Wintry days can sometimes be long when you are caught up on all the daily chores. I was straightening up one of the pantry shelves and decided to use some cans of pumpkin I had stocked up. I tend to keep more than I need on hand and need to remind myself they have to be used and not just looked at. ;-)
Mini Pumpkin Pie Bites
Pie Crust:
1 cup Crisco
1/2 cup butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tbsp vinegar
Water
- Chill both fats in the freezer until very cold. Mix flour and salt together then cut in fat.
Crack the egg into a 2-cup measuring cup. Add vinegar and combine with a fork. Add water to the 1-cup line and mix.
Add the liquid to the dry ingredients blending well with a fork to create a dough ball.
Fold the dough over itself 2 or 3 times and roll the dough out into a large circle about 1/4" thick.
Since I am making small pies for single servings, I used a glass salad bowl to cut the circles large enough to fit into a muffin tin.
Once the circles were all cut out I rolled them a little thinner as they were too thick.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
I have always used Libby's for my pumpkin pies as it has always turned out perfectly. This is the recipe from the back of the can.
Filling:
1- 15 oz can of pumpkin
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 eggs
1 can of evaporated milk
- Mix the spices, sugar, eggs, pumpkin, and evaporated milk, and blend well with a mixer.
- Using a measuring cup I filled each pastry in the muffin tin with the pie filling to the top of the crust.
- In a pre-heated oven at 425°F. I baked them for 15 minutes and then turned the oven down to 350°F. for about 45 minutes. I used a toothpick the check the centers to see if they were fully cooked.
This is the result of my first attempt at making mini pies with pumpkin. Don't forget to top them with a little whipped cream if you have it. They were tasty and didn't last long with my son visiting. Next, I am going to do some with apple filling since that would be my favorite. Stay tuned and happy baking.
Until next time, this is Sunscape
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