Mini Maple Sweetened Pumpkin Pies

These mini pumpkin pies are sweetened with maple syrup! They are a perfect little sweet treat to add to your Thanksgiving dessert menu!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love, love, love all things mini! Mini bite-sized treats are the perfect size for little hands and less goes to waste. I can offer my boys more bite-sized items as they eat them, but these little pies never last long in our house! The maple syrup and pumpkin complement each other so well, making for a subtly sweet and creamy treat!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Here is what you’ll need to make these mini maple sweetened pumpkin pies:

• Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to get the unsweetened variety, not the ones that are marked pumpkin pie filling.
• Pie Crust: You may use homemade or store-bought!
• Heavy Cream: For added creaminess to the pumpkin pie filling.
• Egg: Used as a binder to help the mini pies maintain their shape.
• Maple Syrup: The main source of sweetness in these pies.
• Vanilla Extract: To enhance the sweetness of these pies.
• Pumpkin Spice: Provides an extra warm spice and added flavor.
• Salt: To balance out the flavors in the pie.

PROCESS

1. Whisk together the heavy cream and egg until smooth.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until combined.
3. Unroll the pie crusts on a floured surface. Use a 2.5-inch cookie cutter (or any small circular object) to cut out small circles from the dough. You may have to combine the scraps and re-roll them out to be able to get more circles from the dough.
4. Place the dough circles into the mini muffin pan. Use your fingers to press it up the sides of each mini muffin cup. 
5. Place the mini muffin pan on top of a cookie pan and pour the filling evenly into the mini pie cups. Make sure to place the mini muffin pan on top of the cookie pan before pouring the filling because the liquids will move easily if using a silicone pan.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 minutes, or until the crust slightly browns. The pies will puff up while baking and deflate once cooled.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS

Let the mini pumpkin pies completely cool and store them in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days in the fridge. To freeze, store in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag once cooled for up to 3 months. 

SUBSTITUTIONS

• Eggs: You may try replacing the egg with ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce. I haven’t tried replacing it with banana, but you may also replace it with ¼ cup of mashed banana. Be mindful that this will change the overall flavor of the pie, so you may want to adjust the amount of maple syrup used in the recipe.
• Heavy cream: You may substitute the heavy cream with unsweetened coconut cream. This is different from unsweetened coconut milk and thicker in consistency.
• Pumpkin Spice: The pumpkin spice may be replaced with a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg.

RECIPE NOTES

• You may make regular-sized muffins by adding a few more minutes to the total bake time and using a larger-sized cookie cutter for the crust. 
• The pies will puff up while baking, but they will deflate and even out once they cool.
• You may adjust the amount of maple syrup if you prefer less or more sweetness in the pies.
• I like to use a silicone muffin pan to bake these pies as they pop out easily without any sticking.
• If your crust is light in color and you prefer for it to be a little darker, set your oven to broil once the pies are done baking for exactly 1 minute. Be sure to take them out immediately so that they don’t burn!

You may also like:

• Pumpkin Banana Cookies
• Pumpkin Puffs
• Pumpkin Muffins