Make-Ahead Mini Pumpkin Pies
Last year I decided to experiment with our regular pumpkin pie recipe and create some mini ones that I could make ahead and gift to people in our neighborhood. I knew they were going to spend Thanksgiving alone so I hoped these would bring a little joy to them. These little pumpkin pies with their various decoration and the praline topping were very gratefully received and I’ve been asked by a few people to share the recipe so here they are my delicious mini pumpkin pies.
Mini Pumpkin Pies
When I found out last year that so many of our neighbors would be spending Thanksgiving at home, far away from their family and friends due to the pandemic, I wanted to share a little bit of Thanksgiving with them each. So I rustled up these mini pies that were ideal for them to enjoy.
They are made with homemade pie crust, pumpkin pie filling and even my favorite delicious praline topping!
Each pie is just 4″ in diameter and we made them in a Wilton’s 4-Cavity 4” pie pan. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to make that pie pan anymore but they do make 4-Inch Mini Individual Pie Tins which would be ideal to make these in.
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Are you making this for Thanksgiving? Then check out some of our other Thanksgiving Recipes for the Family including easy recipes for that leftover Turkey.
Pie Crust Tips and Recipe
Although we love our simple pumpkin pie recipe it does taste delicious for these pies I decided to go back to my grandma’s traditional pie crust recipe.
This meant shortening, cold hands and making very sure not to over-knead the pie crust dough so it doesn’t break the gluten bonds.
If your kitchen is particularly warm you can cover in saran wrap and place and refrigerate for around 20 minutes to cool the pastry down.
I still use my grandma’s pastry rolling pin, it’s a marble one so keeps cool and doesn’t stick to the rolling pin.
You’ll need to cut your pie crust around 1/2″ larger than your pie tin so I cut ours at 4 1/2″ which was perfect for making these little tasty Thanksgiving desserts.
How many Individual Pumpkin Pies Does this Make
Although I’ve called these mini pumpkin pies, each one is the perfect size for an individual to although could be shared.
The recipe for the pie crust and filling makes 12 pies, which I bake in 3 batches.
Topping the Pumpkin Pies
With a little extra time on my hands as my kids were doing remote schooling so no school runs I decided to decorate them with different topping.
A latticed pastry topping, cute fall shapes which I used my fall cookie cutter set for, and a homemade praline topping which I’ve included in the recipe for you as well.
Making Ahead
As I said the kids were on remote learning so I had some extra time before Thanksgiving with no school runs. I was able to make these ahead and leave them covered in the refrigerator to chill for a couple of days before taking them to our neighbors.
How to Make Mini Pumpkin Pies
So here we go the full recipe (including that praline topping I promised) for some mini pumpkin pies. Perfect for sharing with neighbors this year.
Mini Pumpkin Pies for Thanksgiving
How about making some of these delicious mini pumpkin pies this Thanksgiving and sharing them with neighbors and friends that are on their own this year.
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients:
- 29 oz can 100% pure pumpkin
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- ½ tsp cloves
Pastry Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cup shortening
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 10-12 tbsp cold water
Praline Topping Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- 6 tbsp flour
- 6 tbsp butter
Instructions
For the Filling
- In a large bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
- Blend in pumpkin.
- Then mix in sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk until thoroughly combined, creamy, and smooth.
- Set aside.
Praline Topping
- Melt butter in a small pan.
- Chop the nuts.
- Then mix together brown sugar, flour, and pecans in a small bowl.
- Stir in melted butter.
- Set aside.
Pie Crust Pastry
- Mix flour and salt together in a medium-sized bowl.
- Blend in shortening with a pastry cutter until pea-size pieces form.
- Add in cold water, a little at a time, and use a fork to toss the flour and water together.
- When the pastry can be picked up without crumbling, and formed into a ball, it's ready to roll.
- Spread some flour on your surface and roll the dough to ¼” thick.
- Use a 4 1/2” diameter pastry cutter to cut several circles. You will need 12 for the bottom and some to make complete toppings for a couple of the pies.
- Before placing the bottom circles in the pie pan, roll it out a bit more to thin and stretch the circle.
Making the Pumpkin Pies
- Fill each mini pie with filling.
- Use the lattice cutter to create some pie tops.
- Use small fall cookie cutters to add fun accents to the pies (brush a little water on the underside to help it stick to another piece of pastry).
- Sprinkle in the praline topping for a yummy pie.
- Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes.
- These pies can be made a couple of days ahead and stored covered in the fridge.
- Set out at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
- Top with whipping cream.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Each pie does 2 to 3 servings but I've set a serving size as 2 for the purpose of the nutritional information below.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 412Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 376mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 1gSugar: 32gProtein: 7g
More Recipe Ideas for Thanksgiving
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