Mini Pumpkin Pies

by Melody Thacker, in Baking, How To, Recipes (1 Comment)

These mini pumpkin pies topped with Chantilly cream and cinnamon are a delicious two-bite fall dessert.  I couldn’t decide if I should call them pumpkin tarts or mini pies. My Mom always made loads of pumpkin pies in the fall.  When I was a kid I didn’t care for them much. Funny how your taste buds change when you become an adult and you like things you wouldn’t eat as a kid.

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Mini Pumpkin Pies

Mini pumpkin pie ingredients:

• 1 package ready-to-bake double pie crusts or homemade pastry
• Watkins nonstick cooking spray
• 1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) or 2 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin
• 1 12-oz. can of evaporated milk
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon Watkins ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon Watkins ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon Watkins ground cloves
• Garnish Chantilly cream and ground cinnamon, if desired.

Directions for Mini pumpkin pie:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F and spray a 24-cup mini muffin pan with Watkins nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Cut pie crust out into circles using a ring for a wide-mouth mason jar or cookie cutter. Press pastry circles down into the muffin cups. Gently gather and roll out any extra dough left from the rings to make a total of 21 to 24 circles.
3. Mix pumpkin pie filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
4. Divide filling among the mini pie shells.
5. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake an additional 10-12 minutes, until pie filling is just set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from muffin tin. Cool on wire rack. Store in the fridge in a covered container until ready to serve.
7. Garnish with chantilly cream and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, if desired.

Prep time: 20 minutes
 Baking time: 20-22 minutes
 Yields:  24 mini pies

Chantilly Cream

Chantilly cream or crème Chantilly are both fancy names for vanilla whipped cream.

Chantilly cream ingredients:

• 1 cup/250 mL heavy whipping cream
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Watkins vanilla powder (depending on sweetness desired)

Directions for chantilly cream:

Beat the cream in a chilled bowl until it begins to thicken. Add the vanilla powdered and beat until stiff. Do not overbeat. Makes 2 cups/500 mL.

Prep time: 20 minutes
 Baking time: 20-22 minutes
 Yields: 21 to 24 mini pies