Ever since I made my Cinnamon Swirl Crust Apple Pie, I knew I wanted to try the same with pumpkin pie.
Cue last year on Pi Day, in March. It was spring break for me (kids and Hubs had theirs the week before) and I was just seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after suffering from what was almost certainly influenza (I was too busy feeling like death to drag myself in to get tested).
Spud, then a 7th grader, came home from school the day before, looked at me with puppy dog eyes and asked me if I could please make pumpkin pie for pi day (pumpkin is his abso fave) and could I please make mini pies because he told his math teacher that I made great pie and he wanted to bring her one for pie day.
I mean, how could I say no?
In retrospect, I probably should have said no, since I was ill, but I’m reasonably sure I was just getting strength back by then and was no longer contagious.
Anyway, I dragged myself off the couch and instead of making things easy myself, I decided to prove I was well by taking on these pies!
It must've turned out ok since we actually just had 8th grade parent-teacher conferences (9 months later) and Spud's math teacher brought these pies up and said they were one of the best she'd ever tasted and that she'd remember that her whole life - it was the sweetest!
You guys, parbaking is key - these were fabulous! You can totally use any pumpkin pie filling you’d like (here are a bunch of my versions), or use the one below. Either way, the crust is a show stopper and tasty to boot!
Sunday Funday
National Pie Day
- Karen's Kitchen Stories: Apple Cider Pie
- A Day in the Life on the Farm: Impossible Lemon Pie
- Sneha's Recipe: Magic Crust Custard Pie
- Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking: Mini Berry Pies
- Amy's Cooking Adventures: Mini Pumpkin Pies with Cinnamon Swirl Crust
- Mayuri's Jikoni: Mini Spanakopita Pies
Crust
1 teaspoons salt
2 cups all purpose flour
¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
4-6 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons melted butter
3-4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Filling
1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 tablespoon spiced rum
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium sized bowl.
Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter pieces into the flour until it forms pea sized crumbles.
Beginning with 4 tablespoons of water, sprinkle the water over the flour and butter mixture and lightly mix until it forms a ball. Add additional water as necessary.
Split the dough into two equal pieces. Lightly flour a surface and roll each piece of dough into a 12-inch round. Spread the melted butter over each dough round, followed by an even layer of cinnamon. Roll each dough round tightly, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 10 minutes to let the crust firm up.
After 10 minutes, remove crust from refrigerator and use a sharp knife to cut each log into 36 slices (for a total of 72).
Using two 12-cup muffin tins, press 3 dough rounds into each well of the muffins tins (for a total of 24).
Parbake crust for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk together the pie ingredients and pour evenly into the parbaked mini crusts. Bake pies for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until filling is cooked through.
Cool in the pans, then remove and serve.
Makes 24 mini pies
Pumpkin pie is best served the day it’s made, but leftovers can be stored for 5 days after baking. Cover and refrigerate leftover pies.
This crust does sound amazing. Anxious to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThese unique pies look absolutely gorgeous. A labor of love for dear ones.
ReplyDelete