easy does it

Teeny, tiny, easy. Did you know how easy it is to make pumpkin pie? I think that might be an expression: “easy as pumpkin pie” or am I making that up? I think it's actually "easy as apple pie" but that's ridiculous because compared to pumpkin, apple pie is a pain.



Anyways. The short story on these little guys is that I have some mini muffin tins that had never been used and I had a can of pumpkin in the pantry and some pie crust in the freezer. I’ve wanted to make miniature, bite-sized pies for a while and it seemed as though the stars had aligned.



PUMPKIN PIE BITES

1 (15 oz.) can unsweetened pumpkin
2 eggs
1 cup light cream
½ cup milk
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon

2 packages Pillsbury pie crust, or two homemade pie crusts, chilled



Heat oven to 375.



Follow the directions for pumpkin pie filling on the back of your can of pumpkin. I used a can of pumpkin from Trader Joe’s and their recipe was simpler than any of the others I’ve seen online. Here is the classic pumpkin pie recipe if you want to use that.



While I am usually an advocate for homemade things I have to say with this pie using the store made pie crust makes things a LOT easier. It’s much more pliable and forgiving than my homemade would be.



My measurements here might not be perfect because I naturally, didn’t take notes. If I were you I would cross check this recipe with the actual measurements on your can, because I can’t be trusted entirely.



Mix together all of the filling ingredients. Treat your mini muffin tins with a spray of olive oil or butter and lightly dust with flour. Roll out your pie dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into rounds (use a cookie cutter if you have one, I used a round glass). Press the cut circles into each muffin cup, trimming the excess off from the edge, taking care not to poke a hole in the bottom of the pie crust.



Carefully pour the pie filling into each little crust and set the pan on the middle rack of your preheated oven.



Bake for 25-35 minutes, checking for doneness after the 25 mark. They will puff just slightly, the crust will be golden and if you shake the pan, only the slightest jiggle happens in the filling, if any.



The finished product will be a bit cragged and rustic, but when they’re cooked up, they look so delicious it really doesn’t matter. These are so, so, so perfect to bring to Thanksgiving or a Halloween party. I have never been a huge fan of straight up pumpkin pie (too much pumpkin, not enough pie), but these minis up the crust to filling ratio and make pumpkin pie exponentially more delicious. Plus look at them, they’re adorable.