use a round 3½-inch round cookie cutter to cut circles for the mini pies. Reroll the scraps if needed. Press each dough round into the wells of a 12-cup muffin pan. (If you think your crusts look a bit shallow, then use your fingers to work the crust upwards towards the top rim. Refrigerate or freeze while making the filling or until firm.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, milk, egg, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
Fill each mini pie crust about three-quarters full, making sure to leave about ¼-inch of the crust exposed at the top.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the fillings are just set and the edge of the pie crusts are golden. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Remove and finish cooling on a wire rack. Serve with sweetened whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Notes
Roll the pie dough out thinner than you are used to! It should be closer to ⅛ inch than the standard ¼-inch thickness used for larger pies. You want a thin crust with lots of filling.
Use a room temperature egg. Set the egg on the counter about 30 minutes before you start baking so it can come to room temperature, which will help it incorporate better with the other pie filling ingredients.
Adjust the spices to your liking. Use more or less than the stated amounts of spices to suit your tastes.
Add spices to the pie dough. If you’re making the pie crust from scratch, try adding ½ teaspoon of cinnamon or a few pinches of your favorite spices to the pie dough along with the flour.
Get creative with toppings. Whipped cream is a classic topping (and my topping of choice), but you can always whip up a batch of meringue, then pipe beautiful dollops on top of the little pies and torch them for a marshmallowy finish.