Makes: 10 mini 3-inch pies
Ingredients
Sweet Pastry Dough
¼ cup unsalted butter
⅓ cup powdered sugar
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
2 egg yolks
1⅛ cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
For convenience, you can also use store-bought pie dough.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
½ of a standard 15 oz can pumpkin purée (7.5 oz)
½ of a standard 12 fl oz can evaporated milk (6 fl oz)
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
Directions
Prepare the Sweet Pastry Dough
In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks and vanilla bean seeds, mixing until fully incorporated.
Add the flour and salt. Using a pastry scraper or your hands, gently mix until a dough forms. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
Shape the dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before rolling. The dough can also be prepared one day in advance.
Once chilled, lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out the dough to approximately 5 mm thick.
Cut out circles slightly larger than your 3-inch tart molds.
Gently press the dough into each mold, ensuring it reaches the corners and forms a slight overhang around the edges. Run a rolling pin over the tops of the molds to remove excess dough, then neaten the edges with a paring knife.
Dock the bottoms of the tart shells with a fork, then refrigerate while preparing the pumpkin pie filling.
Prepare the Pumpkin Pie Filling
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, evaporated milk, egg, egg yolk, brown sugar, spices, and salt until smooth and fully combined.
Evenly distribute the filling among the prepared tart shells, filling each approximately ¾ of the way to the top.
Bake and Serve
Bake the mini pies at 400°F (200°C) for 7 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for another 12–15 minutes, or until the edges of the filling are set, the centers have a slight jiggle, and the pastry crusts are lightly golden brown.
Transfer the pies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature, approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour, before carefully removing them from their molds.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of freshly whipped cream!
Storage: Store the mini pumpkin pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Refrigerate within 2 hours of removing them from the oven.
