Welcome to the third day of Pumpkin Week! Today features a mini version of a classic Thanksgiving dessert: Pumpkin Pie. I have always been a fan of this dessert for Turkey Day, but as an adult, I find that I enjoy smaller desserts rather than a regular piece of pie. These Pumpkin Pie Bites are a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving dessert selection because they taste exactly like a bite of pumpkin pie! These are also a well-balanced dessert option that does not taste too sweet.
Make the Ganache:
Make the Pumpkin Pie Ganache and allow it to cool before piping it into a pie shell. If you have stored the ganache in the refrigerator, leave it at room temperature for approximately 20-30 minutes. This will allow the ganache to be piped easier.
You can find the recipe for my Pumpkin Pie Ganache here!
Bake the Pie Shells:
Using either homemade dough or a good store-bought pie dough, roll out the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Use a 2.5” cookie or fondant cutter to make 12 circles. Using small Autumn cookie cutters, cut leaf, acorn, and other shapes out of the rest of the pie dough.
Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray and place the circles on top of the mini muffin wells. Press the pie crust into the pan and use a fork to poke some holes in the dough. Poking holes in the dough will allow air to escape while the crust bakes, which will ensure that there are no bumps and pockets in the crust as a result of trapped air bubbles.
Place the Autumn cut-outs into the wells and on top of the pan. You can also bake off the rest of the pie crust in the pan as well and use that to crumble on top of another dessert.
Lastly, bake according the recipe or the instructions on the box. For this particular store-bought crust, I set the oven to 450°F and bake the crusts for approximately 7-9 minutes.
Prepare the Whipped Cream:
For the whipped cream topping, I recommend making a stabilized whipped cream because it will hold its shape better. When first making stabilized whipped cream, I looked up videos on YouTube in order to learn how to add the stabilizer. Tatyana’s Everyday Food’s stabilized whipped cream recipe is my favorite recipe to use because the whipped cream holds its shape nicely and it is not too sweet.
Here is how I make that stabilized whipped cream: Add one cup of heavy whipping cream and 1/3 cup of granulated sugar to a cold bowl. Whip on a medium speed until it thickens, but does not yet hold stiff peaks. Turn off the mixer and add 1 teaspoon of gelatin to 2 tablespoons of water and heat in the microwave until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Add the gelatin and 1 ½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract to the heavy cream. Beat on medium-high speed until the cream holds stiff peaks. Place in the refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes and then it is ready to use!
Assemble the Pie Bites:
Add pumpkin pie ganache to a piping bag and pipe it into the pie shells.
Using a piping bag fitted with a 1M piping tip and filled with the stabilized whipped cream, pipe a dollop of the whipped cream on top of the pie bites.
This last step is optional, but it adds a cute little Autumn decoration. Finally, place one a leaf, acorn, or flower on top of the pie bite. These adorable bite-size desserts are ready to enjoy!
Thank you so much for checking out this post! Please leave a comment below regarding how you enjoyed these Pumpkin Pie Bites! Check back tomorrow for Day 4’s post for Pumpkin Week!
