I suppose I expected this, but maybe not to the degree at which I’m slowing. My productive time is dwindling daily, and I’m finding everyday tasks are taking longer. I can usually get through unloading the dishwasher before I need a break – after which I can load it again. I know I won’t be getting exponentially more productive once Baby Boy arrives, but I feel like having more control over my body will help. 

All of that said, I still love spending time in the kitchen when I can. Finding quick recipes that are still super yummy is always a plus. With Thanksgiving less than 24 hours away, and having volunteered to bring dessert I decided to put together some of my favorite things in the simplest way possible. 

Tiny Pies! Yep, you’ve seen them before, but they’re making a fierce comeback in this house! What’s even better than having tiny pie on your plate, is having slightly fewer dishes to clean after you’ve enjoyed said delicious tiny pies :)

Let’s assemble your ingredients and get started! 

You’ll need 3 packages of pre-made pie crust for approximately 36 pies (24 pumpkin & 12 cherry).

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
3/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
2 eggs

Cherry Pie Filling (or any of your choosing)

1 can of fruit pie filling of your choice – yes you could make this from scratch, but I’m feeling limited right now and have no problem busting these out of my pantry every so often.

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Since we’re using the pre-made refrigerated pie crust, you’ll want to make sure you let it sit out on the counter for a 10-20 minutes so it’s easier to roll out. Once it’s at room temperature cut circles in the dough using a biscuit cutter (or a large glass) to get pieces of crust that will cover over a regular size muffin pan. You may have to reroll to use all the dough. 

Push one circle of crust into each muffin up and pierce the bottoms & sides with a fork to vent. 

Spoon in a helping of your pie filling, and cover with another round of crust. You’ll want to make sure these are vented properly so they bake like they’re supposed to. You can get fancy and try your hand at a lattice crust. 

Or just cut more rounds and vent with a knife or a small cookie cutter. 

You can put these pies in the oven at the same time if you assemble everything first. Their baking times are the same, so you might as well get your pumpkin pies going and save some time & energy.

Mix together your pumpkin pie filling. It really is as simple as whisking all of those ingredients together (in no particular order). You can add or subtract seasonings as you like. Sometimes I throw in a dash of nutmeg, and I tend to use considerably more ginger because I can :) Once everything is mixed up pour the filling into the prepared crusts. 

Pop all of the pies into the oven at 425°F for 15 minutes, and then drop the temperature to 350°F for another 25 minutes. Watch your crust to make sure it doesn’t burn. 

When a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of the pumpkin pie and comes out clean you’re good. 

Set these on a cooling rack for at least an hour, and then I like to stick mine in the fridge until serving. I like cold pumpkin pie with a healthy helping of whipped cream (store bought or homemade – your call). The cherry you could totally eat warm with a scoop of ice cream, but these reheat fairly well, so you can place them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them as well. 

I hope you have as much to be thankful about this year as I do. This is the first year in probably 8 where we’ll be spending Thanksgiving in Chicago with my side of the family, our newest addition is healthy and getting ready for his arrival (any day now according to my doctors!), we’ve moved into a fantastic new home, and we’re living in community with some of our dearest long time friends. It’s been a great year so far, and I’m sure the best is yet to come. To top it all off – tomorrow we get to enjoy some of this delicious pie ;)