Mini Pumpkin Pies

Mini Pumpkin Pies made in a muffin tin with a buttery shortcrust pastry, and a filling made of pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, sugar and spices, then topped with whipped cream- delicious mini beauties for your Thanksgiving celebration. Very easy to make, these pies will go down a treat with the whole family.

There is no such a thing as a Thanksgiving feast without the good old pumpkin pie. It has become such a popular dessert, that Fall and pumpkin pie go hand in hand.

There are different ways to get a perfect pumpkin pie filling, and for my Easy Pumpkin Pie with Condensed Milk I chose to use condensed milk rather than regular cow's milk. That means that there is no need for added sugar, since the condensed milk does an excellent job at sweetening the pie up.

So for my mini pumpkin pies I went the traditional way and used milk and sugar - both granulated and brown, one to add sweetness, the other one a deeper colour and taste.

The mini version of the classic recipe looks a lot more impressive if you have a posher gathering at your Thanksgiving table. And there aren't any more difficult to make than the traditional pie.

Plus, the mini pumpkin pies are perfect if you don't have a large crowd at your Thanksgiving dinner, my Small Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes could be a source of inspiration if you don't want to cook massive amounts of food.

Jump to:

• How to make mini pumpkin pies
• Tips and tricks
• Other pumpkin desserts

How to make mini pumpkin pies

THE CRUST

Start by making the crust, as it needs time to chill in the fridge as well. It's a basic sweet shortcrust pastry that only requires 5 ingredients: butter, flour, eggs, milk and sugar. The flour to butter ratio is 2:1, so from here you can adjust your portions accordingly.

• in a bowl, add the sifter flour and cold butter cut into cubes - the butter has to be cold from the fridge, softer butter won't create the breadcrumb texture we need
• add the egg, sugar and milk and knead well to get a dough that does not stick to the hands
• wrap the dough with clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes
• use a rolling pin to roll the dough, and use a large cookie cutter with a diameter of 4 inches/10 cm to cut out rounds - if you use a regular-sized cookie cutter, the dough won't be enough to cover the muffin tin hole, so make sure you cut it big enough
• butter and flour a 6-hole muffin tin and press down the dough circle to mould the muffin hole
• repeat with the rest of the dough

THE FILLING

The filling is super easy to make, and this is what we need: pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin spice.

• add all the ingredients to a bowl and use a hand mixer or a whisk to beat well until you get a smooth texture
• divide the filling between each pastry crust and bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 23-25 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is set
• leave to cool completely before decorating with whipped cream - or you'll get a big mess

Tips and tricks

The pastry does not need to be blind baked before adding the filling. The muffin tin holes are small enough for the heat to be distributed well, so the pastry is baked well without any problem. I love making the crust myself, but you can also use ready-made shortcrust pastry or puff pastry.

Alternatively, you can use graham crackets/digestive biscuits to create a crust similar to a mini cheesecake, and add the filling the same way.

If you want to use condensed milk instead, just add the same amount as you do with the milk, and leave our the sugars, to me, that's sweet enough. The whipped cream is optional, although it adds a nice touch and flavour. Alternatively, you can cut out different shape of dough and decorate it, but it's up to one's liking.

The pumpkin puree can be replaced with sweet potato puree, I used it in my Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie and it was a real treat. Enjoy!

Other pumpkin desserts

Pumpkin Bars

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

If you’ve liked my MINI PUMPKIN PIES or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.