Easy Pumpkin Pie Bites
Mini pumpkin pies with a smooth cream cheese pumpkin filling, baked in pie crust rounds in a mini muffin pan. One batch makes about 48 bites, and they can be baked ahead or frozen for holiday parties.
Servings 48 bites
Calories 95kcal
Ingredients
- 4 refrigerated pie crusts 2 boxes, or a double batch of homemade all butter pie crust
- 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice plus more for sprinkling
- 1 large egg beaten, for the egg wash
- whipped cream for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 24 cup mini muffin pans. If you only have one pan, bake in two batches and keep the filling and the second batch of rounds in the refrigerator while the first batch bakes.
- Unroll the refrigerated crusts on a lightly floured surface (roll homemade dough about 1/8 inch thick). Cut 2.5 inch rounds, about 12 from each crust, 48 in total, rerolling the scraps once. A 3 inch cutter gives a taller rim but only about 9 rounds per crust.
- Press each round into a mini muffin cup, easing the dough up the sides so it forms a little rim. Brush the top edges with the beaten egg.
- With an electric mixer, beat the room temperature cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth, with no lumps. Add the 2 eggs one at a time, beating after each until combined.
- Add the pumpkin puree and beat until smooth, then stir in the vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into each crust, almost to the top of the dough.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust edges are golden and the center of the filling no longer looks wet. The bites puff up in the oven and settle back down as they cool.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely, or chill for 30 minutes.
- Just before serving, top with whipped cream and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon. Keep refrigerated, and do not leave topped bites at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Notes
Yield: one batch of filling fills about 48 mini pie crusts. For 24 bites, use 2 refrigerated crusts and halve the filling: 4 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1/2 cup pumpkin, 1/2 tsp each vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.
Regular muffin pan: cut 3.5 to 4 inch rounds and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles. You will get about 16 larger pies, so use two 12 cup pans or bake in batches.
Pumpkin: use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced. A 15 oz can holds about 1 3/4 cups, so you will have some left.
Make ahead and freezing: bake up to 3 days ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator. Baked bites without the whipped cream freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and top just before serving. Keep the filling and the unbaked crusts separate until you bake, or the crust turns soggy.
Nutrition
Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.7g | Protein: 1.6g | Fat: 5.6g | Saturated Fat: 2.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 34.7mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 2.4g | Vitamin A: 872.9IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 10.5mg | Iron: 0.5mg