It’s not Thanksgiving if you don’t have pumpkin pie lined up for dessert. Often you may find that your guests are too stuffed with turkey and green bean casserole to eat a full slice of pie. I, on the other hand, will always have room for some pumpkin pie deliciousness. Which is why these mini pumpkin pies are my Thanksgiving dessert must-have.
I know some of you loathe pumpkin pie or the famed Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, so you can certainly try this hack with sweet potato pie, which tastes very similar. And you can always make mini pies from scratch, but who has time for that? Plus, you shouldn’t have to miss the best early Black Friday sales because you’re baking pies.
The point is, we want to make it easier to indulge on Turkey Day by preparing mini pumpkin pies that are the perfect serving size. Here’s the recipe you’ll never forget.
Mini Pumpkin Pie Recipe
1. Buy a full-sized pumpkin pie.
By mid-September, you should be able to snag a full-sized pumpkin pie at any grocer from $5 – $12 (yes, 2022 prices are insane for pie). But if you want the best pie for this hack, head to Costco, where you’ll find over 3 1/2 pounds of pure pumpkin pleasure waiting for you for about $6 (actually $5.99 – $6.99, depending on your location).
And you can certainly use your own pumpkin pie recipe, but why destroy yours when you can do that to a store-bought one? By the way, here are some unbeatable deals you can only find at Costco.
2. Spray the inside and outside of a biscuit cutter with nonstick cooking spray.
Round cookie cutters work too; just make sure the cutter you use is deep enough to handle the depth of your pumpkin pie, and try to use handled cutters — it’ll make things way easier for you.
3. Cut straight into your ready-made pumpkin pie.
Before you start cutting, ready a plate, platter, or parchment-lined baking sheet to hold the pie cutouts. It’s always easier to do before you get started than scrambling to find something afterward.
As you punch out your mini pies, be sure to conserve space by molding the next pie directly beside the last. If you do this and use a standard-sized biscuit cutter, you should produce 10 – 12 mini pies. Smaller cutters will produce more and be even more bite-sized.
4. Gently slide the pie out by using a knife or spoon to tap the outside of the cutter.
After sliding out your pie cutouts, refrigerate the mini pies until you’re ready to serve them. Nothing against room temperature pie, but you want these beauties to stay intact until dessert time. No leaning tower of pie action here.
5. Top mini pies with whipped cream.
Add the whipped cream right before serving so that they don’t fall flat. Top the cream with a sprinkling of cinnamon and/or nutmeg and enjoy!
TIP: Chop up any leftover pumpkin pie pieces and use as a topping for oatmeal, an ingredient in a parfait, to grind up in a milkshake, or make pumpkin pie ice cream sundaes!
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